This old-fashioned apple dumplings recipe brings you the perfect blend of tart apples and sweet spices, all wrapped up in a homemade flaky crust. It’s one of the most delicious apple desserts that’s comforting and utterly delicious.
There are a few desserts that I absolutely cannot live without, and my mom’s apple dumplings recipe is one such thing. You just cannot beat the homemade flaky pie crust sweetened with cinnamon and sugar contrasted with the tartness of the apples. It is just heaven. Heaven. And while my mom always makes me a pumpkin pie for my birthday each year, this recipe is a very, very close second.
Have you ever made real apple dumplings? I’m not talking about the crescent roll, pour the mountain dew over it recipe (which is good) but the real deal old fashioned? If not, let me show you just how easy it really is to make them from scratch. You will not regret it, my friends, oh, no. You will not regret it.
This recipe comes from my mom. She created it. And it’s a family favorite because of it. If you’re a fan of good old-fashioned flakey pie crust and the tartness of apples, this will be your new favorite too.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Utterly Delicious: Apple dumplings are tart apples baked in a sea of butter, cinnamon, and sugar nestled in homemade pie crust. They have the flakiness of a pie, but there is more crust per bite, which is what I personally love about them
- Classic Flavors: The combination of sweet apples, butter, and a hint of cinnamon wrapped in a flaky crust is a timeless pairing that never disappoints.
- Family Favorite: This recipe has been a hit in my family for generations. It’s a dessert that brings everyone together and creates lasting memories.
- Time-Tested: This recipe has stood the test of time. It’s a classic dessert that never goes out of style.
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Key Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: This is the base of the pie dough, giving it structure and substance.
- Granulated sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to the pie dough and also to the apple filling.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors of the pie dough and balances the sweetness.
- Shortening: This ingredient ensures a flaky crust, making your apple dumplings irresistibly good.
- Vinegar: A secret ingredient that tenderizes the pie crust, making it soft and easy to work with.
- Egg: Helps to bind the pie dough ingredients together.
- Water: Used to bring the pie dough together into a cohesive mixture.
- Apples: The star of the show! Varieties like Jonagold apples, Granny Smith apples, and Idared apples work great for a perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors in your apple dumplings.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds a warm, spicy note to the apple filling, complemented by the sweetness of the sugars.
- Light brown sugar: Gives the apple filling a rich, caramel-like sweetness.
- Butter: Adds a creamy, rich flavor to the apple filling and helps it become golden brown when baked.
Equipment
- Large Bowl – You’ll need this to mix your pie crust ingredients together. It’s important to have enough space to blend your ingredients without making a mess.
- Pastry Cutter – This tool is essential for cutting in the shortening to your flour mixture, helping to achieve that perfect, flaky crust.
- Rolling Pin – A rolling pin is necessary to roll out your pie dough into the required squares for your apple dumplings.
- Microwave-Safe Baking Pans – These are used to cook your apple dumplings in both the microwave and the oven, ensuring they turn a beautiful golden brown.
How to Make Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings
Preparation
To begin with, gather all your ingredients for the pie crust and the apple dumplings. Also, ensure your shortening and egg are chilled, and your apples are ripe and ready for peeling.
Step 1 – Making the Pie Crust
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Blend these ingredients together using a whisk. Next, cut in chilled shortening with a pastry cutter until the shortening and flour are well distributed.
Step 2 – Add Liquid Ingredients to Bind
Now, crack a cold egg into cold water. Add vinegar and mix well with a fork. Create a well in the center of your flour mixture and pour in the egg and water mixture. Stir gently with a fork to blend the wet and dry ingredients until the dough is just moistened and leaves the side of the bowl.
Step 3 – Roll Out Pie Dough
Start by rolling out the dough until it’s thin and even. Remember to roll from the middle to the edges. Cut the dough into 6.5-inch squares. I use a clean measuring tape.
Step 4 – Assembling the Apple Dumplings
Preheat your oven to 450˚ F. Peel your apples and slice them into 1/2 inch squares. On each square of pie crust, place apple chunks in the middle. Top with ¼ pat of butter, sugar, brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon to your liking. Fold up the sides of the pie crust and pinch to seal.
Step 5 – Preparing the Apple Dumplings
Place the apple dumplings into two square microwave-safe baking pans, with four dumplings in each pan. Top each dumpling with another ¼ pat of butter. Sprinkle additional sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon over all the dumplings. Repeat this process until you have one dish filled with four apple dumplings.
Step 6 – Microwave and Bake the Apple Dumplings
Microwave the pan of dumplings at 70% power for 5 minutes, followed by 1½ minutes at 80% power in an 1100-power microwave. Remove the pan from the microwave and bake the dumplings in your preheated oven for about 10 minutes. The crust should turn a golden brown, and the apple dumpling juices should be sizzling.
