Grandma's Dumplings from Scratch: 100+ Year Old Recipe

Grandma would always make these for us when we were under the weather. She would cook a chicken in a pot with water, carrots, onions, and celery until it was done. Then she would pull all the chicken meat of the bone, and put it back into the broth (she would taste it after the meat was added and then add salt, pepper, and a little parsley). I always sat on the counter and watched her throw everything in a pan without measuring, and they were AMAZING. Finally, I asked her to write it down for me, and I'm glad I did. Posting on here so I never lose this recipe! She always rolled them out thin and used a knife to cut them into pieces. They were never the same shape, but that's how we knew when Grandma made them :) NOTE: Grandma learned how to make these from her mother, so this is the OLD school recipe for dumplings. I am writing it like she gave it to me. Scant teaspoon means a little under the measurement: not quite to the top but not 1/4 less.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 1 big pot

Ingredients

• 2  cups flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder, scant
• 1  tablespoon  Crisco
• 1  teaspoon  Crisco
• 1  pinch salt
• 1  pinch pepper
• 3⁄4 cup water

Directions

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients together until combined. Slowly add the water until you form a dough. You may have to add more or less water to form the ball.
2. Roll out the dumpling dough on a floured surface thin and cut into bite size pieces.
3. Drop them one at a time into simmering chicken/broth. She would always drop a few then wait a bit, then drop a few more. She said this kept them from sticking together in the end. After they are all added, give a gentle stir (once or twice around the pot, then leave it alone).
4. Let the dumplings simmer in the chicken/broth mixture until they float to the top (about 15 minutes or so). I have let them simmer a longer, and that's fine. She would taste the broth one last time after the dumplings were done for seasoning before we got to eat them!