Apple Dumplings

Directions

First, prepare enough basic pastry dough for a double crust. Blend flour and butter until it has the texture of coarse meal. You can use a food processor if you have one, or you can use a pastry blender to mix flour and butter. Alternately, you can blend with your hands or with two knives. Next you add the water. The amount of water depends on the flour and the butter. You want to add enough water so that the flour and butter begin to adhere together. If it forms one mass without being pressed together, you have used too much water. After adding the water, form the dough into two flattened disc shapes. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to use. When you are ready to use the dough, roll it out and cut into four squares of approximately the same size. You will have some extra dough, but its better to have too much than too little.

Place each peeled and cored apple on a square of pie dough; fill the hollow center of the apple with mixed cinnamon and sugar. Take the pie dough and wrap it around the apple, pinching the edges to make a nice and secure wrapping around the apple. Place all four apples into a baking pan.

To prepare sauce,  put all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Now pour the sauce over the apples in the pan. Place the baking dish in a 425 degree preheated oven. Bake 40-45 minutes. Let cool and serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.

This dessert can be fairly rich, so if you want smaller portions, use smaller apples rather than dividing the dumplings. The cinnamon and sugar mixture melts during the cooking and is one of the dumpling's greatest aspects. If you cut into the dumpling before eating it disturbs the cinnamon and sugar as well as ruining the presentation.