Julie Clark
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Apple Dumplings
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Amish Apple Dumplings are apples wrapped in a buttery, homemade dough and baked in a cinnamon-brown sugar syrup. One of the best apple recipes to make for a delicious fall dessert!
Apple Dumplings. Although we often share with you our best “grandma” recipes, this is unfortunately not one of those. But it is every bit as good and deserves to be passed on to the next generation.
Apple dumplings are fresh apples that have dough wrapped around them, then baked in a sweet sauce. If you’ve never had one, drop what you’re doing and try one today. They are my favorite apple dessert.
This recipe came from my favorite Amish Cooking cookbook that I got the year I was married (from my grandma! 😊).
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Reader Kim says, “Hands down match to the real deal. Followed the recipe EXACTLY. I live in Lancaster county, pa and know Amish food. Do not change anything to the dough. I got six smaller Apple dumplings out of the recipe.”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Reader Janet says, “I’ve made this recipe several times, with RAVE REVIEWS!! I sell my baked goodies, and Apple Dumplings are 1 of my best sellers. I use ½ an apple to make 6 Dumplings, since my apples were larger. They are fun to make too!!”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Reader K Vernon says, “WOW and WOW! These are truly amazing. My 10 year old said this is one of the best desserts he’s ever had, and we eat a lot of dessert around here. Thank you for sharing!”
Why you’ll love this apple dumpling recipe:
- It’s a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe eaten for breakfast (brilliant) or a dessert.
- Soft homemade dough.
- Sweet syrup that pairs well with a tangy apple.
- Delicious served warm with a scoop of ice cream.
What are the best apples for apple dumplings?
Choose any type of apple that is good for baking such as Granny Smith apples (which we love for their tartness), Honeycrisp apples, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Jonathan and Gala. Granny Smith will stay firmer in the dumpling. Galas will soften up a bit more.
Preparing Apples for Dumplings
I use a a peeler tool to quickly prepare the apples. It will peel, slice and core apples. I use a whole apple which makes 6 large dumplings. You can use half an apple and get 12 smaller dumplings if you’d like.
Do you have to peel apples for dumplings? You definitely want to get the core and stem out, but you may not have to peel them if you don’t mind the peel. I don’t like the peel in my apple baked goods, so I peel them.
How to Make Amish Apple Dumplings
There are three main parts to this recipe. Your prepared apple (of course!), the pastry dough and the syrup.
- Start with the dough. In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in the butter, then add in the milk and mix just until a soft dough forms.
- Wrap the apples. Roll out the dough into 6 circles (or rectangles…either work) and put a cored and peeled apple in the middle. If you are using half an apple, place the apple slices in the center of the dough. Fold the sides of the dough around the apple and press to seal. Place them in a greased 9×13″ baking dish.
- Make the syrup. In a small saucepan over low to medium heat, combine the brown sugar, water, butter and cinnamon. Heat it just until it barely comes to a boil and stir often. Pour this mixture over the dumplings.
- Bake the dumplings. Ours take about 40 minutes to bake. Cover the top of the pan loosely with foil if they look like they are getting too brown.
Need a shortcut?
If you don’t want to make homemade pastry dough, use store bought pie crust instead. You can also try crescent roll dough, although I recommend using just a few apple slices to make small dumplings if you choose this. (And remember the small dumplings won’t take as long to bake. Check them at 20 minutes.)
BAking Tip
Some have mentioned they wait until half way through baking to pour the syrup over the dumplings. Read the reviews and choose which method you’d like. We pour it all on at the beginning of baking.
Do you eat Amish apple dumplings cold or hot? I’m sure you could do either, but I recommend hot apple dumplings with vanilla ice cream on top.
Storage Instructions
- Room temperature: Do not store the amish apple dumplings at room temperature.
- Refrigerator: Apple dumplings will last in the fridge about 4 days. Be sure you store them in an airtight container. We also prefer to warm them in the microwave before eating them.
- Freezer: These freeze for up to two months in an airtight container. Allow them to defrost fully in the container before reheating. Once the apple dumplings are thawed, reheat them in the microwave.
For a quicker recipe, try our crescent roll apple dumplings with soda (like Mountain Dew) poured over the top.
Apple Dumplings
Amish Apple Dumplings. Apples wrapped in a homemade dough and baked in a cinnamon-sugar syrup. The best way to eat an apple!
