Vintage Eats Recipe: 1950 Apple Dumplings

“Apple, Apple Dumpling,

My first choice,”

Cry all the husbands

With one voice.

“Apple for the Filling,

Sugar and spice,–

Wrap it up in pastry,–

Count me twice!

**

This little ditty (I guess that’s what you would call it) introduces the Apple Dumplings recipe in the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook (p. 325 for those of you who have the first edition 1950).

In more than 40 years of cooking, I confess to not having made these before.

The steps of coring the apples, making a pastry and syrup seemed cumbersome compared to recipes I preferred, such as cakes, muffins, cookies (especially bar cookies!). These are usually mixed in one bowl and placed in the oven — quick and easy.

Just to illustrate, this recipe’s first step is making a pie crust dough to wrap around six apples which have been cored and filled with cinnamon, sugar, raisins.

Of course, I could skip this step and purchase a pie crust. I have no problem with this, but as we are not big pie eaters, I didn’t know a good brand. Can anyone recommend one?

This week (year!) we’ve had lots going on with de-cluttering our home (painful!), home improvements (equally painful—and costly).

I figure my husband and our daughter, who helps much despite working full-time, deserved a special treat.

Apples are low-calorie, high fiber, and were on sale at our grocery — that makes it a triple blessing! Gala is my preferred choice for baking/ cooking.

So I dove into the Apple Dumpling Recipe. Photos from the cookbook and from my own cooking process are provided.

Let me know if you make these Apple Dumplings and what you think.

Keep in mind it is my first attempt at Dumplings. 😊As British Chef Jamie Oliver says, “It doesn’t have to be chef-y.” We enjoy his cooking shows on Britbox and agree with his philosophy. As long as something is not burnt and tastes good, it doesn’t have to be picture-perfect.

Here we go!

**

Apple Dumplings

Preheat oven 425 degrees.

Start with the pastry. The cookbook provided options for an 8” or 9” pie. I chose the 9” because I wanted to make a big order of dumplings. Two cups of flour should be enough for 6 dumplings.

Ingredients:

2 c. flour

1 t. salt

2/3 c. shortening

4 T. water

1. Mix flour and salt.
2. With pastry blender cut in half of shortening finely until mixture looks like meal (This makes for tenderness.)

The photo in the cookbook showed this process being performed with a pastry blender (above). As I didn’t have one at the time, I used the back side of a table fork. I now have a pastry blender so next time should be easier, although I think the fork worked well.

• Cut in remaining shortening coarsely until particles are the size of giant peas. (This makes for flakiness.)
• Sprinkle with water, one T. at a time, mixing lightly with fork until all flour is moistened.
• Gather dough together with fingers so it cleans the bowl.
• Press dough into a ball. Roll out or keep in waxed paper in frig until needed. (I didn’t chill it.)
• Roll out pastry a little less than 1/8” thick and cut into six 7” squares.
• Pare and core six medium-size apples.
• Mix ½ c. sugar with 1 ½ t. cinnamon.
• Place apples on each square of pastry. Fill core cavity with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Dot with 1 T. butter.
• Bring points of pastry up over the apple. Overlap, moisten with water and seal. (Don’t worry if your pastry doesn’t meet perfectly – mine didn’t. As long as the apple is covered, you’re fine.)
• Lift apple carefully and place a little apart from each other in baking dish.
• Make syrup:

In sauce pan mix 1 c. sugar, 2 c. water, 3 T. butter, ¼ t. cinnamon.

Boil together for 3 minutes.

1. Pour hot syrup around dumplings.
2. Bake 45 minutes until crust is nicely browned and apples are cooked through. Serve warm with cream or whipped cream. We used vanilla yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

My husband loved these and ate two straight from the oven and one the next day. Success!

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