Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings
Old-fashioned apple dumplings wrap whole apples in homemade pastry with brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter tucked into the center. As they bake, the apples soften, the pastry turns golden, and the buttery cinnamon sauce bubbles around the bottom of the dish.
They're especially good warm from the oven, with some of that sauce spooned over the top. Add vanilla ice cream if you want the contrast of cold ice cream melting into the warm apple and pastry.
A Few Things That Matter With Apple Dumplings
A firm, tart apple works best here because it has to stay intact long enough for the pastry to bake. Granny Smith apples are a good fit because they hold their shape and help balance the sweetness of the brown sugar and sauce.
The pastry also benefits from cold butter and minimal handling. Once the milk goes in, mix only until the dough comes together. Overworking it can make the pastry tougher.
One other detail worth paying attention to is the sauce: pour it around the dumplings rather than directly over the tops. That leaves the upper pastry exposed so it can brown while the bottoms bake in the cinnamon sauce.
That section uses the genuinely useful material already present elsewhere in your draft-firm apples, cold butter, not overworking dough, and keeping sauce off the tops-instead of generic selling points.
What You'll Need
Granny Smith apples - Their tart flavor balances the sweet sauce, and their firm texture holds up well during baking.
All-purpose flour - The base of the homemade pastry.
Baking powder - Gives the pastry a little lift.
Salt - Balances the sweetness.
Unsalted butter - Keep the pastry butter cold. You'll also use softened butter inside the apples and butter in the sauce.
Whole milk - Brings the pastry dough together.
Brown sugar - Goes inside the apples with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Granulated sugar - Sweetens the baking sauce.
Cinnamon and nutmeg - The warm spices used in the apple filling; cinnamon also flavors the sauce.
Vanilla extract - Added to the finished sauce.
Water - Forms the liquid base of the cinnamon sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Prepare the apples. Peel the apples and carefully remove the cores while keeping the apples whole. Set them aside while you prepare the pastry.
- Make the pastry dough. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in 1 cup cold unsalted butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the milk. Pour in ¾ cup whole milk a little at a time, mixing just until a soft dough forms. Avoid overworking the dough or the pastry can become tough.
- Roll out the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle approximately ⅛-inch thick. Cut the dough into 6 squares large enough to completely wrap each apple.
- Fill the apples. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Place an apple in the center of each pastry square. Spoon the cinnamon-sugar mixture into the hollow center of each apple and top each one with about 1 teaspoon softened butter.
- Wrap the apples. Bring the corners of the pastry dough up around each apple. Pinch the edges together gently so the apple is completely enclosed. Place the wrapped apples seam-side up in the prepared baking dish.
- Prepare the sauce. Add 1 ½ cups water, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts.
- Pour the sauce around the dumplings. Carefully pour the warm cinnamon sauce into the baking dish around the dumplings. Try to pour most of the sauce around the pastry instead of directly over the tops so the dough can still brown.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a thin knife.
- Rest before serving. Allow the dumplings to cool for about 10 minutes. Spoon some of the warm cinnamon sauce from the baking dish over each dumpling before serving.
Don't Let the Apples or Pastry Trip You Up
Try to choose apples that are close to the same size so they soften at roughly the same rate. Firm baking apples work better than very soft varieties, which can become mushy before the pastry is fully baked.
Keep the butter and milk cold while making the pastry, and stop mixing once the dough comes together. When coring the apples, remove the entire core but try not to cut through the bottom; leaving the base intact helps keep the cinnamon-sugar filling inside.
Before the dumplings go into the oven, seal any obvious cracks in the dough. If the pastry is getting dark before the apples are tender, loosely cover the dish with foil for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Allow leftover apple dumplings to cool before storing them. Keep them in an airtight container, or cover the baking dish tightly, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. If possible, store some of the cinnamon sauce with them.
For a better pastry texture, reheat a dumpling in a 350°F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. The microwave is faster, but the pastry will soften. Spoon a little of the leftover sauce over the dumpling before reheating.
A Few Easy Swaps
A few simple substitutions can be made depending on what you already have in your kitchen.
- Apples: Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Pink Lady, or another firm baking apple can replace Granny Smith.
- Milk: 2% milk can replace whole milk.
- Butter: Salted butter works, but reduce the added salt in the pastry slightly.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar both work. Dark brown sugar gives the filling a stronger molasses flavor.
- Homemade pastry: Refrigerated pie crust is a shortcut if you don't want to make the dough from scratch.
- Nutmeg: Leave it out for a simpler cinnamon flavor, or use a small pinch of apple pie spice.
Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings
Equipment
- 1 9x13-inch baking dish
- 1 Apple corer
- 1 Vegetable peeler
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Pastry cutter
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Small saucepan
- measuring cups and spoons
- 1 pastry brush
Ingredients
For the Apple Dumplings
- 6 medium Granny Smith apples
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup Whole milk
- ½ cup Packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoon Softened unsalted butter
For the Cinnamon Sauce
- 1 ½ cups Water
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Peel and core the apples while keeping them whole.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until coarse crumbs form.
- Add the milk gradually and mix just until a soft dough forms.
- Roll the dough approximately ⅛-inch thick and divide it into 6 squares.
- Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Place one apple on each pastry square. Fill each apple with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and approximately 1 teaspoon softened butter.
- Fold the pastry around each apple and seal the edges.
- Arrange the dumplings in the prepared baking dish.
- Combine water, sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer until the sugar dissolves and butter melts. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
- Pour the sauce around the apple dumplings.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the apples are tender.
- Rest for 10 minutes and serve warm with cinnamon sauce spooned over the top.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best apples for apple dumplings?
Granny Smith apples are one of the best choices because they stay fairly firm during baking and their tart flavor balances the sweet cinnamon sauce. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Pink Lady apples are also good options. Avoid very soft apple varieties because they may become mushy before the pastry finishes baking.
Do you have to peel apples for apple dumplings?
Peeling the apples is recommended. The skin can become chewy underneath the pastry and prevents the cinnamon and sugar from soaking directly into the fruit. Peeled apples also create the soft, almost pie-like texture associated with traditional apple dumplings.
Can I use store-bought pie crust?
Yes. Refrigerated pie crust is a useful shortcut when you want apple dumplings without making pastry from scratch. Roll the crust slightly thinner if necessary and cut enough pieces to completely enclose each apple.
Why are my apple dumplings soggy on the bottom?
The bottom of apple dumplings will naturally be softer than the top because it bakes in the cinnamon sauce. However, the pastry should not be raw or gummy. Make sure your oven is fully preheated and bake the dumplings until the upper pastry is deeply golden and the apples are tender.
Can apple dumplings be prepared ahead of time?
You can peel, fill, and wrap the apples several hours before baking. Arrange them in the baking dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Prepare the sauce separately and pour it around the dumplings immediately before placing them in the oven.
How do I know when apple dumplings are done?
The pastry should be golden brown and the apple inside should be tender. Insert a thin knife or skewer through the pastry and into the apple. It should slide into the fruit with little resistance.
What do you serve with apple dumplings?
Apple dumplings are excellent on their own, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes them even better. Whipped cream, caramel sauce, or a little extra cinnamon sauce from the baking dish are also great additions.
One Last Thing
The nice thing about apple dumplings is that they look more complicated than they really are. Once the apples are peeled and the pastry is rolled, most of the work is simply wrapping, filling, and letting the oven take over.
Give them about 10 minutes to rest after baking, then serve them while the apples are still warm and there's plenty of cinnamon sauce in the bottom of the dish.
