Homemade Apple Dumplings

I went to the York, PA fair 2 weeks ago (because I'm that cool), mainly just to get cotton candy because I'm slightly obsessed but also because maybe I wanted to win a golfish.  Low and behold, I got a goldfish and somehow killed it in less than a week.  RIP Nugget.  As brutally upset I am about the death of Nugget the Goldfish, I AM pretty excited about the fresh made Apple Dumpling I got for my mom.  I brought it to her while she was sitting there at her booth trying to sell water coolers and watched her eat the whole thing as I tried not to drool all over it.  I was trying to be "good" and not eat apple dumplings to keep my ass at a manageable size but that didn't last long because I was craving one so bad that I just decided to make my own apple dumpling when I got home.  This was basically my own recipe and I apologize for the absence of precise measurements but I was so ravenous for an apple dumpling that I just threw sweet stuff and cinnamon together without thinking much about it.

I made my own crust for the outside but I would probably recommend just buying pre-made pie dough.  My pie dough is fabulous in pies but it was a little to flaky for the dumpling I think.  It needs to have a little bit more of a chewy texture I think, which is generally what you get in a pre-made pie dough (plus its easier).  So anyway, I had a 9 inch pie dough which covered 2 apples and I had some extra left.  It probably could have covered 3 apples pretty nicely.

I used Macintosh Apples which actually worked out pretty well. You can probably use any tart baking apple but I think Granny Smith would be really good too.  Just don't use red delicious because they will collapse when you bake them.

home made apple dumplings.
2-3 medium sized apples (macintosh or granny smith, I used macintosh)
1 9-inch pie dough (I would recommend buying a pre-made or testing out your own recipe)
3 TBSP butter (unsalted, softened)
2 tsp of cinnamon (or more)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 Egg White
Turbinado or other large grained sugar for decoration
Cinnamon for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Peel and core apples, set aside
3. Combine butter, cinnamon and brown sugar.  Mix together thoroughly.  It will sort of look like big crumbs.
4. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into squares.  I'm not going to give you a size here because apples are different sizes, but ultimately, you want to be able to pull the 4 corners of the square up and meet them in the center of the top of the apple.
5. Place dough squares in a greased casserole dish or on a baking sheet.
6. Place cored apples, one each on each of the dough squares.
7. Fill the center of each apple with the cinnamon/butter/sugar mixture.
8. Pull the 4 corners of each square up over the top of the apples and pinch in the center.  Pinch the tops of the sides of dough that are sticking out to form a seem and press them lightly against the sides of the apple.
9. Brush each apple with egg white and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
10. Bake apples for 10 minutes at 425 degrees or until golden brown.  
11. Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees and bake for 20 minutes longer.

Cinnamon Sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup water

2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water

1 TBSP of cinnamon (or more, or less, ha)

1. Combine brown sugar, water, starch and cinnamon in a small saucepan.  
2. Bring to a boil at medium heat.  Reduce heat and let cook until desired thickness.
3. Cover and keep warm.  
4. Drizzle over apple dumplings after they are done baking. 

The Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Recipe...ever.

                                        

You know how in my last post I said that I was doing p90x and trying to eat healthier? Well, that's not working too well considering I ate 1/2 a peanut butter pie this week. Seriously, I couldn't help it.  I couldn't bring it into work because my supervisor has gestational diabetes and that would just be mean and there is no boy in my life at the moment, so what else was I supposed to do with it? I'm thinking maybe I should get rid of this 'Baked' cookbook because I can feel my ass growing exponentially with the number of recipes in the book that I conquer.  Here is yet another one.  The best peanut butter pie I ever had in my life.  And I'm not just saying that because I made it either.

Yep. Did that all on my own. Don't judge.

crust.

30 chocolate wafer cookies (about 6 ounces)*

1 tablespoon sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

*I used 1 sleeve of Oreo Cookies with the filling and all.  This was the best cookie crust I ever tasted.  

1. In a food processor, grind the cookies to a very fine powder. You should have about 1 1/2 cups.
2. Put the crumbs in a bowl and stir in the sugar (I didn't add sugar since there was cream in the Oreo's and I figured that was enough sugar).
3. Pour the butter over the crumb mixture and mix until well combined.  The mixture will feel wet.
4. Turn the crumb mixture out into a 9-inch pie plate and press it into the bottom and up the sides.  You can use the back of a large spoon to even out the crust.
5. Put the crust in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

peanut butter filling and chocolate bottom.

1/2 (3 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup

8 oz cream cheese, at room temp*

1 cup creamy peanut butter*

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

*I used l/3 less fat cream cheese and low fat peanut butter because that was all I had.  It was still the best peanut butter pie I've ever had in my life but I mean, I'd say, go for the full fat and it might be even better (if that's possible).  I mean, you're putting 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream (which I would not skimp on, don' think the texture would be the same if you used a lighter cream) so...there goes all hopes of a "lighter" pie. 

1. Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave oven or in a double boiler (I just melted them in the microwave for about 2 minutes, checking every 30 seconds of course, and that worked just fine and much easier than a double boiler).
2. Add the corn sytrup and stir to combine (This was so weird, it stuck together like dough.  You could roll it out with a rolling pin.  I would recommend actually doing this before the next step.  Try to shape it a little bit to fit the bottom of the pie pan because if you spread when you get it in the pan, its really easy to break the crust). 
3. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate in a thin layer on the bottom of the chilled pie crust.  Put the crust back in the refrigerator while you make the peanut butter filling.
4. Put the cream cheese, peanut butter, vanilla, and brown sugar in teh bolw of an electric mixture fitted iwth the paddle attachment.  
5. Beat on medium speed until well combined and completely smoooth.  Set aside.
6. In a clean bowl, use the mixture fitted with the whisk attachment to whip the cream until soft peaks form. 
7. Remove from the bowl from the mixer and with a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until the mixture is uniform in color. 
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared curst and freeze for at least 4 hours. Once the pie is frozen, you can cover it with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 days. 

easy hot fudge sauce.*

6 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped

6 oz dark chocolate (64% cacao), finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup light corn syrup

*I didn't make the hot fudge sauce but I put it in here since the Baked boys had it in the book and it sounds amazing. I'd love to know how it turns out though if anybody tries it.  I wasn't planning on serving this to anybody really and I REALLY didn't need hot fudge sauce sitting around my house.  I'm sure it tastes phenomenal though. 

1. Place both chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside. 
2. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Add the corn sytrup and stir to combine. 
3. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolates.  Let the mixture sit for 2 minutes. 
4. Starting in the center of the bowl and working your way out to the edges, whisk the chocolate mixture in a circle until completely smooth.  
5. Cool to room temperature and cover tightly and this sauce will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator. 
6. Rewarm the sauce ina  microwave oven on medium heat for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until the sauce is warm; or reheat it in a small saucepan over low heat. 
7. Place frozen piece of pie on a large serving plate and spoon 3 heaping tablespoons of the warm sauce directly over the top of the pie. Eat. Enjoy.