Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold butter or margarine
- 4 to 5 tablespoons cold water
- 6 baking apples, about 3 inches in diameter (such as Braeburn, Granny Smith or Rome)
- 3 tablespoons raisins
- 3 tablespoons chopped nuts
- 2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cups water
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt.
- Cut in the butter, using a pastry blender or fork, until particles are the size of small peas.
- Sprinkle with the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well with fork until all flour is moistened.
- Gather the dough together, and press it into a 6×4-inch rectangle.
- Lightly sprinkle flour over a cutting board or countertop.
- Cut off 1/3 of the dough with a knife; set aside.
- On the floured surface, place 2/3 of the dough.
- Flatten dough evenly, using hands or a rolling pin, into a 14-inch square; cut into 4 squares.
- Flatten the remaining 1/3 of the dough into a 14×7-inch rectangle; cut into 2 squares.
- You will have 6 squares of dough.
- Remove the stem end from each apple.
- Place the apple on a cutting board.
- Using a paring knife, cut around the core by pushing the knife straight down to the bottom of the apple and pull up.
- Move the knife and make the next cut.
- Repeat until you have cut around the apple core.
- Push the core from the apple. (Or remove the cores with an apple corer.)
- Peel the apples with a paring knife.
- Place 1 apple on the center of each square of dough.
- In a small bowl, mix the raisins and nuts.
- Fill the center of each apple with raisin mixture.
- Moisten the corners of each square with small amount of water; bring 2 opposite corners of dough up over apple and press corners together.
- Fold in sides of remaining corners; bring corners up over apple and press together.
- Place dumplings in a 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.
- In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the brown sugar and 1 1/3 cups water to boiling over high heat, stirring frequently.
- Carefully pour the sugar syrup around the dumplings.
- Bake about 40 minutes, spooning syrup over apples 2 or 3 times, until crust is browned and apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Serve warm or cooled with syrup from pan.