Servings 6
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 267 grams
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2/3 cup salted butter softened
- 1/2 cup 2% milk 4 ounces
For the apples:
- 6 apples peeled and cored
*For the sauce:
- 2 cups brown sugar 400 grams
- 2 cups water 16 ounces
- 1/4 cup salted butter 2 ounces
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoons salt
- Mix in the butter, then add in the milk and mix just until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough into 6 balls. 2/3 cup salted butter, ½ cup 2% milk
Assemble the dumplings:
- Roll out each ball of dough on a floured surface. Place an apple in the center of each piece of dough. Fold the dough around the apple and press it together to form a ball. 6 apples
- Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Place the dumplings in the prepared pan. Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
Make the sauce:
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the brown sugar, water, butter and cinnamon. Heat it just until it barely starts boiling, stirring often. 2 cups brown sugar, 2 cups water, ¼ cup salted butter, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pour this mixture over the dumplings.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the apples are soft and the dough is golden brown. You can baste the dumplings with the syrup several times during baking if you'd like.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Video
Notes
*Want to add spices to the sauce? Try a dash of freshly grated nutmeg or apple pie spice.
*Try this recipe with peaches for peach dumplings.
You can make these dumplings any size you’d like. If you’d like smaller dumplings, use only half an apple and less dough. If you’d like a thinner layer of dough around the apples, peel and core two more apples, make 8 dough balls and roll the dough thinner.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 6 large dumplings, with 1 serving being 1 apple dumpling. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 785kcal | Carbohydrates: 131g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 455mg | Potassium: 542mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 91g | Vitamin A: 985IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 3mg
I made these last night. Followed the recipe and doubled it because my apples were large honeycrisp. Turned out amazing. Everyone went nuts! This is a keeper and will definitely make again. I used my apple slicer/peeler for apples and they were much easier to bite into.
Hafa Adai !! I live on the US Island Territory of Guam and Due to the pandemic, I’ve become a baker with my free time and this recipe is a big winner here!! I Love it! I have a question: is it possible to make the dough in advance ,stored in the freezer or refrigerator for at least 10hrs and not compromise the effectiveness of the baking powder? Thank You 😊
Turned into a soggy over sweet mess. I grew up in Central PA and these are NOT the apple dumplings I bought at Amish farm markets! Amish cookbook I have uses less butter and baking powder in the dough, bakes the apples alone (not swimming in syrup). And adds a little sauce later.
I had lost this recipe sometime ago and thanks to you I now have it. Its the same recipe my Mother use to make many years ago. I’ll be making these for Thanksgiving dinner. Thanks again..
This recipe is amazingly delicious… The crust is perfect. My apples were HUGE, so they took over an hour to cook. I had to make two batches of double crust. I had 12 extra large apples. They have held up in the fridge for 6 days and still wonderfully good. Great recipe…
I used to work at an ice cream shop where we served authentic Amish apple dumplings with a scoop of ice cream on top, and these are legit as delicious as those! I just made them for the first time and already can’t wait to make another batch!
Amazing!!! Thank you for this recipe. First time I made them, definitely not my last. I used gala apples and they were still firm. Loved the apple dumpling with side of vanilla ice cream. My sister and her daughter drove 25 minutes to do a front step pick up because they looked so good. (I sent them a picture.) They were not gone five minutes and they called to say how good they are. Definitely a five star recipe!
Making these for dessert for tomorrow! Wish I could post a photo- I did mini dumplings (not a whole apple) baking tonight, freezing and then by the time I get to family destination 1.5drive tomorrow they should be thawed and ready to bake again with the extra sauce! I only drizzled it on each and saved the rest!
I have a question for you. Can the dough be made a day ahead and stay in the refrigerator overnight?
I made these today, using this recipe for the first time. They were amazing. I was going to make a pie but these were so much better.
I grew up eating these hot out of the oven with sugar and milk on them for dinner. Soooooooooooo good! looks like the same recipe my Grandma used.
What kind of apples did you use in this photo of this recipe ?
I don’t like when they taste hard , the photo looks like they are not hard ,
What kind are best , Granny Smith sometimes are hard .
Thank you !,,
Can these be frozen and baked at a later time? If so, should they be thawed before baking or bake frozen?
Tried this recipe tonight and it was delish but the apples didn’t get soft they were slightly under cooked with that exception it was delish!!!! So do you think the apples were just too big??? Want to try it again,,we used large apples!
Tried this today. I used granny’s and next time I will use slightly smaller (these were quite large) apples. My butter was soft and I rubbed it into the dry ingredients. I didn’t use all of the milk and had a nice pliable dough. I had to roll it out quite thin on the pastry cloth to make enough to go around the apple, but the final product was gorgeous! Everyone decided this was a keeper. Thank you!