Honeycrisp Apple Dumplings with Browned Butter Brown Sugar Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2-4
 
These baked apple dumplings are truly delicious and not as fussy as you might think.
Ingredients
  • Filling
  • (for each apple made)
  • 1 T dark brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • ⅛ tsp. nutmeg
  • ½ dried apricot, minced
  • 1 tsp. dried cranberries, minced
  • 1½ tsp walnuts, chopped
  • ½ tsp. orange zest
  • chopped apple from the widened core
  • Browned Butter Sauce
  • (enough for two large apple dumplings)
  • ½ c. dark brown sugar
  • ¼ c. orange juice, freshly squeezed
  • ¼ c. browned butter
  • Dough
  • (enough for 4 large apple dumplings)
  • 1½ c. all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ c. stone ground whole wheat flour
  • 6 T unsalted butter
  • 7 T shortening
  • 1 tsp. raw sugar
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 6 oz. cool water
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Make the dough first by adding the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisking to combine them.
  3. Add the butter and shortening to the dry ingredients in pieces, then using both hands, "pinch" the ingredients together until the mixture resembles oatmeal.
  4. Pour in the water and with a fork lightly pull everything together into moist clumps.
  5. Scrape out onto a lightly floured surface and with your hands, bring the dough together into a ball.
  6. Pat flat, then with a rolling pin and a light dusting of flour, roll into a loose rectangle, turning from time to time.
  7. Fold the dough over onto itself and roll out again. Set aside.
  8. To prepare the apples, remove the core and discard. Then widen the opening another half inch or so the top third of the apple by running a paring knife around the interior. Save the apple pieces removed.
  9. To make the filling, add all ingredients along with the saved apple pieces to a small bowl and toss lightly. Set aside.
  10. To make the sauce, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium and allow to cook until the foam subsides, it has darkened in color a bit, and has a nutty aroma.
  11. Remove from heat and pour the browned butter through a very fine-meshed strainer or coffee filter to remove the dark solid pieces. Discard those.
  12. Combine the remaining sauce ingredients with the browned butter and return to the heat briefly, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
  13. Return to the dough and cut into quarters.
  14. Working with one quarter at a time, roll out into a square.
  15. Place an apple in the center of the square to help judge the size you'll need -- make sure each corner of the dough can extend up and slightly over the top of the apple.
  16. Trim the edges and save the pieces for ornamental leaves if desired.
  17. With an apple placed in the center of the square, fill the cavity with the spicy fruit and nut mixture. Drizzle any collected juices into the cavity as well.
  18. Pull the corners of the dough up to the center of the apple, dabbing with a bit of water to secure the pieces as you go, overlapping them, and pressing down the flaps on the side.
  19. If you're using the scraps for leaves, reroll them and press on the top of the apple with a bit of water.
  20. Place in an oven-proof dish and brush some of the butter sauce over the dough.
  21. Bake for 10 minutes, brush again, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and return the apples to the oven to bake for an additional 35 minutes, removing apples to baste in the sauce every 10 minutes.
  22. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the apples, so check for tenderness with a wooden skewer inserted into the apple (not the filling) during the last 10 minutes to judge.
  23. To serve, allow to cool about 10 minutes, then pour just enough cream over the top of the apple dumplings to mix with the buttery caramel in the bottom of the dish.
Recipe by sass & veracity at http://sassandveracity.com/2012/10/12/baked-apple-dumplings-with-sweet-browned-butter-sauce/