These apple dumplings have a secret ingredient

There’s something about apple season that brings back special memories of our autumn church bazaar at Holy Trinity Church here in our little town of Batavia, Ohio.

For many years, we’d set up the church hall with tables for crafters to sell their wares.

Since the bazaar was held during the day, a homemade lunch was served and always consisted of my chicken gumbo soup, Ruth Haglage’s beef barbecue and special desserts from the church community.

Marge Miller, of blessed memory, would bake several batches of her tender apple dumplings for the dessert table. To have one of Marge’s coveted apple dumplings was a coup as well as a treat.

I believe Marge was still making apple dumplings well into her 90s. She was kind enough to share her recipe all that many decades ago.

What I love most is Marge’s translucent, somewhat thick coating that blankets the dumplings as they bake.

“The syrup has a secret ingredient,” she told me. Guess what it is – little cinnamon candy decor hearts!

Here’s Marge’s recipe for you to try. I’ve adapted it to include ground cinnamon in case you don’t have cinnamon hearts.

And one more thing. Don’t be surprised if some of the dumplings bake up with tops bursting a bit. That seems to be the norm, and they will still taste amazing.

Marge’s apple dumplings with cinnamon syrup

Ingredients dumplings

1 double pie crust recipe

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

8 small to medium baking apples, peeled and cored (try Granny Smith, golden delicious or Jonathan)

8 teaspoons butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.

Divide crust into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each in shape of square 6-8”.

To test size, place apple in center and bring the 4 corners up to meet at the top.

Place 1 peeled and cored apple in center of square.

Put a couple teaspoons sugar/cinnamon mixture into each cavity.

Dot top with 1 teaspoon butter.

Bring one corner of pastry up over top of apple.

Take opposite corner and overlap it over first one.

Moisten well to seal 2 edges.

Repeat with last two corners of pastry and moisten to seal.

Place dumplings in sprayed baking dish.

Pour syrup over and bake 40-60 minutes until golden and apple is soft.

Ingredients syrup

1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 cups cool water

1-1/2 cups sugar or less to taste

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Cinnamon or cinnamon decors (little cinnamon candy hearts) to taste – start with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon or 8-10 candy hearts

Instructions

Whisk cornstarch into water. Put all ingredients in pan and cook on low until sugar dissolves and mixture starts to thicken. This takes several minutes.

Pour over dumplings. Proceed with baking.

Tip, if using store bought crusts

Dust the counter with a bit of flour. Remove crust from package and dust with a tiny bit of flour, then roll to stretch it just a little.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: These apple dumplings have a secret ingredient