Ingredients
Scale
For the Apple Dumplings
- 1 sheet thawed but chilled all-butter puff pastry (I used Dufour Puff Pastry)
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored and sliced into thin rings (just under ¼-inch)
- ½ cup packed muscovado sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 tablespoons freshly grated nutmeg, divided
- several pinches of salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
- turbinado sugar, for dusting
For the Maple Salted Caramel
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
- To make the dumplings, place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- On a lightly floured work surface, unfold the thawed but chilled puff pastry. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the puff pastry out about 1-inch on all sides. Use a 3 5/8-inch or 4-inch round biscuit cutter to cut as many rounds as you can from the puff pastry. I got about 10 rounds.
- Place rounds on a floured counter. Top 5 of the rounds with a few apple slices (2 or 3 depending on how thick you sliced them). Top each mound of apples with scant tablespoon of brown sugar, a good pinch of cinnamon, a good pinch of nutmeg, and a small pat of butter. Lightly brush the edges with beaten egg. Use your fingers to lightly stretch out the round of puff pastry that you’re using to top the dumpling. This will help it fit over the apple, sugar, and butter. Top the apple and butter with the remaining pastry pieces and press lightly with your fingers to seal. Use the tines of a fork to better press the dough pieces together.
- Cut three small vent holes in the top of each dumpling.
- Place the dumplings on the prepared baking sheets.
- Brush each lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar.
- If the dumplings have gotten very soft and warm as they were being assembled, place the baking sheets (with the dumplings) in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool for 10 minutes of the baking sheet before serving warm.
- While the dumplings cook and cool, make the caramel sauce. To make the caramel, add sugar, water, and corn syrup to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice. Bring to a boil and allow to brown. Once sugar has browned to a medium amber color, remove from heat and immediately add maple syrup, heavy cream and butter. Mixture will boil and foam. Stir well. Add salt and stir well to incorporate. Caramel may seem thin… that’s ok. Place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for 1 hour if you’d like it thicker. Pour over war, dumplings and serve.
Notes
- Muscovado sugar and pure maple syrup found at HomeGoods!