Sweet Apple Dumplings

When I smell apples and cinnamon spice together, I automatically think of Fall. It's my most favorite time of the year with the crisp cool air, and to see the leaves change into its brilliant Autumn colors is so magnificent! I look forward to Fall each year, and every year when it comes around, it's like seeing it for the first time...time and time again! You really just can't get enough of it and I'm so lucky to live in the northeast, where the season change every quarter! And it's so romantic to sit by the fireplace, sipping hot apple cider and eating a plateful of warm apple dumplings with melting french vanilla ice cream on the side. Now, that's what I call a piece of heaven! Hmmm...

Well, we didn't exactly sit by the fireplace eating apple dumplings few weeks ago, but in celebration of Labor Day at my in-laws, I was asked to bring a type of Fall-ish dessert for our family cookout...our last hurrah of Summer! At first, I was going to make a Berry or Peach Cobbler, but I decided to make a tray of Apple Dumplings instead. It's like having an apple pie, but served in a more personal way. There's nothing better than cutting into the flaky crust of your own warm piece of Apple Dumpling, and all that sweet cinnamon sauce and soft apples oozing out from its cavity, which then meld into the melting French Vanilla or Butter Pecan ice cream on your plate...Oh, the first thought of it or first bite, just wanna make you go..."Hmmm"..."Hmmm"..."Hmmm"...

Ingredients:
8 Granny Smith Green Apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
Few Tbsp Sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp mace or nutmeg
Lemon Juice

Sauce:
1 cup water
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp mace or nutmeg

Pastry:
Store-bought Pillsbury Dough 2 Boxes, rolled, cut into 5-6 inch squares
*You can also make your own pastry dough, but if you are in a hurry, a store-bought dough is good enough, too!

Directions:
In a small sauce pan, mix all the ingredients together and bring it to a boil. Stirring constantly and set aside.

Peel, core and quarter your apples. Place in a large bowl sprinkle with lemon juice to avoid it from browning. Add the spices. Mix well.

Roll out your dough into a big rectangular piece on a flour board, cut into 5 or 6 inch squares. On each square, place 3 or 4 pieces of the seasoned apples. Crimp the crust to the top, then place each one on a greased deep baking dish. When all of the dumplings are lined up in the baking dish, pour the cinnamon sauce and bake in the oven at 350 degrees lightly covered with tin foil for about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream on top. Also great served with warm or cold apple cider. Enjoy and stay cozy!