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Home » Recipes » Dessert Recipes » Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings

Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings

By Lynette on November 10, 2021 · 16 Comments

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pan of apple dumplings

If you’re craving a hearty dessert try this recipe for old-fashioned baked apple dumplings. The dumplings are made with fresh apples and spices wrapped in a homemade flaky crust.

apple dumplings baked in square pan with apple

There are 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.

What are Apple Dumplings?

They 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. Apple dumplings are all that is right with the world.

Best Apples to Use for Baking

You cannot just use any apple to get that tart delicious filling in an apple dumpling (or any apple dessert in my opinion.) You need an apple that bakes well and doesn’t become mushy. You also need a tart apple to balance the sweetness of the sugar and cinnamon. Here’s a few that I recommend and the only apples I use for baking.

  • Jonagold Apples– These are my personal favorite but hard to find during certain seasons. They have a nice tartness and hold up very well when baked.
  • Granny Smith Apples – Tart and delicious, these are the easiest to find in the grocery store year around.
  • Idared Apples – This is an old fashioned apple that is perfect for baking. You will find these at select apple orchards in the fall.

How to Make Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings

A good old fashioned apple dumplings from scratch recipe like this one I’m sharing today, starts with a good pie crust.  My mom’s is the best.  And I don’t just mean that because she’s my mom.  It’s the pie crust recipe that was passed down to her – and it won my sister an award at the county fair.  And you know how competitive that is.

pie crust rolled out and cut into square

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 measuring tape.  It’s probably not the most sanitary way to do it – but you use what you have.

apples on square pie crust

Filling

Add a handful of apples that have the skin removed and have been chopped into ½ inch slices to the middle of the pie dough square.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and ¼ of a pat of butter.

apples wrapped in pie crust pinched at top to make dumpling

Assemble

Wrap the apples within the square, pinching it at the top to each opposite corner. If it’s too full just a remove a few apples. I pinch the corners a bit too, just to give it a little more strength.

With this recipe you can fit four apple dumplings in a square baking pan.  They support each other.  Top the apple dumplings in the square baking dish with cinnamon, sugar and a ¼ of a pat of butter on each.

apple dumplings in pan before baking

Bake (and microwave!)

Here’s my secret friends – you bake and microwave!  Oh, yes.  You do.  I do not like a crispy apple – I want the crunch to come from the pie crust.  Because of that I microwave them for a bit and then pop them into a preheated oven.  The microwave makes sure that the apples are perfectly cooked and then the oven crisps up the crust.  Win.  Win.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

  • Refrigerator: To store any leftover apple dumplings, simply wrap them in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.
  • Freezer: Freeze leftover dumplings individually in an airtight container. When ready to enjoy, let thaw in the refrigerator and reheat.
  • Reheat: Reheat refrigerated apple dumplings in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until warm.
apple dumpling on plate with fork

Making Apple Dumplings Ahead of Time

The best way to devour an apple dumpling is the day you’ve baked them.  However, they are more time consuming then a simple dessert recipe.  If you’re making them for a crowd or want to break up the steps here’s a few tips.

  • Make the pie crust the day before and cut it into squares.  The squares can be separated by wax paper or parchment paper and then stored in the refrigerator. 
  • Make this pie crust recipe weeks in advance and freeze the squares.  Just make sure to put them in a storage bag once they are separated by wax paper.  Thaw before using them in this recipe. 

By making the pie crust ahead of time, you can then just cut up the apples and follow the rest of the instructions the day of to quickly have them in the oven.

close up of apple dumpling baked in pan

Seriously, you all.  If you have time this weekend and want a treat – these apple dumplings are the best! Crispy, tart and with the sweetness of sugar — soooooooo good.  There’s no caramel sauce or anything else to add because they don’t need it!  It’s a party in your mouth.  If it’s any indication, my brother’s face lit up when I told him out in the field (it’s harvest time) that I had made apple dumplings for dessert (so that I could share with you) – and he was soooo excited!  We all leap for joy when apple dumplings are on the menu.

How do you enjoy your apple dumplings?  I like them straight up, my husband likes them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and my mom pours milk over hers.

Tips

Keep the shortening cold: As with any pie crust recipe, you’ll want to make sure your shortening is very cold before starting. In this recipe, we used Crisco so I made sure to put it in the refrigerator a few hours before making the crust.

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.

More Apple Recipes We Love!

  • Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
  • Apple Coffee Cake
  • Homemade Apple Strudel Recipe
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Apple Dumplings Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Lynette
  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 17 min
  • Total Time: 47 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

If you’re craving a hearty dessert try this recipe for old-fashioned baked apple dumplings. The dumplings are made with fresh apples and spices wrapped in a homemade flaky crust.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Pie Dough

  • 4 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 heaping Tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 and ½ cups of chilled shortening
  • 1 Tablespoon of vinegar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup of water

Apple Filling

  • 6 large apples
  • pie dough
  • dash of Cinnamon
  • 16 teaspoons Sugar
  • 8 teaspoons Brown sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons Butter

Instructions

To Make the Pie Crust:

