Peach Dumplings

I made peach dumplings a few days ago and they were SO. GOOD. Fresh peaches are in season right now, so scoop them up while they're local and sweet!

What kind of dumpling is this? You're probably most familiar with apple dumplings, but peach is my new favorite. It's a soft pastry dough, with fresh fruit inside, wrapped up like a little package and soaked in a sweet syrup. When it's baked, the syrup soaks into the dough and fruit, and it all melds together in a wonderful way. I like to bake the dumplings in individual pie dishes for a pretty presentation, but you can bake them all together in a large pan.

Here's how they come together...

 Dough is rolled into a square, and sliced peaches are sprinkled with sugar.

 Cut the dough into wedges, then fold it all up and seal the edges.

 Dumplings are placed into baking dishes (I like to top mine with a few pretty cutout shapes), then covered in the sweet syrup.

 One more sprinkle of sugar for some sparkle, then into the oven.

Yum! Top with a couple peach slices and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Dig in!

Peach Dumplings

Syrup:

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. water

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. vanilla

Pastry:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
6 tsp. butter
1/2 c. milk

Filling:

6 medium peaches, sliced

1 T. sugar + 1 T. sugar

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Set syrup aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into small pieces, use a pastry cutter to cut in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk, mix with a fork until just combine. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead 10 times. Roll out into a large rectangle, cut into 6 - 10 squares (depending on what size servings you wish to make). You can also divide the dough into 6-10 pieces and roll each one out individually, whichever is easier.

Divide peach slices among the dough squares, mounding them in the center. Sprinkle with 1 T. sugar. Cut the edges of the surrounding dough into wedges, and fold each one in towards the center, overlapping the edges and moistening the seams with water to help seal. If desired, cut decorative shapes out of the dough scraps and place on top of the dumplings, using a little water to help it adhere.

Place in lightly greased baking dishes. Cover with the sugar syrup. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 T. sugar (the chunky sanding sugar is very pretty). Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Let cool 15 minutes, then serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yield: 6 - 10 servings. Enjoy!