baked apple dumplings

Apple Dumplings

Peeled apples are wrapped in squares of pie dough and baked in a sweet syrup made from brown sugar, butter, and water. As the dumplings bake, the dough encloses the fruit while the syrup bubbles around it, soaking into the pastry and forming a rich sauce. Cinnamon and other warm spices provide the characteristic flavor found in traditional Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish apple desserts.

During baking, the apples soften while the pastry becomes golden and flaky, absorbing some of the surrounding syrup. The liquid thickens slightly as it reduces, creating a sweet glaze that coats the dumplings. The preparation reflects rustic baking traditions in which simple ingredients—apples, pastry, brown sugar, and spice—combine to produce a syrupy baked fruit dessert.

Print Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Fruit
American
Apple
Servings: 3

Equipment

  • baking dish

Ingredients

  • 1 pie crust, for 3 apples
  • 3 small Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar, divided into 1 and ½ cup
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 cup water
  • ⅛ tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, softened
  • 1 Tbsp. butter, cubed

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Mix ½ cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
  • Add water and softened butter to the bowl.
  • Core and peel the apples.
  • Divide the pie crust into 3 equal parts. Roll out each piece to ¼-inch thickness, large enough to wrap around an apple.
  • Place an apple into the center of the rolled out dough and pull the corners up to wrap the apple.
  • Fill the apple with the brown sugar mix and top the apple with a butter cube.
  • Place all the apples in a glass baking dish.
  • Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes. Baste the dumplings with the juice in the pan every 15 minutes.
  • Serve as a side dish or dessert. Top with whipped cream or custard.