My friend Sara introduced me to these Apple Dumplings this last week!

Originally Published 10/03/2021

And man are they delicious!

She sent me a YouTube video from Preppy Kitchen for his Apple Dumplings, and that was that… we had to try this recipe out!

So this last Wednesday Sara came over and we made these Apple Dumplings, only I thought I’d be fancy and use rough puff pastry to cover them with…

Rough puff does live up to its name and puffs up while baking… not the correct choice for wrapping these cute little dumplings. 

Don’t get me wrong, the puff pastry tasted delicious and the apple center was divine, but I had to try again with pie dough and see if they held together better.

They did! 

This Apple Dumpling Recipe requires pretty minimal effort, they’re absolutely tasty, and I think it would be a fun one to make with your kids! 

Anyway, here is my rendition of Preppy Kitchen’s Apple Dumpling Recipe!

The second time I made these Apple Dumplings, I filmed all the steps on an Instagram reel, then my phone froze and I lost the reel…

Kinda felt like crying, not gonna lie. Technology 😝. So I don’t have any of the step-by-step pictures or video for you. 

Luckily, these Apple Dumplings are so easy, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble. But if you do, check out Preppy Kitchen’s Apple Dumpling video for help!

So the first step is to get the pie crust made and chilling.

Lately, I’ve been using my food processor more to make pie dough. If you don’t have one though, just combine the flour, salt, and butter in a bowl and use a pastry blender, fork, or your hands to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles pea-size crumbs. 

If you are using a food processor, this takes about 3 seconds to run it. 

Recently, I also discovered that if you have enough time and forethought, using flour that has been in the freezer for a couple of hours works wonders to make a flakier/easier-to-handle pie crust!

Once the butter has been cut in, add the 1/2 cup of ice water, run the processor until it starts to form a dough, then pour it out on the counter and finish incorporating any loose pieces that are left.

Shape it into a ball, wrap it up, and put it in the fridge!

This is the most difficult part of making these, so if you want to make this Apple Dumpling recipe even easier, you can also buy premade crust from the store!

The next step to make these Apple Dumplings is to mix up the Cinnamon Sugar filling and the Brown Sugar Syrup.

In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger, and 1/4 tsp salt. 

Also, cut 1 tbsp of butter off a cold stick of butter and then cut that tbsp into 4 equal pieces.

Next, turn on your teapot. Grab another small, heat-proof bowl and mix together 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice, and 3 tbsp of butter. Once the water is boiling, pour in 1 cup of hot water. Stir everything together until the butter is melted. This will be your Brown Sugar Syrup!

Now for the apples!

I made these Apple Dumplings twice this last week, the first with Granny Smith and the second time with Honey Crisp. 

Both were super tasty! But, I have to say I prefer the more tart flavor of the Granny Smith Apples. They just seemed to stand out better and compliment the sugar and cinnamon.

Whatever apples you choose, need to be peeled and cored.

I’ve never owned an Apple Corer until this last week lol. 

A true miracle happened when I went into Target for an apple corer and left Target with JUST an apple corer 😯.

Anyway haha, after you’ve peeled and cored the apples, you can brush them all with lemon juice to stop them from browning while you work on rolling out and cutting the crust next!

Back to the pie dough.

Get it back out of the fridge and flour your counter well! You’ll need to keep flouring it as you roll so the dough doesn’t stick and tear.

Roll out the pie dough until you’ve got about a 15″x15″ square. The dough should be about 1/4″ thick.

Use a ruler, trim off all the jagged edges so you’ve got a nice 14x”14″ square, and then divide it into four 7″ squares.

Save the scraps so you can cut out some cute leaves to decorate the tops! I just got these cute leaf cutters that stamp the veins on top, I can’t wait to try them out! 

Whisk the ingredients until stiff whipped cream peaks form.

Finally, it’s time to assemble these Apple Dumplings.

it’s time to assemble these Apple Dumplings.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and get your 9″x13″ pan ready.

For my birthday, I was gifted a nonstick aluminum pan, like Joanna Gaines uses lol, I used it for these apples and it worked like a charm! 10 out of 10 recommend to a friend!

If you have kids you’d like to make these with, now comes the fun part that I think they’d like. 

Get a square of dough and have them put the apple in the middle of it. Next, grab the cinnamon sugar mixture from earlier and spoon it into the center of the cored-out apple until it’s 3/4 of the way full. Top the cinnamon sugar off with a square of the butter and then wrap the apple up in the dough!

