Description
Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings are a comforting and nostalgic dessert featuring Granny Smith apples wrapped in flaky pie pastry, baked to golden perfection, and drenched in a sweet, buttery cinnamon sauce. This classic treat combines tender baked apples with a rich caramel-like topping, perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
Pastry and Apples
- 1 (14.1 ounces) box frozen double-crust pie pastry, thawed
- 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut in half horizontally (6 halves)
- 5 Tablespoons butter, divided
Spices and Sugar
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, divided
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Sauce
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish thoroughly to prevent sticking and to add flavor to the dumplings.
- Unroll and cut pie dough: Take the thawed pie pastry and unroll each circle. Cut each into quarters, giving you pieces large enough to wrap around the apple halves. Note that you will have approximately half of a circle of pie dough leftover.
- Arrange apples on pie dough: Place one half of the peeled and cored apple in the center of each quartered piece of pie dough, ready for filling and wrapping.
- Fill apples: Cut the butter into six 1/2 tablespoon pieces. Place one piece of butter into the hollow core of each apple half. Then divide and press 1/2 cup of brown sugar evenly into the cores over the butter. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg evenly over the apple halves.
- Wrap apples with pastry dough: Wet your fingers with water to help seal the dough. Fold each corner of the pastry up over the apple, bringing the dough corners together at the top. Pinch to seal the top and press the edges gently to enclose the apple completely, shaping the dumpling. Place each wrapped apple into the buttered baking dish.
- Make sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1 cup water. Heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to gently boil, creating a rich, cinnamon-tinged syrup.
- Pour sauce and bake: Pour the warm sugar sauce evenly over the prepared dumplings in the baking dish. Place in the oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the dumplings are golden brown on top and the apples are tender inside.
- Serve: Serve the apple dumplings warm in bowls, spooning additional sauce over each serving. For an extra indulgent touch, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Notes
- You can substitute Granny Smith apples with other tart apples like Honeycrisp or Braeburn if desired.
- For a richer sauce, try adding a splash of vanilla extract after boiling the sauce.
- Make sure to seal the pastry well to keep the sauce from leaking during baking.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat gently before serving.
- Adding a pinch of salt in the sauce can enhance the sweetness balance.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
