Baked Apple Pie Dumplings

Oh my Goodness!! Who knew that fresh apples, crescent roll dough, and citrus soda could make such a wonderful treat!

My son-in-law is diabetic, so I reduced the butter to 3/4 stick of butter melted with 1/2 cup of Splenda sugar blend, and used Diet Mountain Dew. Wonderful!

I made this tonight they are incredible. I halved the recipe and made one change. I used 3/4 cup sugar(1/2 cup white, 1/4 cup brown). Will be making this again and again.

I’ve made these apple dumplings for years and have received nothing but wonderful comments. The secret with the melted butter and sugar is to continue cooking it until it is well blended and thickens, stirring constantly. T

I found this recipe last year and made it for Thanksgiving dinner with my husband’s family. Everyone raved about it and made me promise to make it at Christmas.

Ingredients

for 4 dumplings

2 delicious golden apples

3 tablespoons of sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

½ teaspoon cornstarch

2 sheets of puff pastry

1 egg white, beaten

SAUCE CIDER

1 cup apple cider (240 ml)

1 cup of water (240 ml)

1 cup of sugar (200 g)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice, half a lemon

Preparation

Peel apples completely, removing all skin and stems. Cut the apples in half in the middle to get a top and a bottom piece. Using a melon spoon, remove the core, being careful not to go completely through the bottom. Once the core is removed, continue to use the melon spoon to cut the inside of the apple, keeping the small pieces of apple separate.

In a small bowl, mix the chopped apple pieces with the white sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and softened butter. Stir until the apple pieces are well coated.

Spread the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a sheet about 23 x 36 cm (9 x 14 inches). Using the top round part of a saucepan (ideally 15-17 cm in diameter), cut two circles of dough from each sheet and set aside.

Preheat the oven at 400˚F (200˚C).

Spoon the filling into the hollowed out core of the apples and place each filled apple in the middle of a round piece of dough.

Apply a light layer of egg white to the edge of the dough and fold towards the center over the apple, crimping the dough when the edges meet. Continue until all the edges are joined. Use your hands to maintain the shape of the dumpling.

Once the shape is achieved, brush the top of each dumpling with egg white. Finally, using a small knife, cut a small opening in the top of each dumpling.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes in a preheated oven, or until the dough is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

Cider Sauce: While the dumplings are cooking, mix the water, apple cider, sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and become thick.

Before serving, remove from heat and add the 2 tablespoons of butter and lemon juice while whisking.

Serve by pouring the sauce over the dumplings while they are still hot.

Enjoy!