Apple Dumplings — The Recipe That Tastes Like Staying Home

Homecoming at GISH this week — the first without Amber there. Tyler is a sophomore, Justin is a sophomore (they both had homecoming activities, though neither was on the court), Josie watched from her middle school vantage point and reported back on a bonfire she was still too young to attend. The Friday game was against Columbus. Justin had 85 rushing yards and a touchdown. The team won. The night was crisp.

Drove a Sioux City run Tuesday-Wednesday. Picked up a load of pumpkins (a specialty produce run, unusual for my regular freight) and took them to a distribution center in Des Moines. The cab smelled like pumpkins. I came home Wednesday with a small pie pumpkin the driver at the farm had given me — he knew the book, he knew me, he said, "Put this in your kitchen." I did. We made a pumpkin cheesecake Saturday. The recipe will be in book two.

Amber did not come home this weekend. She had a study group. She called me Sunday. She said, "Mom, I'm fine." I said, "I know." She said, "It's weird not being there on homecoming." I said, "I know." We did not need to say any more. I sent her a care package Monday morning — homemade pumpkin bread, a tin of oatmeal cookies, a bag of her favorite candy, a note from Josie. She texted a picture of herself holding the bread Tuesday. I framed my phone with the image and set it on the desk. A new phase of mothering: you mail food. The food travels. The love travels in the food. The book was about exactly this. The book keeps being right.

Cookbook is at fourteen printings, 260,000 copies sold. Sarah says we might hit 500,000 by the end of the year. I do not know what to say about this.

Gayle was tired Friday. Not sick — tired. Sat on her couch a lot. Said the cold bothered her more than last year. I brought soup. I stayed an hour. Dave came over after work and we had dinner with her. She said, "Brenda. I am slowing down." I said, "Ma. I know." She said, "I am not complaining." I said, "I know, Ma." She said, "I want you to know." That is what Gayle does. She tells me the truth in one sentence and leaves me to make the next sentence myself. I am grateful for the transparency. I am newly afraid of the autumn.

We made the pumpkin cheesecake Saturday, and I sent the pumpkin bread and oatmeal cookies ahead to Amber on Monday — but there were still four of us at the table that whole homecoming weekend, and the kitchen needed to keep working. Apple dumplings are what I make when the house feels a little emptier than usual and I need something that smells like October and takes enough time that my hands stay busy. Tyler and Josie helped roll them. Justin ate three. That felt right.

Apple Dumplings

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup cold butter, cubed (plus 2 tablespoons for sauce)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 8 small apples (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled and cored
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Make the dough. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold cubed butter using a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in milk just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
3. Roll and cut. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 8 equal squares, roughly 6x6 inches each.
4. Fill the apples. Stir together the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Place one peeled and cored apple in the center of each dough square. Fill the core cavity with about 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
5. Wrap and place. Bring the corners of each dough square up around the apple, pinching the seams firmly to seal. Place dumplings snugly in the prepared baking dish.
6. Make the sauce. Combine brown sugar, water, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves, about 3–4 minutes. Pour the sauce evenly over the dumplings in the dish.
7. Bake. Bake uncovered for 40–45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Spoon the pan sauce over the dumplings once or twice during baking.
8. Serve. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Spoon extra sauce from the pan over each dumpling. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or a pour of cold cream if you like.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 68g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 280mg