Apple Dumplings

Apple Dumplings

Dough
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4-5 tablespoons cold milk

6 small apples, peeled, cored

Stuffing
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, toasted
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cider Sauce
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon grated clementine zest
3 tablespoons sweetened dried cranberries

To make the dough, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Knead in butter using your fingertips, two forks, or a pastry blender, until well incorporated and mixture starts to clump together. Sprinkle in a tablespoon of milk at a time, tossing dough with a fork after each addition, until you can form a ball with the dough; wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a medium sized baking dish with cooking spray. (I used an 11x8-inch glass baking dish)

Roll out dough (as thinly as you can without tearing) into a large rectangle; slice into 6 squares. Place an apple in the middle of each square, and pull up dough around apple and pinch edges to seal. Place apples in baking dish.

To make the stuffing, in a medium bowl, stir together oats, brown sugar, walnuts, pumpkin pie spice and melted butter until well combined; place spoonfuls of mixture in centers of apples.

To make the cider sauce, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring apple cider, brown sugar, butter, pumpkin pie spice, clementine zest and cranberries to a boil, whisking frequently; pour sauce into bottom of baking dish around apples. Drizzle spoonfuls of sauce over the top of apples. Bake apples for 1 hour, basting occasionally with sauce, until golden brown and apples are tender.

Makes 6 apple dumplings