Apple Dumplings
Apple dumplings are an old-fashioned dessert that never goes out of style. Our homemade apple dumpling recipe wraps whole apples in flaky pastry, filled with buttery cinnamon sugar, and drizzled with a warm apple cinnamon sauce. It's the ultimate comfort bite.
Apple dumplings have always been a special occasion dessert in our family. Keith remembers his mom making them on chilly fall weekends, the smell of cinnamon filling the whole house. They're every bit as comforting as apple pie, but easier to serve and just as impressive. If you love classic desserts like Mom's Cherry Pie or Peach Crumble, these apple dumplings deserve a spot on your table.
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Why you'll love this apple dumpling recipe
- Whole apples, not slices: they bake up tender inside, with a bakery style look
- Flaky homemade pastry: mom's pie crust delivers that melt-in-your mouth texture
- A sauce that sets it apart: simple apple cinnamon glaze turns into a glossy topping as it bakes
- Make-ahead friendly: dough can be prepped ahead. Dumplings reheat beautifully.
Ingredients & notes
- APPLES: choose firm, tart varieties like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. Medium size works best.
- PASTRY DOUGH: we use Mom's Pie Crust made with Bob's Red Mill AP Organic Flour for flaky tender layers.
- CINNAMON SUGAR: the classic filling made with warm spice + brown sugar for that cozy apple pie flavor.
- BUTTER: adds richness inside the apples and depth to the sauce.
- APPLE JUICE: base for simple baked sauce.
- BROWN SUGAR & CORNSTARCH: thicken the sauce into a glossy glaze.
*see recipe card for quantities
🔪Top tip
For the flakiest crust, make the pastry dough the night before and let it rest in the fridge overnight. When baking, seal the dough tightly around each apple to keep the butter cinnamon filling inside and prevent leaks.
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Instructions
Here's a quick overview of how to make apple dumplings. Full details are in the recipe card below.
- Make the pastry: Mix flours, shortening, and salt. Add egg, water, vinegar. Form dough. Chill 30 minutes or overnight.
- Prep oven: Heat oven to 350°F. Flour work surface.
- Roll & cut: Roll dough halves into 7"X14" rectangles. Cut into two 7"X7" squares. Use scraps + leaf cookie cutters to make decorations.
- Fill apples: Place apple on each square. Add butter to the core. Top with cinnamon sugar.
- Wrap & seal: Bring corners up and pinch to seal. Place in baking dish. Add decorative leaves/stems.
- Make sauce: simmer apple juice, cornstarch, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon for 15 minutes. Reserve half.
- Bake: Pour half the sauce over dumplings. Bake 50-60 minutes until golden. Serve with reserved sauce.
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Storage
- Store: cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freeze (baked): cool completely. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Freeze (unbaked): assemble, then freeze on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a bag and bake from frozen, adding 10-15 minutes to bake time.
- Reheat: warm baked dumplings in a 325°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through and pastry is crisp Add reserved sauce just before serving.
This post is sponsored by our friends at Bob's Red Mill. All opinions are our own.
FAQ
Yes. Peeling ensures the apples bake up tender inside the pastry. Unpeeled apples can leave the filling chewy and tough.
Firm, tart apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp hold their shape and balance the sweetness of the filling. Avoid mealy varieties like Red Delicious.
Yes. You can freeze them baked or unbaked. For unbaked, assemble and freeze on a sheet before storing in a bag. Bake from frozen, adding 10-15 minutes.
Place leftovers in a 325°F oven for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through. Add sauce just before serving.
They're delicious on their own, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream makes them extra indulgent.
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Apple Dumpling recipe
This old-fashioned apple dumpling recipe wraps whole apples in delicate pastry, packed with buttery cinnamon sugar, and baked to perfection.
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions 1x
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 16 oz apple juice
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp butter
For the pastry:
- 3 cups Bob's Red Mill AP Organic Flour
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Wheat Flour
- 1 ½ c shortening
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 5 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp vinegar
For the filling:
- 4 apples, cored and peeled
- ¼ c brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp butter
Instructions
To make the pastry:
- Mix together both flours, shortening and salt and combine until crumbly.
- In a small bowl combine beaten egg, water and vinegar and then add to flour mixture and knead until dough is formed completely.
- Divide Dough in half and wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
To assemble and bake:
- preheat oven to 350°F.
- Take each portion of dough and roll on floured surface into a 7"x14" rectangle. Cut in half to finish with two 7"x7" squares of dough.
- Repeat with other dough ball. Use excess dough + leaf cookie cutters to form leaves for decoration.
- Place an apple in center of each dough square.
- In the center of each apple place 1 tablespoon butter and push into apple.
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and divide, and top butter in center of apple.
- Grabbing dough in diagonal fashion, grab a corner of the dough and pull to form on top of apple and press edges together to seal. Repeat on other two corners as well as each of the other apples.
- When complete, place all 4 apples in baking dish and garnish with dough leaves (optional).
- Top with half of sauce (recipe below) and bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown.
To make the sauce:
- In a medium sauce pan, combine apple juice, corn starch, brown sugar and cinnamon and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and cook an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and reserve half of sauce to cool for serving dumplings.
Notes
- Apples: we like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp because they hold their shape and balance the sweetness of the filling.
- For flaky crust: make the pastry dough the night before and let it rest in the fridge overnight. When baking, seal the dough tightly around each apple to keep the butter cinnamon filling inside and prevent leaks.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 dumpling
- Calories: 1655
- Sugar: 72 g
- Sodium: 631 mg
- Fat: 102.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 171.9 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 107.6 mg
FYI, when doubling or tripling the recipe, the apple count remains the same.
Looks delicious!
Hi Rachael,
You are so kind to let us know this, thank you!! It looks like it was a spacing issue, and it appears to be fixed now.
We hope you get the chance to try the recipe! Please let us know.
Best,
K & J
I’m making these but ingredients for sauce include butter but it included in directions for sauce. When is it added. After sauce made or with other ingredients in pan?
Sorry about that, we corrected the recipe.
Sauce ingredients include butter, but the instructions don’t mention it. Is the butter added after the sauce cooks or included with the other ingredients to cook?
Thanks for the info, recipe is now corrected.
This may be a traditional recipe, but it never gets old! The crust is so perfectly flaky, and the apple glaze brings it all together.