Apple Dumpling
Apple Dumpling Say it: AP-ul DUMP-ling
Apple dumpling is a Pennsylvania Dutch dessert of whole peeled apples wrapped in pastry and baked in cinnamon syrup. It is a cool-weather favorite in Pennsylvania and the wider American Northeast, often served warm from the oven. The pastry turns golden and tender, the apple soft but not collapsed, and the syrup clings to each dumpling. It tastes like buttery pastry, tart-sweet apple and warm cinnamon, a simple farmhouse sweet.
Apple Dumpling
Apple Dumpling
Pronounced AP-ul DUMP-ling
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 hr 10 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Dough
Filling
Cinnamon syrup
Method
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and have a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish ready. Peel the apples and core them from the top, leaving the base intact so the filling stays inside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter and rub or cut it in until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Pour in the milk and stir just until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead 4 or 5 times just until it holds together, then divide into 4 equal portions. Pat or roll each portion into a roughly 7-inch (18-cm) square.
Mix the 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Set one apple on each dough square, spoon the cinnamon sugar into the core cavity, and add a small piece of the 2 tablespoons butter to each. Bring the corners of the dough up over the apple and pinch the seams firmly to seal.
Arrange the dumplings seam side up in the baking dish. Combine the 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar, water, 2 tablespoons butter and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the syrup around the dumplings.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with the syrup, until the pastry is golden and the apples are tender when pierced with a knife. If the pastry browns too quickly, tent the dish loosely with foil.
Let the dumplings stand for 10 minutes so the syrup settles. Serve warm, spooning some of the pan syrup over each one.
Regional variants
Some cooks tuck raisins into the apple cavity before sealing; others serve the dumplings with a pourable brown-sugar sauce instead of the thin cinnamon syrup.
Cook's notes
- Choose firm, tart apples so they soften without collapsing during baking.
- Pinch the dough seams well and baste with the syrup to keep the pastry moist and glossy.
- A melon baller makes quick work of coring the apples without cutting through the bottom.
Serve with
Warm cream, vanilla ice cream, or a spoonful of the baking syrup.
Make ahead and storage
Assemble through the unbaked dumplings and refrigerate up to 24 hours; add the syrup just before baking. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 2 days and reheat at 300°F (150°C).
