A little taste of heaven... aka Apple Dumplings!

OK so a few weeks ago we went to Eckerts & got a little carried away with picking apples. Then this week I went with a college friend to Pumkinland & they were giving away free bags of apples (I cannot pass up FREE!)-- I have apples coming out of my ears! I have made apple everything or so it seems. The other day I made chicken salad & thought, hey why not throw in an apple. The hubby did not like- he says "what are you putting apples in everything now!? LOL. Yes, as a matter of fact I am!  :) Thanks to one of my favorite friends (Becky Kelley) & her amazing apple pie freezing tips. I have been making apple pies galore! Tonight I was peeling, coring, slicing & ran across a recipe for Apple Dumplings, & happened to have all the ingredients. It was SO easy & honestly one of the best tasting things I have eaten in a long time! We went to my mom's for dinner & I took them for dessert- OMG! Everyone was in love & they took my like less than 10 minutes to make! I must share in this deliciousness!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

• Premade pastry for an 8- or 9-inch 2 crust pie
• 4 small, cored baking apples
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Combine the raisins, cranberries, walnuts and spices in a bowl and set aside. On a lightly floured cloth-covered surface, roll out the pastry into a 14-inch square, then cut it into 4 squares. Place a cored apple on top of each square and fill the center with the raisin and cranberry mix.
2. Cover each apple with its pastry square by bringing the opposite corners up over the fruit and pinching them together. Then, seal together all of the pastry edges, moistening them with water if needed. Place the dumplings in a glass baking dish.
3. In a saucepan, bring the brown sugar and water to a boil, and then pour it over the dumplings (a parent's job). Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven, spooning the syrup over the dumplings a few times, until the crust is golden (about 40 minutes).
   
   
   PS- I topped with a little caramel sauce just to make it look pretty :)