Apple Dumplings

These dumplings were freaking delicious. Hands down, I swear to god - apple pie has nothing on these little dumplings.

I want to suggest two things prior to making these - buy yourself a darn good apple corer! (Or else you'll want to shoot yourself.)
Definitely have wax paper, if you don't you'll want to hang yourself. This is not a suicide note, but a recipe for success!
Speaking of success, let me introduce you to my Pennsylvanian Amish Apple Dumplings!

Apple Dumplings

Dough

• Flour (3 Cups)
• Shortening (1 Cup)
• Cold Water (2/3 Cup)

Filling

• Apples (8, Cored and Peeled)
• Butter (8 Teaspoons)
• Cinnamon-Sugar (9 Teaspoons)

Sauce

• Brown Sugar (1 and 1/2 Cups, Packed)
• Water (1 Cup)
• Butter (1/2 Cup, Cubed)

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix until it starts to form a ball.
• Divide the dough into eight pieces, cover in saran wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
• Roll each portion of dough between two pieces of wax paper until they reach an approximate square shape of 7 inches in diameter.
• Place an Apple on each pastry square, add a teaspoon of Butter, and a teaspoon of Cinnamon-Sugar to the core. 
• Gently bring up the pastry corners to the center, pinching at the top. (If you don't have enough dough to cover the core, don't worry about it!)
• Take a 13 inch by 9 inch baking dish and grease with shortening, and place the finished Apple Dumpling into the pan. Sprinkle these with any remaining Cinnamon-Sugar.
• In a large saucepan, combine all of the sauce ingredients. Bring this to a boil while stirring constantly, and immediately remove from heat.
• Carefully pour the sauce over the Apple Dumplings, and put this in the oven baking for 50 minutes (or until the tops turn golden brown).

I can't even begin to truly explain how much I love these dumplings… I think everyone should give these a shot because (like I said) it makes apple pie seem mundane. I'm just saying…

I also want to suggest some vanilla ice-cream, as I'm sure it would've been delicious in the center of my dumpling... (I didn't have any dammit!)

So for all of those individuals out there that are wondering what the heck to do with all your fresh picked apples - make these glorious little dumplings. They are a real honest-to-god treat that I wouldn't mind having again tonight.

Catch you all Thursday with another pre-cook post for The Clearing. (I'm going back for seconds now!)