Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening. Add milk and stir to make a soft dough. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 8-10 times. Roll to a 12x18" rectangle and cut into 6x6" squares.

Put a peeled, cored apple in the centre of each square. Fill with sugar/raisin mixture and dot with butter. Moisten edges of dough and bring it up around each apple. Seal the edges to within 1/2" of the top. Turn back the four corners to expose tops of apples.

Place in a greased baking pan and bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Baste the top of each apple with 1 teaspoon corn syrup. Reduce temperature to 375°F and bake for another 30-35 minutes. Serve hot, with Brown Sugar Sauce.

Sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and salt. Stir until smooth. Add brown sugar. Blend and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and is lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and blend in 1 cup boiling water. Stir until combined. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring until smoothly thickened. Add vanilla. Serve over hot dumplings.

Poster's Notes: This recipe is from a very old Purity Flour cookbook. I haven't made it for many years, but it is very delicious. It reminds me of university days, when one of the cafeterias on campus used to make these. There was always a rush for them. They are delicious on their own, but even more spectacular with brown sugar sauce.

Posted by Susan Binnington