A pandowdy is one of a family of old-fashioned deep-dish desserts, known by quaint names such as slumps, grunts, buckles, duffs, crumbles, or sonkers, made with seasonal fruits, that are all variations of a cobbler, and all of which came to America with the Colonists. Like Shoo-Fly Pie, pandowdy (the name is believed to refer to its “dowdy” appearance) is made with simple, primarily non-perishable, ingredients that were easy to keep on hand. You can make a pandowdy out of different fruits, but it’s traditionally made using apples sweetened with molasses (or brown sugar). The crust is a biscuit-type dough which can be baked on top, broken up near the end of the baking time and poked (“dowdied”) into the fruit, or even baked on the bottom, inverting the dish before serving. (Take your pick!) I’m fascinated with old-fashioned desserts, so expect to see more of them here. Apple Pandowdy is quick and easy, and baking it will make you feel like an early American settler, so go grab some apples and bake it today!

How to make Apple Pandowdy:

Step One–
3 cups sliced, peeled apples
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Core, slice, and peel three cups of apples and place in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of molasses.





Add nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.





Butter a one-and-a-half quart baking dish and dump in the apple mixture. Bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.





Step Two–
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Melt butter. Add egg, milk, and sugar. Stir well.





Add flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix together.





Spread evenly over baked apple mixture. Place back in the 350-degree oven for an additional 30 minutes.





Ohhhh my……….





Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

When Georgia asked me to bring an extra dessert to the big party, I baked this at the very last minute. It really is that fast–and that good!

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