Apple Dumplings

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup shortening

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup raisins

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 6 small apples 

• 1 egg

• 1 1/4 cups apple juice

• 1/2 cup maple flavored pancake syrup

Method

Make pastry dough: Mix flour and salt with fork, cut shortening into flour. Sprinkle with 8 to 9 tablespoons cold water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing with fork after each addition. Shape dough into ball.

Mix brown sugar, raisins, walnuts, butter and cinnamon with fork in a small bowl. Peel and core apples (do not go all the way through apples). Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove 1/3 cup pastry. Roll out dough to make six 7-inch squares of pastry to cover apples. Beat egg with 1 teaspoon water in small cup. Center apple on square of dough, divide the brown sugar mixture into six equal parts, spoon brown sugar mixture in center of each apple and mound on top. Brush the edges of each pastry with egg mixture. Bring points of pastry up over apple. Pinch edges to seal. Use more egg mixture if needed to seat. Repeat with rest of apples. Place in greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Roll out remaining dough and cut out 12 leaves. Mark each leaf with knife to resemble veins in leaf. Brush dumplings with egg mixture and press leaves on top of each dumpling, brush with egg mixture. Press stems from apples or cloves into top. Bake for 30 minutes. Mix apple juice and syrup. Pour over dumplings in baking dish. Bake 15 minutes longer, basting occasionally with syrup mixture. They are done when pastry is golden and apples are tender when pierced. Serve warm with syrup mixture.