Apple Dumplings

Last night I took dinner to Julie and Travis' house. I made this recipe, and it is excellent! My husband is pretty reluctant to try something new, but even he enjoyed it. I don't care for the flavor of wine in my food, but I didn't even notice it. It's a good recipe for a fall day.

And I made these apple dumplings for dessert. The recipe came from BH&G's Hometown Cooking from October 1999. This little magazine isn't published any longer which is too bad because every recipe I tried when I had this subscription was a winner.

APPLE DUMPLINGS
2 cups sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I left this out)
These ingredients are for the sauce. Combine in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it boil for five minutes and then set aside.

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
For the dough, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening. Add milk all at once and stir just until moist. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface 10 to 12 times or until nearly smooth. Roll out to a 12x10 rectangle.

1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups shredded, peeled cooking apples (I used four large Granny Smith)
This is the filling. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Spread the apples evenly over the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mix. Roll dough into a spiral starting from the long side. Pinch the seam to seal. Cut into 12 1-inch thick slices and place in a 13x9 pan. Pour the sauce over the dumplings. Bake at 350° about 50 minutes or until brown. Serve warm or cold, but warm is better.