This apple dumpling recipe is pretty easy to put together and makes a stunning, extra-special dish, to impress your guests. Using apples fresh from the orchard in the fall or really any time of year, this recipe works well as a fancy breakfast or brunch item or as a dessert. You can serve it with milk, cream, or ice cream for more deliciousness.
Another item introduced to me by my husband was a Pennsylvania Dutch apple dumpling. When visiting his family in central PA, near Amish country we picked up some chicken pot pie and a few apple dumplings, in the fabulous market in the center of town. He would heat the dumpling, and add milk, to eat any time of day, mostly breakfast.
Recently tried my hand at making my own homemade apple dumplings, and am sharing the recipe here today.
Choices for Making Homemade Apple Dumplings
I went to our local farm and checked out the apple selection. I figured an apple dumpling is pretty similar to a pie, so I was looking for a good pie apple.
Many say that Granny Smith apples are the best apples for pies, but they didn't have any of them at the farm. I ended up with one they called Ginger Gold, because I haven't tried it before, and it was labeled as good for use in pies. Personally, any crisp apple that's firm and tart has my approval. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Pink Lady are good choices.
I made my standard pie crust dough for the pastry. It tasted great, but I noticed it wasn't as dry as the ones I'd had before. I think that's why my husband likes to pour milk over his apple dumplings.
Easy Apple Dumpling Tips:
- You could use frozen or refrigerated pie dough for this recipe.
- This recipe has a little brown sugar and cinnamon in the core, but if you are trying to cut back on sugar, I think you could leave that step out.
- You could also add a few raisins or walnuts in the center.
Apple Dumpling Sauce
This recipe includes a syrup made from brown sugar, water, vanilla, butter, and cinnamon to pour over the apples. I think this makes them extra delicious, but you could cut back here too.
Possibly consider just a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Make your own cinnamon sugar by whisking together regular granulated sugar with cinnamon. I'd start with a 4:1 ratio. Four tablespoons of sugar to one tablespoon of cinnamon and then go from there as you wish.
Either way, I think you will be in for a fabulous treat.
More Tasty Apple Desserts
Apple Dumpling Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large baking apples
- one pie crust
Filling
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Peel the apples and remove the core
- Roll out pie dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangular shape
- Cut into four even pieces of dough.
- Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.
- Place an apple on the center of one piece of dough
- Fill with 1/4 of the filling.
- Bring up the sides of the dough and pinch the edges together to wrap the apple and then place it in a baking pan.
- Repeat for the remaining 3 apples.
- In a saucepan combine the ingredients for the sauce.
- Cook over medium heat and stir until combined and butter is melted.
- Remove from heat and pour the mixture over the apples.
- Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the apple feels fork tender.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Leave a Reply