Print

Apple Dumplings (Grandma’s Recipe) Recipe

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 83 reviews

Grandma’s Apple Dumplings are a comforting classic dessert featuring tender tart apples wrapped in a flaky buttery crust, baked to golden perfection and soaked in a warm cinnamon-spiced brown sugar syrup. Perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream, these dumplings combine a nostalgic homemade feel with a simple yet flavorful spiced apple filling.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, chilled
  • ½ cup milk (plus 2 tablespoons extra as needed)

Filling

  • 6 medium crisp tart apples
  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 small pats

Syrup

  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

  1. Prepare the dough. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and baking powder. Cut in the chilled unsalted butter with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter. Gradually add the milk, stirring to bring the dough together, adding extra tablespoons as needed until the dough forms. Divide into 6 equal balls, about 100 grams each, and refrigerate covered for 30 to 60 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking the dumplings.
  3. Prepare the apples. Peel the tart apples and core them by cutting around the core horizontally. Slice the apples width-wise into approximately 1/8-inch thick rings so the slices can be stacked. Remove any remaining seeds carefully to ensure a clean apple center.
  4. Mix the filling spices. In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger evenly. This mixture will provide the warm, spiced sweetness inside each apple dumpling.
  5. Roll and assemble dumplings. Remove one dough ball from the fridge and roll it out to about 8 inches in diameter—large enough to enclose an apple stack. Place a sliced apple stack in the center, insert one small butter pat into the apple core, and sprinkle one tablespoon of the spiced sugar mix inside. Carefully wrap the dough around the apple, pinching the top to seal. Repeat for all dumplings and place them in an ungreased 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
  6. Bake initial phase. Bake the assembled dumplings in the preheated oven for 15 minutes to begin cooking the crust and apples.
  7. Prepare the syrup. While dumplings bake, combine brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring frequently, then remove from heat. This liquid syrup will soak the dumplings, adding moisture and sweetness.
  8. Apply syrup and continue baking. Spoon about half the syrup evenly over each dumpling after the initial 15 minutes. Return dumplings to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes to absorb the syrup and cook through.
  9. Final syrup application and bake. Spoon the remaining syrup evenly over the dumplings and continue baking for a final 15 minutes, totaling one hour of baking time.
  10. Cool and serve. Remove dumplings from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Serve warm, ideally with vanilla ice cream for a classic comforting dessert.

Notes

  • For a vegan version, substitute vegan butter in place of unsalted butter; it works well in this pastry and filling recipe.
  • This recipe makes 6 dumplings, but can be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled to yield 12, 18, or 24 dumplings, suitable for freezing or sharing.
  • Store leftover dumplings in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat in a 250°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes or microwave until warmed through.
  • For longer storage, freeze dumplings up to 6 months; wrap tightly in plastic and foil. Reheat frozen dumplings in a 250°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes or microwave.

Find it online: https://recipesbymia.com/apple-dumplings-grandmas-recipe/