Description
Grandma’s classic Apple Dumplings bring warmth from Midwestern kitchens, wrapping tender apples in buttery pastry with sweet cinnamon spice. Homemade comfort waits for you in each golden-brown, irresistible bite of pure dessert magic.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 4 medium apples
- 2 sheets pie crust or puff pastry
Pastry Coating:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Spice and Flavor Enhancers:
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a baking dish by lightly greasing it with butter or cooking spray.
- Roll out the pie crust or puff pastry on a clean surface, ensuring it’s smooth and ready for wrapping.
- Carefully peel and core the apples, keeping their shape intact for an elegant presentation.
- Sprinkle the peeled apples with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, gently coating each apple to infuse flavor.
- Cut the pastry into squares large enough to completely envelop each apple, leaving a small overlap for sealing.
- Place a seasoned apple in the center of each pastry square and carefully fold the edges upward, pinching to seal the dough completely.
- Arrange the wrapped apples in the prepared baking dish, ensuring they’re not touching each other.
- In a saucepan, combine white sugar, butter, water, vanilla extract, and salt, bringing the mixture to a gentle boil while stirring continuously.
- Pour the hot syrup evenly over the pastry-wrapped apples, ensuring complete coverage.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving warm, optionally garnishing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Select crisp, firm apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp for the best texture and flavor balance in your dumplings.
- Seal pastry edges tightly to prevent syrup from leaking and maintain a beautiful, intact dumpling shape during baking.
- Brush pastry with egg wash before baking to create a gorgeous golden-brown, glossy exterior that looks professionally made.
- Adjust sugar in syrup based on apple sweetness; tart apples might need slightly more sweetness, while sweeter varieties require less added sugar.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 470
- Sugar: 40 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 62 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg