Deliciously spicy and perfect with vanilla ice cream, these old-fashioned apple dumplings smothered in brown sugar syrup are the perfect apple dessert.
For more tasty apple recipes, why not try this Classic Apple Pie or my extremely popular recipe for Apple Scones?
Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings
Apple dumplings have a reputation as being a bit old-fashioned, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still be super delicious. Filled with warming, autumnal spices and topped with a homemade caramel sauce imbued with the flavor of the apples, this is the perfect dessert after a light dinner and a real crowd-pleaser.
Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings Ingredients
Make sure you look at the recipe card at the very bottom for the exact amounts, as there are a few fiddly ingredients here.
• Pie pastry
• Granny smith apples
• Salted butter
• Brown sugar
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground nutmeg
Brown Sugar Syrup
• Packed brown sugar
• Salted butter
• Water
• Cornstarch
How To Make Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings
• Grease a 9×9 pan
• Roll out your pastry dough on a lightly floured surface, about 14 inches by 14 inches
• Cut the dough into 4 pieces
• Place one prepared apple on each pie crust square, with the cored opening facing upward
• Place one tablespoon of butter onto the opening of each apple
• Combine together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg
• Divide this sugar mixture between all of your apples, spooning some inside each of the openings and then sprinkling the rest around the pie dough
• To seal, wet the corners of the dough slightly, and then grab two opposite corners of the pie square
• Lift and bring together the edges, pressing together firmly to seal and repeat with the two remaining corners
• Seal the seams at the side, wetting your fingers as you pinch them closed. If desired, cut out pretty shapes from the remaining pie dough and place on top of the seams to help them stay together.
• Mix together the brown sugar syrup ingredients and bring to a boil on medium heat
• Pour this syrup mixture over the dumplings in the greased pan
• Bake your apple dumplings for 45 minutes at 375 Fahrenheit or until the pastry is golden brown and the apples inside are soft
• Cool for 5 minutes, and then serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce from the bottom of the pan
How To Fold Your Pastry Just Right
The trick with making these apple dumplings is getting the pastry folded just right. Trying to carefully primp and fold pastry can be a real bother, but there is a secret: wet fingers.
Don’t ever try and do this with dry fingers – water will make everything easier. Just dip the tips of your finger into some cool water, shake off the excess and constantly redo that as you are folding your dumplings. This stops the pastry from sticking to you, making it really easy to fold them however you want them.
When crimping the edges and trying to seal them, make sure your fingers aren’t too wet, though, as otherwise, you risk leaving behind a noticeable amount of water on the dough, leading to a sticky and tacky edge that might split in the oven.
Don’t Skimp on the Brown Sugar Syrup
The apple dumplings themselves are obviously going to be delicious, but the real star of the show here is the brown sugar syrup. Not only does it keep everything from drying out, but it also cooks down on the pastry and underneath them, turning into a delicate and delicious caramel sauce.
Make sure you use this sugar syrup sauce and spoon it all over every single inch of your dumplings, as it will amplfy the flavor of the apples with its intense sweetness!
Looking for more delicious Dessert recipes? Try these out:
• Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake Recipe
• Cinnamon Spice Upside Down Apple Cake
Enjoy! Make sure to keep this one for fall, its perfect!
Love,
Karlynn
PIN THIS RECIPE to your BAKING RECIPES Board and Remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!
Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings
Ingredients
- pie crust
- 4 large Granny Smith apples peeled and cored
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Brown Sugar Syrup
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup salted butter
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 °F. Grease a 9×9 pan and set it aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a large rectangle, about 14×14 inches. Cut into 4 square pieces giving you four pieces of dough that are 7×7 inches square.
- Place a prepared apple on each pie crust square with the cored opening facing upward.
- Place one tablespoon of butter into the cored opening of each apple.
- Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Divide the brown sugar mixture between the apples, spooning some inside each cored opening and then sprinkling the rest around on the pie dough square, keeping away from the edges.
- To seal the dumplings, wet the corners of the pie dough very slightly, then grab two opposite corners of the pie square. then lift and bring them together at the top of the apple and press together firmly. Bring up the two remaining corners, and seal the same way.
- Seal the seams of the dough at the sides the same way, wetting your fingers lightly then pinching slightly, just enough to seal them together. If desired, cut out pretty shapes from the remaining pie dough and place on top of the seams to help them stay together.
- Repeat with the remaining apples. Place in prepared baking dish.
- Mix together the brown sugar, butter, water and cornstarch then bring to a boil. It will thicken slightly.
- Pour over dumplings in pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the apples inside are soft.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
- To serve, place each dumpling in a bowl, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then take a scoop of the caramel sauce in the bottom of the pan and drizzle all over top of the dumpling and ice cream.
Notes
- Cutting out a few shapes with cookie cutters from the remaining pie crust really makes these dumplings really pretty, for very little extra effort! It also helps to keep the top of the pastry sealed up nicely.
Mary Phillis says
I’d also like to know if they can be made ahead of time
Vernon Brewster says
Mother made these.
A special treat.
Jean says
Can these be made ahead and reheated when having company? I would like to triple the recipe for a dinner party also.