Expert Tip
To achieve the perfect golden brown and flaky crust for your old-fashioned apple dumplings, ensure your shortening is very cold before starting. This helps to create those delicious layers in the pie crust.
Recipe Variations
- Flakier Crust: You can also ensure a more flaky crust by using half pastry flour and half all-purpose flour. If you don’t have pastry flour, that’s okay as I didn’t the day I made this recipe. However, for those flaky crust loving people – it’s worth the investment.
- Apples: You can experiment with different types of apples for your apple dumplings. Tart apple varieties like Jonagold and Granny Smith can add a nice contrast to the sweet filling.
- Spices: Add a touch of nutmeg or allspice to the apple filling mixture for a warm, autumnal flavor.
What to Serve With
- For a classic dessert option, serve your old-fashioned apple dumplings warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cool, creamy ice cream complements the warm, golden brown dumplings perfectly.
- You can also just have these apple dumplings on their own. They taste absolutely delicious, and you don’t even need any caramel sauce or glaze to have them.
- My mom loves having these after pouring milk over them. It’s a delicious combination you need to try at least once.
Recipe FAQs
For a tart and delicious filling in an apple dumpling, you need an apple that bakes well and doesn’t become mushy. Jonagold, Granny Smith, and Idared apples are all excellent choices. They have the right balance of tartness and sweetness and hold up well when baked.
Yes, you can prepare the pie crust a day or even weeks in advance. Cut the crust into squares and separate them with wax paper or parchment paper. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freeze them for later use.
Your apple dumplings are done when the crust is golden brown and the apple dumpling juices are sizzling. This usually takes about 10 minutes in a 450˚ F oven.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerate: If you find yourself with leftover apple dumplings from this old-fashioned apple dumpling recipe, simply wrap them up and store them in the refrigerator. They’ll keep well for 1-3 days.
- Freeze: For longer storage, you can freeze the apple dumplings. Just place each dumpling individually in an airtight container and pop them in the freezer. When you’re ready to enjoy them again, let them thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: To bring your apple dumplings back to their golden brown, flaky crust glory, reheat them in the microwave. Just 20-30 seconds should do the trick, or until they’re warm.
More Apple Desserts You’ll Enjoy
Serving Size
- What to Expect: This old-fashioned apple dumplings recipe makes 8 apple dumplings and can serve 16 people since the size of the apple dumplings is large.
- How to Scale: If you want to make more than eight apple dumplings, you can double the recipe and follow the instructions as directed. Just ensure your mixing bowl is large enough to accommodate the increased quantity of ingredients. If it’s not, you can prepare the mixture in two batches to achieve the same delicious results.
Apple Dumplings Recipe
Ingredients
Pie Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups shortening chilled
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup water
Apple Filling
- 6 large apples
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 16 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 8 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
To Make the Pie Crust:
- In a large bowl, add the following: flour, sugar, and salt. Blend together with a whisk. Using a pastry cutter, cut in 1 and ½ cups of chilled shortening. Shortening and flour should be well distributed.
- Crack an egg (cold from the refrigerator) into ½ cup of cold water. Add 1 Tablespoon of vinegar and mix well with a fork. Make a dip in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg/water mixture. Stir with a fork gently to blend wet and dry ingredients until just moistened and the dough leaves the side of the bowl.
- Roll the pie dough flat and divide it into eight 6 1/2-inch squares.
To Make the Apple Dumplings:
- Preheat oven to 450˚ F. Prepare pie crust by rolling and cutting into 6½-inch squares. Peel and slice apples into 1/2-inch squares.
- On each square of piecrust place apple chunks in the middle. Top with ¼ pat of butter, 2 heaping teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, and a dash of cinnamon to taste. Fold up sides and pinch to seal.
- Place apple dumplings into two square microwave-safe baking pans (4 in each). Top each dumpling with ¼ pat of butter. Sprinkle additional sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon over all dumplings. Repeat the process until you have one dish with four apple dumplings.
- Microwave pan of dumplings at (1100 power microwave) for 5 minutes at 70% power followed by 1½ minutes at 80% power. Remove from microwave and bake for about 10 minutes in a 450˚ F oven. The crust should be lightly browned and the apple dumpling juices sizzling.
Comments & Reviews
Dawn says
I’ve been looking for a recipe similar to my grandma’s awesome show dumplings. These look very similar. But… I am concerned about the calories. Is it really 700+ calories per dumpling? 😩
Lynette says
Dessert isn’t calorie free – unfortunately!
Cheryl says
I love apple pie and the best part for me is the crust. With this recipe, I would have the crust with every bite!