These easy to make Apple Dumplings are baked with a homemade crust stuffed with fresh apples and topped with a cinnamon brown sugar syrup.
Have you ever had an apple dumpling? It’s an old-fashioned sort of recipe that we think may have been invented by the Pilgrims! Nowadays, this pastry-wrapped apple dessert is quite popular in Pennsylvania, where it is considered a cultural staple. It’s especially common among the Amish. Here’s the fun part: apple dumplings can be eaten as a dessert, but they can be eaten for breakfast too!
Ingredients needed:
- all purpose flour
- baking powder and salt
- butter flavored shortening
- 2% milk
- Granny Smith apples
- granulated white sugar
- ground cinnamon
- unsalted butter
- water
- brown sugar
How to make Apple Dumplings:
The complete, printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.
PREPARE THE DUMPLINGS:
MAKE THE SYRUP:
Bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until the apples are tender and the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm (perhaps with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side). Enjoy!
Best Apple Dessert Recipes:
Apple Dumplings
Ingredients
DUMPLINGS:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1¾ cups butter flavored shortening
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 12 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
SYRUP:
- 1¼ cups packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
PREPARE THE DUMPLINGS:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening until crumbly. Gradually add the milk, stirring with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour (or until easy to handle).
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉. Spray two 13x9-inch baking dishes with nonstick spray.
- On a floured-surface, roll each portion of dough into a 7-inch square. Place an apple on each square. Combine the sugar and cinnamon; place tablespoonful into the core of each apple. Dot each with 1 teaspoon of butter.
- Gently bring up the corners of the pastry to the center; pinch the edges to seal. Place in in the prepared baking dishes. Bake for 15 minutes.
MAKE THE SYRUP:
- While the dumplings are baking, combine the syrup ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until smooth and blended. Spoon the syrup over the partially-cooked dumplings.
- Bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until the apples are tender and the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm (perhaps with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Would the dough freeze well? We wouldn’t eat these all at once and I can’t imagine leftovers would be great or that the finish product would freeze and thaw nicely. Any advice would be appreciated. They look delicious