How To Make Apple Dumplings

I am so excited to bring you an apple dumplings recipe during this apple week for Southern Plate. The weather is starting to turn cooler here and brought with it thoughts of beef stew and apple dumplings. Of course, I love apples cooked any way, Apple Dapple cake, fried apples, apple pie and these apple dumplings.

An old fashioned apple dumpling recipe

 Mama took some pictures and sent me the apple dumpling recipe. This is an old fashioned recipe that uses a little of this and a smidgen of that so I have done my best to measure all the ingredients for you. Do not be scared of adding or adjusting the ingredients to suit your taste. This is a very delicious and forgiving apple dumplings recipe. It would be even more delicious with vanilla ice cream on top!

Can you guess what whampum biscuits are?

Before I give you the recipe, let me tell you a little about how I went about making these dumplings. I use the small cheap canned biscuits. We call them whampum biscuits since you whampum on the counter to open them.

I open the biscuits, take them apart and lay them out on wax paper to come to room temperature while I prepare the apples. This makes the biscuits easier to roll out. Then I peel the apples and cut them up into little pieces. Now the original recipe said to place a small amount of apples (about a heaping tablespoon) on each biscuit and then sprinkle with cinnamon. I can never remember to sprinkle the cinnamon on the apples when I get in a rhythm of making the dumplings so I just sprinkle cinnamon on the apples in the bowl and stir them up to distribute it. If you don’t like cinnamon, the apple dumplings are just as good without it. I have had them both ways and love them either way.

~Mama

From Christy

From Christy…Now I know my Mama and Grandmama really well. In fact, I’m pretty confident that I know both of them just about better than any living person at this point.  So I will insert anything that may be missing from above in the apple dumplings recipe below.

To make this recipe you’ll need:

• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• 2 cans biscuits (ten count cans)
• apples (Granny smith is best but others work)
• Butter

• Peel and slice your apples however you want, a knife is fine.  Mama uses this fancy apple peeler thing above.

• Place your diced apples in a bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Stir to coat.

• Take each biscuit and roll it out as best you can on waxed paper. Don’t roll it too thin, just roll it out enough to be able to put some apple filling in the center.

• Put a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each one.

This is the point in the tutorial where Mama had to stop for a minute to try to help my nephew Lane with a math problem. The real problem occurred when she called me to help her figure out how to help him. My engineer husband wasn’t home just then and it was like the blind leading the blind…

• After you put the filling in each of round of dough, fold up the sides and press them together so they look like little square packets.
• Place all of you dumplings in a baking dish (I’m using a 9×13).
• Top each with a small pat of butter.
• Sprinkle the remaining apples over them. If you don’t have apples left, don’t worry, just go with it and it will be fine.
• Sprinkle your sugar over the apples

• Gently pour boiling water over the apples.  Mama says :I know this seems strange pouring water over this but trust me, it will turn into a delicious syrup.
• Bake at 350 for one hour.

Sit back and enjoy fall and the all the wonderful flavors that it brings!

Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings like my Grandmother Made

 

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Ingredients

• 2-10 count cans of biscuits
• 3 granny smith apples
• ¾ stick butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Boiling water (Enough to completely cover the dumplings and then another ½ cup)
2. Let biscuits sit out while you peel and chop apples (They're easier to roll out that way).
3. Peel and chop apples into small pieces. Place in bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon, stirring to coat.
4. Roll out biscuit and put a heaping tablespoon of apples in the center. Pull biscuit around apples and pinch to seal.
5. Place dumpling pinched side down in 13 X 9 casserole dish. Continue making until all 20 dumplings are made and placed in dish.
6. Cut butter into pats and place on top of dumplings. Pour any remaining apple pieces on top of the dumplings.
7. Sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the dumplings.
8. Then pour boiling water gently over the dumplings. Pour water until it completely covers the dumplings. Then add about another ½ cup. Trust me, the water will turn into a delicious syrup.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

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“A Man Cannot Have a Pure Mind If He Refuses Apple Dumplings”

~ Charles Lamb 1775-1834