Fold each corner of the pie dough to the center of the apple, then pinch all four corners shut.

If the dough won’t stick you can wet your finger with a little water, or egg wash, run it along the seam, and then pinch. It should help!

Do this with all four apples placing them in the pan as you go! Use the egg wash to stick some leaves on top, and then egg wash the whole dumpling.

Sprinkle the tops of the apple dumplings with the leftover cinnamon sugar. Give the brown sugar syrup mixture a stirring and then pour it all into the bottom of the pan. 

At last, stick them in the oven and let them bake for 1 hour!

After they’ve turned a beautiful golden brown,

remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pan until they’re just warm.

Scoop them out onto plates, gather up some of the oh-so-delicious brown sugar syrup from the bottom of the pan, ladle it over the top of the apple dumplings, and enjoy!

I didn’t have any vanilla ice cream on hand when I made them last, but I think these Apple Dumplings would be really, really good with a scoop melting nicely next to it. 

Might need to make them a third time this next week 🤔.

Did I mention how much I love Fall? lol All the cozy, fantastic foods belong to the Fall Season. 

Let me know if you give this recipe a try!? What apples did you pick? How did you like them!?

As always, thanks for reading!🍁🍂🍁

Print Recipe

Apple Dumplings

This recipe for Apple Dumplings is a fun and delicious way to turn whole apples into their own individually wrapped Fall treats!

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time1 hour hr

Dough Chill Time1 hour hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple dumplings, apple pie, dessert, Dessert Recipe, easy recipe, fall recipe

Servings: 4 dumplings

Equipment

• Food Processor or Pastry Dough Cutter
• 9″x13″ Baking Dish
• 2 Mixing Bowls
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Apple Corer & Peeler
• Ruler
• Pastry Brush

Ingredients

• 4 Apples peeled and cored
• 1 egg + 1tbsp of water for the egg wash

Pie Dough

• 2 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour Cold
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter cubed
• 1/2 Cup Ice Water

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Ginger
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Salted Butter divided

Brown Sugar Syrup

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Cup Boiling Water
• 1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 3 tbsp Salted Butter

Instructions

Pie Dough

• If using a food processor, pour 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour in as well as a tsp of salt. Next, add in the cubed cup of unsalted butter. Run the food processor for 2-3 seconds or until the butter has been cut in. Don’t overdo it though, there needs to be pea-size chunks of butter left in the flour. After this, pour in the 1/2 cup of ice water and run the food processor again just until the pie dough starts to come together.
• Pour the contents of the food processor out onto the counter, bring the pie dough together into a ball, incorporating any pieces that are still loose. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 1 hr to chill.

Cinnamon Filling, Brown Sugar Syrup, & Apples

• In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup of sugar, tsp of cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set to the side. Also, cut 1 tbsp of butter into 4 smaller pieces and set to the side.
• For the Brown Sugar Syrup, in a heatproof bowl combine 1 cup brown sugar with 1 cup water, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, and 3 tbsp of butter. Stir until the butter has melted and set to the side.
• For the apples: use any kind you like, peel them and core them. If you’re worried about them browning, brush them with lemon juice to slow the oxidization.

Assemble

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Get the pie dough out of the fridge and roll it out on the generously floured countertop into a 15″x15″ square. Use a ruler to cut off the extra 1″ of ragged edges around the outside of the square so you’re left with a perfect 14″x14″ square. Then, cut four 7″x7″ squares to wrap the apples in. Save the scraps to cut leaves out of if you’d like to decorate the tops of the apple dumplings.
• Take each apple and place it in the middle of the square of pie dough. Fill the cored center of each apple with the cinnamon sugar filling leaving space to place the small square of butter on top. Fold the edges of the square up over the top of the apple bringing them all to the center. Pinch all 4 corners of the pie dough together. If the dough won’t hold, you can dip your finger in the egg wash to help seal it.
• Place all 4 dumplings in the pan, make sure they aren’t touching. Decorate the tops of the dumplings with leaves. Egg wash each dumpling and sprinkle the leftover cinnamon sugar over the tops of them.
• Stir the Brown Sugar Syrup one more time and then pour it into the bottom of the pan. The pan does not need to be greased because of the butter in this Brown Sugar Syrup.
• Place the Apple Dumplings in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
• Once they are a nice golden brown color, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the 9″x13″ pan until they are just warm.
• Serve with the Brown Sugar Syrup spooned over the top of each dumpling, and maybe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

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