Apples, Apples, Apples

I love fall. Not so much for the cooler temps, but for the colors and harvest that comes with it. The smell of pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, apple pie, apple butter, homemade bread, etc, So warm and inviting! Today, I found a great deal on apples at the local Farmer's Market. My Granddaughter and I are using our apple/peeler/corer https://amzn.to/3XT7vx7 to process the apples for canning. It is such a joy that she can help. She is only 5 but is so good at helping her Yaya. I pray it brings back good memories as she gets older and of course the smell of those same spices I smelled from my Granny's kitchen. Today we will make apple dumplings (my husband's favorite) for supper and can sliced apples for later in the winter. By processing just sliced apples, I can then upon opening the jars, make apple butter, applesauce, or just use them to bake delicious desserts.

To make delicious apple dumplings, you can try the following recipe.

I made this with my sourdough starter. But if you don't have any or want to save time, you can use store-bought pie crust. Sourdough bread is my newest hobby, so I am still working out all the kinks. However, this was a hit! Add a little vanilla ice cream on top, and it was super delicious.

Sourdough Apple dumplings

1 cup of sourdough starter or discard

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup of oil, your preference (I used olive oil)

1/4 brown sugar

1/2 cup of flour

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients combining them well. Let the mixture sit for an hour (or longer of you want). When you are ready, add

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

Mix then knead the dough adding flour 1/4 cup at time to keep the dough from being too sticky. Knead 3-5 minutes. Flour a clean surface and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 1/2 in size. With a sharp knife, mark out about 8 triangles.

Peel, core, and cut apples into large chunks (about 2-4 apples). Place a wedge or 2 at the widest part of the triangle. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar lightly. Starting at the widest pare of the triangle, roll up the triangle. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave 1 to 1.5 inch space between them. Let rise until it increases by a third. You then can cook them in the air fryer or the oven.

Air Fryer: Line your air fryer, then place as many dumplings in a single layer. Air fry at 320 degrees for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown and can be easily pierced with a fork Remove to allow to cool and repeat the process for the rest.

Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degree and bake the dumplings for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and the apples can be easily pierced.

SYRUP: To a saucepan, add 2 cups of water, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Over high heat, bring to a boil then turn down the heat so it simmers for 5 min. Pour over dumplings and bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.

Serve in a shallow bowl; place dumpling in the bowl, add some sauce, and then if desired a scoop of vanilla ice cream. So good!

We also canned 4 quarts of apple slices. A great day putting up food, baking, and hanging out with the granddaughter.

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.