Tutorial Tuesday: Beautiful Bunting & Apple Dumplings in a Jar

My Grandma is an absolute whiz in the kitchen.  She has been whipping up baked goods for decades and each of the grandchildren have their favorite of her wonderful desserts.  And mine just so happens to be these delicious apple dumplings (and her pumpkin roll-who can choose?)

And while I'd love to say that I inherited her genius myself, I do believe my little sister may be the true dessert diva to carry on the frosted fabulousness (and I will be sharing some of her desserts very soon:)  But in the meantime, here is a delicious recipe of Grandma's that my family has been enjoying for years.  And stay tuned below for how to dress it up with a beautiful bunting for autumn!!

Grandma's Apple Dumplings in a Jar


Ingredients:
~ 1 cup sugar
~ 1 cup water
~ 1 tsp cinnamon
~ 1/8 tsp nutmeg
~ 2 drops of red food coloring
~ 3 tablespoons of butter (divided)
~ 2 cups flour
~ 2 tsp baking powder
~ 1 tsp salt
~ 1 cup of shortening
~ 1/2 cup milk
~ 6 whole apples (peeled & cored)
~ six half-pint, wide-mouth mason jars

Directions:
1.) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees,  Mix sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, & red food coloring in a saucepan until boiling, stirring frequently until it becomes a syrupy consistency.  Add 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside.

2.) Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, then stir in shortening and milk until you have a dough-like consistency.  Roll dough until 1/2 an inch thick on a floured board.

3.) Cut dough into six squares and place 1 of the cored apples in the center of each square.  Using your remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, dot the center of each cored apple with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar.  Fold the dough over (moistening the edges with a couple drops of water) and pinch together into a dumpling.

4.) Spray the inside of your half-pint mason jars with non-stick cooking spray and dust very lightly with flour.  Place each apple dumpling into a separate jar and pour the syrup mixture over the top, dividing the mixture evenly among the six jars.  Sprinkle the tops of each dumpling lightly with sugar.

5.) Place jars in a metal baking pan an bake 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees until the insides are warm and the syrup is bubbling.

6.) Remove jars and let cool.  Screw the lids on and decorate to your heart's content.  Here is a bit of inspiration:

And my personal favorite: the burlap bunting-rustic and elegant for fall . . .

Mini-Mason Jar Bunting


Supplies You Will Need:

~ Fabric (you can buy burlap for cheap at your local fabric store like Jo Anne's)
~ Cardboard
~ Needle & thread
Messaging optional:
~ Alphabet stamps
~ Ink pad

Bunting Instructions:

1.) Cut the cardboard in the shape of a triangle. Using a pencil, trace the triangle cutout on fabric (just judge by your eye how big you would like the triangles to be-or cut the amount so you have a mini-flag for each letter of your desired message).  

2.) Following the penciled triangles, cut fabric. With the needle & thread, one by one, stitch fabric triangles together, leaving enough room at both ends to tie in a bow around your mason jar.  Once you have your messaging, stamp the letters onto the fabric triangles. Tie the ends of the thread around the mouth of your mason jar and voila!

(tutorial courtesy of Eat, Drink, Pretty)

The perfect little favor for your next fall-themed birthday party, shower, or wedding and a wonderful way to honor a beloved family recipe and the amazing woman who made it an honored tradition!  And stay tuned for some new mason jar lid labels and tags, coming to our Juneberry Etsy shop soon!