Kellie from The Suburban Soapbox is sharing a family classic, apple dumplings, and she’s made it even easier than the original! Our apples are stuffed with a buttery, brown-sugar blend then wrapped up in flaky pastry dough before being baked to a crispy, golden brown. A fall mush-have!
Fall apple season is in full force and I’m sharing one of my favorite family heirlooms using Harry & David Apples. They’re crisp and sweet, and sturdy enough to be baked in a light, flaky, buttery shell.
This Classic Apple Dumpling recipe is one that I grew up with, helping my grandmother stuff apples full of brown sugar, fall spices, and a big dollop of butter before wrapping them up in a homemade pie crust. We then baked them in a brown sugar syrup lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg until the apples were tender enough to eat with a spoon.
I used my favorite pie crust recipe which comes together in minutes right in a food processor. The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead making this a cinch to whip up. These Apple Dumpling are a great make-ahead dessert for Sunday dinners or weekend entertaining. I love to serve them up with a dollop of cinnamon spiced whipped cream or a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
Don’t forget to try our stuffed pears too!
Classic Apple Dumplings
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 4 apples (peeled and cored)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus additional for rolling)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 sticks butter (cut into 1/2 inch cubes and chilled)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup ice water1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 4-5 times.
- Add the butter and pulse until pea sized crumbs form. Slowly stream in the ice water and process the dough until a ball forms, approximately 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until it is completely smooth and the butter is incorporated.
- Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and 1/2 cup sugar to combine. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the remaining sugar with the water and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the butter and remove from the heat.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions and roll out into a 8-9 inch square. Place an apple in the center of each square and fill with 1 tablespoon brown sugar spice mixture. Top each with 1 tablespoon butter. Gently moistened the edges of the square with water and bring up the corners of the dough to the center. Pinch the edges together to seal.
- Place the apple dumplings in an ungreased baking dish and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust begins to turn golden brown. Carefully pour the brown sugar syrup over the apple dumplings and continue baking for an additional 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and the apples are tender.
- Remove the apple dumplings from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving with ice cream or whipped cream.