Apples!

My absolute favorite time in the mountains is fall....colors, smells and FOOD! And what better food than apples fresh from the orchard? Since I've made several trips to our favorite orchard in Blue Ridge, GA and my refrigerator is full of apples, I decided it's time for some of our favorite apple recipes.

Apple Dumplings are one of our all- time favorite desserts! Especially when served warm and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. There are several variations on this recipe, but I think this one is the best. You can use refrigerated commercial crescent rolls, refrigerated commercial pie crust, frozen ( thawed) puff pastry OR make your own pie crust to roll around the apples. You can leave the apples whole ( peeled and cored, of course) or cut into quarters ( or smaller depending on the size of the apple!)  Here's what I made last night and they were a huge hit!

APPLE DUMPLINGS

1 recipe Master Pie Crust
4 to 6 fresh apples, Rome, Jonagold, Pink Lady or your favorite, peeled, cored and cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup ( if you don't have any, just leave it out and add more liquid)
3/4 cup apple juice or cider
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* I added 2 T Calvados ( only because I still have a bottle from our trip to Normandy, France)

Roll out pie crust to 1/4" thick and cut into triangles ( or separate crescent rolls) . Roll each triangle around an apple wedge. Place in a greased 9x13" pan, pointed side down. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over apples. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 - 35 mnutes until crust is golden brown.
Spoon liquid over dumplings. Serve warm topped with ice cream!  Yield: 12 dumplings

MASTER PIE CRUST

1/2 this recipe for 12 apple dumplings or make full recipe and freeze half.
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes and frozen
1/4 cup Crisco, cut into cubes and frozen
3/4 cup ice water

Process flour, sugar, salt, butter and Crisco in a food processor for 25 seconds or until mixture resembles tiny pebbles. Gradually add ice water, process until dough just begins to stick together. Turn out onto plastic wrap, wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hr or overnight.