Baked Apple Dumplings
By America's Test KitchenPublished on November 9, 2012
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour chilling
Yield
Serves 8
Ingredients
Dough
2 ½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled¾ cups cold buttermilkApple Dumplings
6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces/75 grams) sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened3 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped4 Golden Delicious apples 2 egg whites, lightly beatenBefore You Begin
Use a melon baller or a metal teaspoon measure to core the apples. We like to serve the dumplings warm with vanilla ice cream and Cider Sauce (see Cider Sauce recipe). Other sweet, moderately firm apples, such as Braeburns or Galas, can be used in this recipe.
Instructions
- Process flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined. Scatter butter and shortening over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to bowl. Stir in buttermilk until dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly until dough is cohesive. Press dough into 8- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut in half, wrap each half tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. In second bowl, combine butter, raisins, and 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar mixture. Peel apples and halve through equator. Following photos 1 and 2, remove core and pack butter mixture into each apple half.
- On lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into 12-inch square. Cut each 12-inch square into four 6-inch squares. Working one at a time, lightly brush edges of dough square with egg white and place apple, cut-side up, in center of each square. Following photo 3, gather dough one corner at a time on top of apple, crimping edges to seal. Using paring knife, cut vent hole in top of each dumpling.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Following photo 4, arrange dumplings on prepared baking sheet, brush tops with egg white, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until dough is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. Serve with Cider Sauce.
make dough
prep apples
assemble dumplings
finish apples
Time
1½ hours, plus 1 hour chillingYield
Serves 8Ingredients
Dough
2 ½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
¾ cups cold buttermilk
Apple Dumplings
6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces/75 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped
4 Golden Delicious apples
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Dough
2 ½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
¾ cups cold buttermilk
Apple Dumplings
6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces/75 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped
4 Golden Delicious apples
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Dough
2 ½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
¾ cups cold buttermilk
Apple Dumplings
6 tablespoons (2⅔ ounces/75 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped
4 Golden Delicious apples
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Biscuit dough was easier to work with than pie dough for our Baked Apple Dumplings and did a great job of absorbing the liquid from the apples without getting mushy. Some apple varieties we found didn’t cook through quickly enough, while others turned to mush. We settled on sweeter Golden Delicious, which had the perfect consistency when prepared correctly. We found no reason to bake the dumplings in syrup. To avoid a soggy mess, we made the sauce for our Baked Apple Dumplings separately and saved it for serving..
Before You Begin
Use a melon baller or a metal teaspoon measure to core the apples. We like to serve the dumplings warm with vanilla ice cream and Cider Sauce (see Cider Sauce recipe). Other sweet, moderately firm apples, such as Braeburns or Galas, can be used in this recipe.
Instructions
- Process flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined. Scatter butter and shortening over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to bowl. Stir in buttermilk until dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly until dough is cohesive. Press dough into 8- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut in half, wrap each half tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. In second bowl, combine butter, raisins, and 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar mixture. Peel apples and halve through equator. Following photos 1 and 2, remove core and pack butter mixture into each apple half.
- On lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into 12-inch square. Cut each 12-inch square into four 6-inch squares. Working one at a time, lightly brush edges of dough square with egg white and place apple, cut-side up, in center of each square. Following photo 3, gather dough one corner at a time on top of apple, crimping edges to seal. Using paring knife, cut vent hole in top of each dumpling.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Following photo 4, arrange dumplings on prepared baking sheet, brush tops with egg white, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until dough is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. Serve with Cider Sauce.
make dough
prep apples
assemble dumplings
finish apples
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
My Rating
This is a members' feature.
0 Comments