Baked Caramel Apples with Dumplings

Overcoming ‘Blogger’s Block’

I think I have been suffering from ‘Blogger’s Block’ recently since it’s been almost three months since I’ve posted anything. Blogger’s Block is similar to ‘Writer’s Block’, which has been defined as, “simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible'” (Roy Blount, Jr). Gustave Flaubert described his writer’s block as “staying a whole day with your head in your hands trying to squeeze your unfortunate brain so as to find a word.” Another writer described the cure for writer’s block as “finding something worse to do than writing, such as cleaning the toilet.”

For me, with over 200 recipes and posts under my belt, it gets harder to come up with new material. However, after seeing this recipe for Baked Caramel Apples with Dumplings in an old Donna Hay magazine, I immediately became inspired again (or maybe it was the dread of alternatively cleaning toilets). Here, apples are baked in a caramel sauce, sandwiched between plump dumplings. Just the kind of Winter’s dish we’re looking forward to here in chilly South Australia!

You could use just about any kind of apple for this recipe, but my favorites are Pink Lady and Honey Crisp. I recommend first removing the core of the apples before baking- this makes it easier to eat and helps the apples to cook faster (I left my apple cores in for my photo).

Making the Caramel

The trick is to not make the caramel too thick, otherwise it will make your baked apples too ‘gluggy’. First heat the brown sugar in a pan or skillet, add the butter and melt, then stir in the cream to slightly thicken. The caramel should be a little runny, if not, then add a bit more cream.

Making the Dumplings

The recipe for the dumplings is typical pie crust ingredients (flour, sugar, butter), except for using milk instead of water to moisten the dough. After kneading several times, divide the dough into about six balls.

Final Assembly and Tips

To assemble this dish, place the cored apples in a deep baking dish, cover with the caramel sauce, then sandwich the dumpling balls in-between the apples. Before pouring the sauce on the apples, it should be a bit runny. If it has thickened too much, add some water. The sauce should reach at least halfway up the sides of the apples, or even more. Make sure you bake the apples long enough so they become soft inside (but do not over cook).

And don’t forget to add some ice cream on top!