Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings

I grew up in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, which is also one of the leading apple producing areas in the United States. The Amish and the Pennsylvania Dutch make the best apple pies, and their long-lost cousin, the apple dumpling. Each autumn, our school would host a fund raiser and sell literally thousands of apple dumplings to us anxious kids, parents, and families.

The concept of an apple dumpling...what a brilliant idea! A mini apple pie, all to yourself. When I was a child I wasn't much of a crust fan. I couldn't wait to dig in and break open the pastry shell to reveal the perfectly shaped, peeled and cored apple, with the hollow core filled with cinnamon sugar just oozing out into the foil pan. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is heavenly atop such a dumpling, but more likely than not we would follow a great Dutch tradition of pouring milk into the excavated pastry, and let the crust soak turn soft while soaking up the liquid. Mmmm! Takes me back!

Many Pennsylvania Dutch cookbooks don't elaborate a specific recipe for apple dumplings. (And I'll follow in those footsteps here by not including one). In fact, my great-grandmother used to use whatever leftover pie dough remained after she was finished baking her weekly batch of pies. According to the amount of leftover raw dough, she would peel and core just enough apples (always the tart green ones), and place them upside down atop a circle of dough (about 6 to 8 inches in diameter, according to the size of the apples). She would fill the empty apple cavity with cinnamon sugar (roughly the proportion of 1 tsp cinnamon to 1 Tbsp sugar) and a teaspoon of butter. Then the moistened edges of the dough would be brought up around the apple and sealed. She would slash the crust once or twice at the top, and into the hot oven they would go (425 is about right). If you have individual foil pans, or even large stoneware ramekins, they are best used here, because invariably some filling will leak out through the bottom. Bake until the crust is nice and golden brown, and the sweet brown juices start to bubble. Test the apple dumpling by piercing it from the side with a slim, sharp knife. If the blade penetrates it like soft butter, you'll know they're ready. They're best served warm from the oven, but they're equally delicious cold the next day. You can even warm them in the microwave (if you remove the foil pan first!).

What a great way to use leftover pastry! As far as I remember, she wouldn't set out to make apple dumplings on her baking day; they were just made with whatever pie dough was left over. She also had other tricks for creating goodies using the extra dough, but I'll save those ideas for later.

Apple dumplings are now my favorite excuse to make extra pie crust. So next time you're baking a batch of pies, save the leftover dough and treat your family to a "wunnerful good" Pennsylvania Dutch dessert. "Ja!"