Heat the oven to 375°F. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square glass baking pan.
Unroll the pie dough on a cutting board or mat lightly dusted with flour. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough just a little bit, rolling it into a 12-inch square.
Cut the dough into 4 equal squares.
Place 2 apple quarters and one piece of butter into the center of each square.
Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture onto the apples, dividing it equally between the dumplings.
3 tablespoons brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
To finish each dumpling, moisten the edges of the dough with water. Then, gather the dough corners together on top of the apple pieces and pinch them together. Place the dumplings in the pan, spaced about 1 inch apart.
Combine the syrup ingredients together in a small glass measuring cup. Stir well, and pour the syrup into the pan with the dumplings.
1 cup hot water, ½ cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons butter
Bake the Dumplings
Bake the dumplings for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the apples tender.
Allow the dumplings to cool for a few minutes. Then spoon some syrup over the top, and serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.