Apples & Buttons (Ham, Apples and Dumplings) #SundaySupper

I’m excited to be hosting #SundaySupper this week for our Autumn Apple Party! Autumn is apple season and we’ve picked a bushelful of recipes to celebrate one of our best loved fruits.
Join us throughout the day (Sunday, September 23) as we share recipes and apple love from our talented #SundaySupper Group Contributors. We would love for you to share your favorite apple recipes during our#SundaySupper live chat at 7pm (Eastern).
Apples are a big part of my PA Dutch upbringing! Apple cider, apple dumplings, apple strudel, apple pot pie, apple meringue, apple brown Betty and something called, Schnitz un Knepp or Apples and Buttons!
Apples and Buttons is nothing more than Ham, Apples and Dumplings but this combination is fantastic!

Apples and Buttons

(This recipe is adapted from Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook of Fine Old Recipes by Culinary Arts Books)

• 2 cups dried apples
• 1 smoked ham shank (about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 32 ounce carton of chicken stock
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Dumplings

• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 cup milk

Place dried apples in a large bowl and cover with water. Put the bowl in the refrigerator and soak the apples overnight.

To cook the ham, place the shank in a large pot and add the broth. Add water as needed to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours or until meat easily pulls away from the bone.

You can cook the ham a day ahead of time if you like and reserve the liquid with the ham.
Remove ham from bone. Discard any tough skin and tendons.

I love using ham shanks for soups or stews. The meat is so sweet and juicy and just falls off the bone!

The next day:

Add the apples with the liquid they soaked in to the ham stock and meat. Bring to a boil, add brown sugar, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

While the mix simmers, you can make your dumplings.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix egg, milk and melted butter.Stir liquids into flour mixture.


Working quickly drop tablespoonfuls of dough into simmering ham and apples. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked.


Remove with a slotted spoon and serve on a platter! You can also serve with the broth as a soup!

Here’s our Autumn Apple Party Menu for Sunday Supper! Stop by our #SundaySupper Contributor’s websites for great apple ideas!

Soups, Salads, Starters and Breads

• Cinnamon Apple Chips- Shockingly Delicious
• Apple Celery Salad- In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maurene
• Mini Apple Pumpkin Pancakes – The Daily Dish Recipes
• Overnight Apple Cinnamon French Toast- In the Kitchen with KP
• Curried Apple and Leek Soup-Soni’s Food for Thought
• Endive Spears Topped With Apple, Blue Cheese and Hazelnut Salad- The Hand That Rocks the Ladle
• Homemade Apple Jam – My Trials in the Kitchen
• Caramel Apple Butter Cheesecake Dip- Chocolate Moosey
• Caramel Apple Bread – famfriendsfood
• Apple Pie Bread Baker Street
• Apple, Bacon & Brie Popovers- I Run for Wine
• Apple and Almond Brie Puff Pastry- Family Foodie
• Apple, Leek and Gruyere Tarts- There and Back Again

Main Meals

• Slow Cooker Honey Apple Pork Loin- The Meltaways
• Apple-Glazed Meatballs- The Messy Baker
• Apples & Buttons (Ham, Apples and Dumplings)- Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Skillet Pork with Sweet Spiced Apples- Mama Mommy Mom
• Chicken Apple Meatloaf with Tarragon Tomato Sauce – Diabetic Foodie
• Baked Tilapia Apple Crisp- Daddy Knows Less
• Pork Tenderloin with Calvados Cream Sauce Sustainable Dad
• #SundaySupper Pulled Pork Sandwich With Pickled Red Onions Kwistin’s Favorites

Sides

• Harvest Rice- Webicurean
• Wild Rice with Apples, Dried Cranberries, and Walnuts – Ruffles and Truffles
• Apple Topped Sweet Potato Mash- Momma’s Meals
• Warm Spice Pecan Raisin Apple Chutney- Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

Desserts

• Double Apple Pot Pie- What Smells So Good?
• Apple Walnut Coffee Cake- The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Apple Streusel Cobbler- Big Bear’s Wife
• Apple & Moroccan Cinnamon Gooey Sticky Buns- Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Spiced Caramel Apple Pie-Chelsea’s Culinary Indulgence
• Apple Pear Kuchen for #SundaySupper (Apfel Birnen Kuchen)- Galactosemia in PDX
• Apple Strudel – Magnolia Days
• Old Fashioned Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce-Noshing with the Nolands
• Apple Cheesecake- Vintage Kitchen
• Caramel Apple Crumble Bars- Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
• Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting- From Fast Food to Fresh Food
• Cinnamon Apple Dessert Chimichangas- Juanita’s Cocina
• Nutella Apple Quesadilla- Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Apple Crisp Ice Cream- Cravings of a Lunatic
• Bavarian Apple Torte- The Lovely Pantry
• Streusel Apple Crumb Pie + Pie Freezer Kits- Meal Planning Magic
• French Apple Cobbler with Cinnamon-Maple Whipped Cream Weekend Gourmet
• Chunky Apple-Apricot Bread Pudding- Comfy Cuisine
• Apple Butter Spice Cake – Home Cooking Memories
• Apple Pie and Custard- Happy Baking Days
• #GlutenFree Deep Dish Carmel Apple Pie- Cooking Underwriter
• Apple Brownies That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Country Apple Dumplings- Mom’s Test Kitchen
• Apple-Gingersnap Cookies- Tora’s Real Food
• Apple and Cranberry Turnovers- Flour on my Face
• Applesauce Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Caramel Glaze- Hip Foodie Mom
• Caramel Frosted Apple Cookies- No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
• Apple and Pecans Cake- Basic N Delicious
• Apple Pull Apart Monkey Bread- Gotta Get Baked

Beverages
• Spiced Apple Ale Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Apple Chia Tea- Pippi’s in the Kitchen Again

Please be sure you join us on Twitter throughout the day during #SundaySupper. We’ll be meeting up at 7:00 pm (Eastern) for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat where we’ll talk about our favorite apple recipes! All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, or you can follow us through TweetChat! We’d also love to feature your apple recipes on our #SundaySupper Pinterest board and share them with all of our followers!