Cranberry Apple Dumplings with Crimson Sauce

Cranberry Apple Dumplings with Crimson Sauce

Photos taken from my personal collection

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1 can (16 oz.) whole cranberry sauce
¼ cup orange juice
2 tbsp. red cinnamon candies

Pastry:

1 cup plus 1 tbsp shortening
3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
6 – 7 tbsp cold water

Apples:

4 small cooking apples, peeled and cored
4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. slightly beaten
Additional sugar
Fresh mint leaves

Create it!!

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease bottom of jelly roll pan, 15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1 in., or large cookie sheet with shortening.

2. Sauce: In 1-quart saucepan, heat cranberry sauce, orange juice and candies over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and candies are melted; remove from heat.

3. Pastry: In a medium bowl, cut shortening into flour and salt, using pastry blender or knives, until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork, until all flour is moistened and pastry almost clans sides of bowl. Roll pastry into rectangle, 18 x 16-inches. Cut pastry into four 8-inch squares, using pastry cutter or knife. Cut leaves from remaining 2-inch piece of pastry, using small leaf-shape cookie cutter.

4. Apples: place a prepared apple on each pastry square. Spoon 1 tablespoon cranberry sauce mixture into center of each apple. Sprinkle each apple with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Moisten corners of pastry squares. Bring 2 opposite corners of pastry up over apple; pinch to seal. Repeat with remaining corners; pinch edges of pastry to seal. Decorate with pastry leaves. Place dumplings in pan. Brush with egg; sprinkle with additional sugar.

5. Bake about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Garnish each dumpling with mint leaf. Serve warm with remaining sauce mixture. Makes 4 dumplings.