Easy Apple Dumplings Recipe

Easy Apple Dumplings Recipe: use pre-made frozen pastry to put this classic apple dumplings recipe together in no time. Quick and delicious.

This easy apple dumplings recipe is an old family favourite around here, especially at this time of year in the fall when fresh Ontario apples are at their peak. If you’re looking for something a bit different from regular old classic apple pie, and a whole lot easier this is the perfect recipe to enjoy this fall or for your Thanksgiving dinner this year.  

What Are Apple Dumplings?

Apple dumplings are a pastry dough wrapped apple or portion of apple, baked in a sweet sauce.  The taste is similar to apple pie, with similar ingredients, but the difference is the special sauce that the dumplings are baked in.  The recipe is thought to have originated around Pennsylvania in the US, and is popular among the Amish.  Some recipes use whole apples, with the core removed and stuffed with cinnamon and sugar.  They are sometimes baked without the sauce, and sometimes served with a caramel sauce. 

My family version uses quartered apples, wrapped in pastry.  The pastry wrapped apples are cooked in a sauce, which is very sweet and contrasts with the tart apples.  The top of the apple dumplings is sprinkled with apple pie spice and the pastry is baked until golden brown.  But because these bake right in the sauce, the rest of the dumpling is kind of doughy and soft, making a nice contrast of textures.  The apple is very tart, and the sauce is perfectly sweet.  I love these served warm with vanilla ice cream.  The ice cream melts into the sauce and you have one of the the most perfect sweet apple desserts.

Pie Pastry

This is an old family recipe, that my mom and my mom’s mom used to make and is a real taste of home for me.  They always made homemade pie crust from scratch, but my version makes it really quick and easy.  Using frozen pastry makes this a quick and easy recipe to put together anytime. You can of course, make the pie pastry from scratch if  you prefer to.  

My mom and Grandma used to often use this recipe to use up pie crust.  If they were making a pie, they’d make a little extra and put a batch of these together with the extra dough.  You can freeze the dumplings at this stage too for another day.  My mom would sometimes make them up, little quarter pieces of apple wrapped in a blanket of pastry and tuck them in the freezer.  It felt like such an unexpected treat when she would pull them out, let them thaw on the counter and then bake them with the sauce for an after dinner treat.  

Store Bought Pastry

Some quick versions of this recipe like to use store bought crescent rolls as an easy replacement of the pastry.  The crescent roll dough is more bready, and not as flaky as a pie dough.  It’s just as quick and easy to purchase store-bought pie dough as it is to buy the crescent dough, and I think it makes a more authentic apple dumpling, then the crescent roll apple dumplings.  Some People also like to use biscuit dough, or puff pastry, but I feel frozen pie crust is much closer to authentic old-fashioned apple dumplings.

Some people don’t like a store bought pie pastry, finding it tough and not flaky compared to homemade pie pastry dough.  I think for this recipe, where the dumplings are cooked in the sauce, it really isn’t very noticable.  I’d say save your homemade pastry efforts for apple pie, and save yourself the effort with this recipe, which turns out really great with the store bought pastry.

This easy recipe is made from simple ingredients, so other than picking up the frozen pastry, during apple season you probably have everything else on hand.This easy recipe is made from simple ingredients, so other than picking up the frozen pastry, during apple season you probably have everything else on hand. 

Apples

I usually make these apple dumplings with Macintosh apples.  They’re a great baking apple, and the apple variety my mom and Grandma always favored for making apple pies, and apple crisp and all of their favorite apple desserts.  You can also use granny smith apples.  These are a more of a tart apple, but delicious in baking and favorite apples of many for apple pies, and dumplings.

These homemade apple dumplings are  best served warm, and I like to add a little scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you’re making them ahead of time, just re-heat before serving -easy peasy.  These are such a delicious apple dessert.  In fact, I much prefer these over traditional apple pie.  Warm dumplings served with a scoop of ice cream are one of life’s great pleasures.

These homemade apple dumplings are  best served warm, and I like to add a little scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you’re making them ahead of time, just re-heat before serving -easy peasy.  These are such a delicious apple dessert.  In fact, I much prefer these over traditional apple pie.  Warm dumplings served with a scoop of ice cream are one of life’s great pleasures.  They are so yummy and they’re so easy to make they’re sure to become a fall favourite of yours too.

?Storing Leftovers

If you have any leftover apple dumplings store them in the fridge in an airtight container, or in the baking dish wrapped with plastic wrap.  Reheat to serve..

This is one of my favorite easy dessert recipes.  It’s always a crowd pleaser at a dinner party.  Put it into the oven just before having dinner, and enjoy it hot afterwards for a delicious dessert.  If you love all things apple, this is sure to become one of your favorite recipes.  Next time you are looking for an apple dessert, give this fabulous recipe a try.

With this easy apple dumpling recipe, life really is a party, even on a rainy day. 😉

More Apple Recipe Inspiration

You might also like our Homemade Caramel Apples here.

Also check out our Caramel Apple Trifle here.

You might also enjoy our Slow Cooker Apple Butter here.