Maple Dumplings (Grandpères)
Each spring we look forward to maple dumplings, a decadent and boldly delicious maple-season treat.
By Yankee Magazine|Mar 18 2022|
Maple Dumplings (Grandpères) Recipe
Photo Credit: Adam Detour • Food Styling by Monica Mariano / Ennis inc. • Prop Styling by Vincent Russo / Ennis Inc.A dish that hails from the sugar shacks and logging camps of Quebec and Acadia, these tender dumplings are simmered in a mixture of maple syrup and water. As the starch from the dumplings is released during cooking, it thickens the liquid into a rich sauce. Topped with toasted nuts and whipped cream, this is a quick and comforting way to start (or end) your day.
From “New Vintage Cooking,” March/April 2017 and “Good As Gold,” March/April 2020
Yield
6 servings
Total Time
35 minutes minutes
Hands-on Time
25 minutes minutes
For the sauce
Ingredients
2 ½ cups water
1 ½ cups maple syrup
1 tablespoon rum (optional, but recommended)
½ teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt
Instructions
In a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven, bring water, syrup, rum, and salt to a low boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, make the dough.
For the dumplings
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
4 ½ tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup buttermilk
Chopped toasted pecans and whipped cream, for garnish
Instructions
Put flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a food processor, and pulse them. Sprinkle in butter cubes and pulse 6 to 8 more times, or until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and stir in buttermilk until evenly combined.
With a spoon, scoop up a walnut-size bit of dough. Drop it into the syrup, then repeat until the pot is two-thirds full (the dumplings expand). Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and let the dumplings simmer until fluffy and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough. If the syrup gets too thick, add a bit of water to thin it out. Serve dumplings warm, topped with whipped cream and toasted pecans.
In my Canadian French family, Grandperes were small pancake size rounds of dough fried in shortening, covered with butter and maple syrup. A no-meat Friday favorite when we were children!
Desserts look just delicious. Can’t wait yo try. Thanks
Either way, they both are delicious.
we tried these with powdered sugar instead of the whipped cream and pecans. They were very good and should be better the second time now that we know what we are doing 🙂
I have never heard of of these but would definitely like to try some. The sound delicious!
These bring back fond memories of my days teaching Home Ec. at Wisdom SR/JR High School in St Agatha, Maine!!!
The dumplings were very light and fluffy but a strong taste of baking soda came through. The sauce was phenomenal. We did like them except for the taste of the baking soda.
Made these to serve with ice cream. Didn’t have regular whole wheat, so I upped the amount of all-purpose flour to 1 1/5 cups, and used 1/2 cup Irish wheat flour (Odlums). Otherwise, followed recipe to the letter.
The sauce was wonderful. The dumplings, though, tasted so strongly of baking powder that they were almost inedible. As a matter of fact, without the ice cream, they are inedible. I love the idea here, and will make them again sometime, but will reduce the baking powder to 1 1/4 tsp and see if that will work.
It’s always interesting to read the other comments. In our home Grandperes were scrambled egg mixture dropped into simmering maple syrup. I loved them.
Will try this recipe soon. I’ve gained more pride in my Canadian French culture with recipes like these. Thanks