Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.
This recipe for Apple Dumplings came from my podcast guest, Melissa Moslow. Make sure you listen to her episode "The War Bride, The Baker, And Their Apple Dumplings" while you make these Apple Dumplings: Pastry-Wrapped Apples with Caramel Sauce!
These apple dumplings are a tried-and-true recipe that has stood the test of time and remains a staple in Melissa's family. It's one of those classic desserts that never goes out of style-beloved, nostalgic, and endlessly comforting. With tart Granny Smith apples, a buttery pastry, and a drizzle of sweet caramel sauce, this simple treat captures everything wonderful about the autumn season.
Looking for more old-fashioned desserts? Check out this recipe round-up post for 24 Old-Fashioned Halloween Treats That Aren't Candy, or this post for Old Fashioned Butter Toffee (AKA English Toffee).
Melissa's Memories of Making Recipe
My mother made this recipe in our family kitchen but she gave credit to my baker father, entitling the handwritten recipe card she gave me "Dad's Apple Dumplings." I always believed it originated with my father, perhaps in the family-owned bakery, Tremont Goodie Shop. I was unaware that it was meant to be a carefully guarded "secret family recipe" and was horrified to discover this after sharing it with my best friend. Now that my parents are residing securely in heaven, I feel I honor them to share it with the world on Storied Recipe. My father, William Berlew Wood, was a professional baker who learned the trade on a troop transport ship, the USS Elmore, during World War II, later owning the Tremont Goodie Shop in Columbus, Ohio. The ingredients and steps to Dad's Apple Dumplings are specific and time consuming, but the end results entice me to take on the challenge every time, and the appreciation of the tasters is always a great reward.
-Melissa Moslow, guest of The Storied Recipe
Top Tips
Melissa has several tips for making and handling your pastry dough which are very helpful.
- Make sure your dough is thin. Thin is better.
- Handle the dough very gently. If you are in a rush and trying to hurry, slow down or come back to it later because you might rip your dough and it will be harder to use.
- Melissa cuts out individual pieces of parchment paper, weighs each dough ball to get a precise measurement, and then rolls out the dough in the shape of a disk, then places it on the parchment paper. While preparing the apples, chill the dough on the parchment paper so it is easier to work with.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Pie Dough: flour, salt, shortening, ice water
Filling: Granny Smith apples, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon sugar
Sauce: flour, sugar, water, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg
Instructions
Pie Dough
Mix flour, salt, and shortening until crumbly. Add ice water until dough forms. Divide into 4 balls and roll each into an 8-inch circle
Assemble
Place brown sugar in the center of each circle, then add a peeled, cored apple. Fill apple with more brown sugar, top with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Wrap dough around apple, sealing edges with water. Place in a baking dish without touching.
Bake
Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes, then reduce to 375°F and bake 45 minutes total, adding sauce for the last 15 minutes.
Sauce
Combine 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoon flour, 1½ cups water, 2 tablespoon butter, and 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and nutmeg. Boil and thicken, then pour over dumplings. Cool before eating.
Toppings and Pairings
Optional, but who doesn't love adding options and/or pairings to pastry?
- Half and half - this is Melissa's favorite topping for this dessert
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla sauce
- Spiced rum sauce
- Chopped nuts
- Streusel
- Ice cream
Choose the Right Apple
Though this might seem quite obvious, the proportions of this dessert are important. You don't want the apple to be the only thing you are eating, nor do you want to get a mouthful of only pastry. The key is to choose the right size apple.
Choose large apples over small apples for two reasons: 1) You want to taste the apple with pastry, and a smaller apple with be overwhelmed by the sugar in the middle of the apple and the pastry on the outside. 2) When you core your apples, if you choose small ones, there is a higher likelihood that they are going to break in half. This is not as much of an issue with larger apples.
Plus, I had such a hard time finding a good quality apple corer, so if you are having the same problem, this one from Amazon worked wonderfully.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Apple corer (optional)
- Rolling pin (optional)
- Baking dish
- Medium saucepan
- Parchment paper
Storage
You can store any leftover apple dumplings in the fridge for 4-5 days.
More American Recipes
More Pies and Pastry Recipes
Listen to Melissa's Episode
PrintRecipe
Apple Dumplings: Pastry-Wrapped Apples with Caramel Sauce
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Enjoy homemade apple dumplings with caramel sauce - tender baked apples wrapped in buttery pastry and topped with rich caramel. This classic dessert is perfect for fall or holiday gatherings and makes any meal feel warm and comforting.
Ingredients
Pie Dough
- 4 cups flour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cup shortening (Crisco)
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon water (ice cold)
Filling
- 4 large Granny Smith apples (or 5 smaller)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (more, if necessary)
- 4 tsp butter (more, if necessary)
- ½ cup cinnamon sugar
Apple Dumpling Sauce
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
Cue up the Episode!
Make sure you listen to Melissa's episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast, "The War Bride, The Baker, And Their Apple Dumplings" while you make her amazing Apple Dumplings.
Make the Recipe
Make the Pie Dough
- Crumble together flour, salt, and shortening.
- Add ice water and toss together until dough is just mixed.
- Separate into 4 equally sized balls. Use a scale if you'd like to be precise.
Roll Out Dough and Prepare the Apples
- One at a time, roll each ball into a circle large enough to surround an apple, about 8 inches in diameter.
- Place 1 tablespoon light brown sugar in the center of each dough circle.
- Peel and core 4 Granny Smith apples.
- Place the prepared apples in the center of each dough circle on top of the brown sugar.
- Stuff the center of the apples with brown sugar.
- Add 1 teaspoon butter on top and sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon sugar mixture over it.
Assemble the Dumplings
- Seal pastry with cold water as you wrap the circle of dough up and around each apple.
- Place all the dumplings in a baking dish making sure the dough of one apple does not touch the sides of another dumpling. Depending on how large the apples are you may need two pans.
Bake
- Bake at 450°F / 230°C for 10 minutes and then turn the temperature down to 375°F / 190°C and continue baking for 45 minutes, adding the sauce during the last 15 minutes.
Make the Apple Dumpling Sauce
- In a saucepan blend 2 Tablespoons flour into 1 cup sugar.
- Add 1 ½ cups of water and 2 Tablespoons of butter, and 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Bring to a boil and thicken while stirring.
- Pour this thick sauce over the dumplings and return them to the 375°F / 190°C oven for the last 15 minutes of the 45 minute time.
- Let the dumplings cool to "warm" or room temperature before serving into individual bowls.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
Would love to hear from you!