How to Make Sweet Apple Dumplings for Your Next Book Club Night
We’re in week two of the B + C Book Club, and while we’re loving and LOL’ing our way through Dumplin’, we’ve also got our eyes on the prize: a boozy book club night with all the right snacks. To celebrate this fantastic novel, we’re serving up dumplings in honor of superstar protagonist Willowdean. Willowdean mostly hates her nickname “Dumplin’,” given to her by her mom. But by end of the book, when (spoiler!) Willowdean makes peace with her mom and her nickname, you’ll cheer and maybe even tear up. Join in the fun and scroll on to learn how to make sweet apple syrup dumplings that’ll have your book besties begging for seconds.
Ingredients:
Serves 3-4 (10-12 dumplings)
For the Dumplings:
– 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
– 1 plus ½ teaspoons baking powder
– ¼ cup (60g) cold butter, chopped into small chunks
– 1/2 cup milk
– 2 Tablespoons golden syrup
– 1 egg
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Sauce:
– 1 plus 1/2 cups water
– 1/3 cup golden syrup
– 1/2 cup brown muscovado sugar
– 2 Tablespoons butter
– 1 cooking apple, peeled and chopped into slices and mixed with one tablespoon lemon juice (to prevent the apple from browning)
Instructions:
1. Place the flour in a large bowl, add the butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, golden syrup, egg and vanilla together until combined.
2. Place the dry mix into the wet mix bowl and use your hands to gently mix together until the dough is just combined (don’t over-mix or you’ll get tough dumplings).
3. Next, make the sauce. Place the water, golden syrup, brown sugar, butter and sliced apple into a large saucepan. Heat without stirring over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the liquid comes to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the apples with a slotted spoon and place in a dish to one side.
4. With the syrup still bubbling, drop heaped tablespoons of the dough into the simmering liquid (they will expand, so you will probably have to do this in two batches — cooked dumplings can be placed in a covered bowl to keep warm), cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean (keep the lid on for a full 10 minutes before checking). Add the apples back into the syrup for one minute to heat, then turn off the heat.
5. Place the dumplings upside down (so the darker side is on top) into bowls. Spoon over the apples and sauce and serve with custard, cream or ice cream.
Place the flour in a large bowl, add the butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, golden syrup, egg and vanilla together until combined.
Place the dry mix into the wet mix bowl and use your hands to gently mix together until the dough is just combined (don’t over-mix or you’ll get tough dumplings).
Next, make the sauce. Place the water, golden syrup, brown sugar, butter and sliced apple into a large saucepan. Heat without stirring over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the liquid comes to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the apples with a slotted spoon and place in a dish to one side.
With the syrup still bubbling, drop heaped tablespoons of the dough into the simmering liquid (they will expand, so you will probably have to do this in two batches — cooked dumplings can be placed in a covered bowl to keep warm), cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of a dumpling comes out clean (keep the lid on for a full 10 minutes before checking). Add the apples back into the syrup for one minute to heat, then turn off the heat.
Place the dumplings upside down (so the darker side is on top) into bowls. Spoon over the apples and sauce and serve with custard, cream or ice cream.
They’re sweet and sticky, but also light and fluffy (and seriously delicious!!).
What’s on your reading list? Would you serve these at your book club night? Let us know in the comments below!
