Grandma Simpson’s Apple Dumplings

Ingredients

• 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.75 teaspoon salt
• 0.25 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.75 cup shortening
• 7 teaspoons ice cold water, or as needed
• 6 medium apples, peeled and cored
• 0.5 cup brown sugar
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 0.125 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup water
• 0.5 cup white sugar
• 0.5 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 0.125 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Steps

1. Whisk together flour, salt, and cinnamon for crust. Cut in shortening until very crumbly. Sprinkle enough water over the mixture to just hold the dry ingredients together; mix together and form into a ball. Wrap with waxed paper and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface (1/2 batch at a time) to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into six 7-inch squares. Reserve any extra dough for decorative garnish, if desired.
3. Place one apple in the center of each square of dough.
4. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl. Divide mixture evenly between the apple cores and dot the top of each apple with 1 teaspoon butter. Bring the opposite corners of each square together at the top of each apple, pressing gently to seal the seams. Transfer to a large baking dish, making sure the dumplings do not touch.
5. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
6. Combine water, sugar, corn syrup, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg for syrup in a pan and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 3 minutes. Pour syrup mixture over the top of all of the dumplings.
7. Bake immediately in the preheated oven until the crust begins to turn light golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake, occasionally spooning hot syrup from the bottom of the pan over the top of the dumplings, until apples are tender, 30 to 35 more minutes.
8. Serve warm.