  1. Mix: 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.
  2. Add: Crack an egg (cold from 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 flour mixture and pour in the egg/water mixture.  Stir with a fork gently to blend wet and dry ingredients until just moistened and dough leaves side of bowl.
    adding egg to pie crust ingredients
  3. Prep:  Roll the pie dough flat and divide into eight 6 ½ inch squares.
    pie crust rolled out and cut into square

To Make the Apple Dumplings:

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 450˚ F. Prepare pie crust by rolling and cut into 6½ inch squares.  Peel and slice apples into ½ inch squares.
  2. Assemble: 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 dash of cinnamon to taste. Fold up sides and pinch to seal.
    apples wrapped in pie crust pinched at top to make dumpling
  3. Prepare: Place apple dumpling 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 process until you have one dish with four apple dumplings.
    apple dumplings in pan before baking
  4. Microwave & Bake: 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 450˚ F oven. Crust should be lightly browned and apple dumpling juices sizzling.

Equipment

8x8 square baking dish

8×8 Baking Dish

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pastry cutter

Pastry Cutter

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set of 3 glass mixing bowls

Mixing Bowls

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Notes

Keep the shortening cold: As with any pie crust recipe, you’ll want to make sure your shortening is very cold before starting. In this recipe, we used Crisco so I made sure to put it in the refrigerator a few hours before making the crust.

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.

Make Ahead: Make the pie crust the day before and cut it into squares.  The squares can be separated by wax paper or parchment paper in an airtight container and then stored in the refrigerator.  Make this pie crust recipe weeks in advance and freeze the squares.  Just make sure to put them in a storage bag once they are separated by wax paper.  Thaw before using them in this recipe. 


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: ½ dumpling
  • Calories: 667
  • Sugar: 14.6
  • Sodium: 327.7
  • Fat: 42.6
  • Carbohydrates: 64.8
  • Protein: 7.5
  • Cholesterol: 30.9

Keywords: Apple Dumplings

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« Apple Pie Filling Coffee Cake
Corn Soufflé Recipe (Corn Casserole) »

About Lynette

Lynette is the home cook, recipe tester and photographer for Cleverly Simple which she created in 2010.  Most of her recipes come from the treasured recipe box passed down from her great-grandma, grandmother, and mother.

Lynette’s recipes and projects have been featured in Country Living, Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful and others.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jessica Pinney

    October 15, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    Oh my gosh! I’m reading this recipe late at night and am seriously considering making a midnight snack right now. Looks *amazing*!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Tatiana

    October 15, 2017 at 7:47 pm

    Thank you for sharing your moms recipe. I never heard of a microwave oven technic, but since it works it’s amazing ! Pinning for later to make it for my family

    Reply
  3. Karyl | Karyl's Kulinary Krusade

    October 15, 2017 at 10:29 am

    My goodness, these look so good! I love that you use dough from scratch. Everything tastes better when you make it from scratch! I’m pinning these to make soon

    Reply
  4. Leslie

    October 14, 2017 at 11:17 am

    These look SO good – I would top mine with a vanilla drizzle and a pinch of salt!

    Reply
    • Lynette

      October 14, 2017 at 5:16 pm

      A pinch of salt – interesting! Will have to try that on these apple dumplings.

      Reply
  5. Ashima

    October 12, 2017 at 11:45 pm

    Apple desserts are my favourite especially in winters.. and I love apple pies and like you said more pie in every bite is definitely better 🙂

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Lynette

      October 14, 2017 at 5:18 pm

      High Five for Pie Crust!

      Reply
  6. Dominique | Perchance to Cook

    October 12, 2017 at 11:07 pm

    Oh wow! Operation make these apple dumplings starts now!! These look faaaaantastic!

    Reply
    • Lynette

      October 14, 2017 at 5:18 pm

      And they are sooooo good! You won’t regret trying this recipe!

      Reply
  7. Veena Azmanov

    October 12, 2017 at 3:48 pm

    I love dumpling but I’ve mostly made the savory ones. For the apple I usually use Puff Pastry. Next time I’m giving these a try.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lynette

      October 14, 2017 at 5:19 pm

      Yes, do! These are way better than a puff pastry recipe. You get the hearty pie crust which is sooooo good in my opinion!

      Reply
  8. Christine

    October 12, 2017 at 12:03 pm

    This looks SO delicious! I’d love to make these apple dumplings for my next fall gathering. They look perfect!

    Reply
    • Lynette

      October 14, 2017 at 5:19 pm

      Let me know how they turn out, Christine!

      Reply
  9. dixya @food, pleasure, and health

    October 11, 2017 at 2:35 pm

    i make dumplings a lot but those are mostly savory ones..this sounds like a fun recipe to try sometime.

    Reply
  10. Patti

    October 11, 2017 at 1:39 pm

    I love apple dumplings, and I love the cheats you’ve given to make sure your apples are tender and the crust cripsy, and I especially appreciate the tip to make the crust ahead and freeze the squares. That makes it much easier to prepare.
    Thanks for all of the tips.

    Reply
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Lynette Rice head shotHi, I’m Lynette. My desire is to help women who feel uninspired weave time honored recipes into their routines to create a sense of simplicity. Most of my recipes come from the treasured recipe box passed down from my great-grandma, grandmother and mother. And I want to share them with you.  Learn more.

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