When the wind turns cool and the leaves begin to change color, it’s time for my favorite fall tradition: the Apple Butter Festival. As part of this annual fund-raiser for my church, we pick apples from an orchard and make a ton of apple butter, as well as pies, funnel cakes, cookies and cider. But to me, our Festival Apple Dumplings are the best. Make them yourself and they’ll be the apple of your eye!
Ingredients
| Crust | |
| 3 c. flour | 1 teas. salt |
| 1 c. shortening | ⅔ c. water |
| Filling | |
| 6 large Granny Smith apples | ¾ c. brown sugar |
| 3 Tbls. butter, cut into 6 pieces | 2 teas. cinnamon |
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
2. To make pastry dough, mix all pie-crust ingredients in a bowl using dough hooks on mixer. Place dough on a lightly floured surface.
3. Separate the dough into three equal sections and roll out each section with a floured rolling pin. Cut each section into two pieces, approximately 6×6 each.
4. Peel and core apples. Place a peeled apple on a pastry square and fill center with brown sugar. Dot with a piece of butter on top and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon.
5. Pull corners of dough up to “wrap” the apple, squeezing edges to seal. Repeat for all apples. Place pastries in baking dish. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown.
Makes 6 pastries.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 750; Fat: 41g; Cholestrol: 15mg; Sodium: 450mg; Total Carbohydrates: 94g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugars: 40g; Protein: 7g.
