Ingredients
Dough
Dough 2 cups unbleached flour (Pro tip: Use pastry flour for a flakier crust)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup shortening or butter
½ cup chilled water (Pro tip: As an alternative, you can use ¼ cup of water and ¼ cup of vodka for a flakier crust)
If you’re short on time, grab a 9-inch premade dough from a Pie Collective near you for a quick and easy option!
Apple Filling
2-3 apples (Pro tip: We recommend Cortland apples, as they hold their shape better in baking, but any baking apple, like Granny Smith, will do)
¼ stick of butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Basting Syrup
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water
¼ cup butter Dash of cinnamon (Pro tip: Adding a splash of whiskey or rum can add some extra flavor)
Instructions
Prepare Dough
Mix dry ingredients, cut in fat until crumbly, then add cold water and chill for 45-60 minutes.
Prepare Apple Filling
Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl until combined.
Apple Prep
Use a peeler to peel the skins from apples. Discard skins or set aside for compost.
Core apples with an apple-coring tool or with a paring knife. It’s best to keep apples whole, but it’s OK to slice apples in half as well.
Set aside. Apples may turn slightly brown due to oxidation. This is fine! If you really hate the color change, you can brush your apples with lemon juice, but keep in mind that it can make apples taste slightly sour.
Syrup
Combine ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil for 1 minute, then simmer for 5 minutes until all the sugars have melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
Baking
Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a deep 9-inch pie pan, which will accommodate two dumplings with 1 inch space between them.
Roll out the dough, wrap it around the apple, and place it in the dish.
Place the dish in the preheated oven without syrup.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until golden brown.
Pull the dumplings out every 10 minutes, slowly pouring 1/2 cup of syrup. Repeat three times.
Once out of the oven, pour the remaining syrup into the base of your pie pan.
Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
Serve with ice cream or pour over heavy cream or half-and-half for a final flourish.
This story originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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