There is usually another way to do almost anything. This rule is no exception to recipes. If you have old recipes from your family, chances are that they are the long version. Today, we are able to cut our cooking time in half. Do we take away from the taste? No, but we do change the taste some. We also have modern kitchens with all the latest gadgets and equipment. There are some days that I want to cook just like Grandma did. Other times, I want to hurry up and get out of the kitchen. I like to have a fast recipe and a slow recipe to suit the mood that I’m in. Desserts are no different. Below, I have an Old Fashioned Apple Dumpling recipe. After that I have a quick version. They both taste great, but in their own way.
Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings
You will need:
1 and 1/4 cups of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoons of butter
2 and 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
2/3 cups of shortening
6 medium sized apples, sliced
What to do:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
For Syrup: Mix 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 1 and 3/4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in the butter. Set aside.
The pastry: Mix the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Blend in the shortening until the mixture is like course crumbs. Add 6-8 Tablespoons of water, one Tablespoon at a time until it is completely moistened. Form into a ball and roll out to 18×12 inch rectangle. Cut into 6 inch squares.
Peel and core apples. Place one slice of apple on each square. Combine the remaining sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle it over the fruit. Moisten edges of the pastry and fold the corners to center on top of the fruit. Pinch the end to seal it. Place into a cake pan and pour syrup over each one. Bake 45 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the pastry is brown.
Quick Apple Dumplings
What you need:
2 Granny Smith Apples
2 cans of refrigerated Crescent Rolls
2 sticks of butter
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
12 ounce can of Ginger Ale
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Peel and core apples. Cut into wedges. Wrap each wedge with a crescent roll, making sure you seal the edges. Pour Ginger Ale into a 9×13 baking pan. Place wrapped wedges into the pan. In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Pour over wedges. Bake 45 minutes or until the fruit test done. Enjoy!