By Samantha Seneviratne
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(206)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Apple dumplings are a perfect dessert for pie-phobic bakers. All-butter pastry, rolled out and wrapped casually around a brown sugar and currant-stuffed apple, looks rustic and adorable and tastes even better. No pie plates, double crusts, or fancy crimping to worry about. And, they are already portioned perfectly. Serve them warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream or swirls of crème fraiche.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1¼teaspoons kosher salt
- 1cup/227 grams (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 6 to 8tablespoons ice water
- 1large egg, lightly beaten
- Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
- ⅓cup/73 grams light or dark brown sugar
- ¾teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- 6small baking apples (like McIntosh, about 5½ ounces each), peeled
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing the baking dish
- ¼cup/35 grams currants or raisins (optional)
For the Pastry
For the Apples
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
665 calories; 38 grams fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 79 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 39 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 497 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse a few times to combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons water and pulse just until the mixture is moistened and holds together. Add up to 2 more tablespoons water if necessary but be careful not to make the dough too wet. Tip the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Use the edges of the plastic wrap to lift and press the dough into a cohesive piece. Wrap with plastic and shape into a flat rectangle. Chill for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Step
2
In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a melon baller, remove a tiny bit of the root end of each apple. Use the melon baller to core each apple from the stem, leaving about ¾-inch intact at the bottom. Rub the outside of the apples with some of the brown sugar mixture. Toss the remaining brown sugar mixture with the butter and currants and stuff it evenly into the apples. Butter a large baking dish.
Step
3
On a lightly floured surface divide the dough into 6 equal rectangles. Working with one piece at a time, roll into an 8-inch square between ⅛- and ¼-inch thick. (Keep the other pieces in the fridge while you work.) Place one apple in the center, open side up. Brush the edges with the beaten egg and bring them up and over one apple, pressing the dough gently to adhere it. (If there are any thin spots or holes in the dough, seal them well to prevent the dough from slipping off during baking.) Transfer the wrapped apple to the prepared dish and transfer it to the fridge. Repeat with the remaining dough, egg wash, and apples. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Chill the apples while the oven is heating.
Step
4
Just before baking, brush the apples all over with the egg wash and sprinkle all sides generously with sugar. Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Insert a small knife in an inconspicuous spot to test the apple for softness and return to the oven for a few minutes more if not done yet. If crust is becoming too dark, tent lightly with foil until apples are cooked through.
Ratings
4
out of 5
206
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Cooking Notes
betteirene
I made 1.5 times the dough--the recipe is easily scaled down--because of the bigger apples I used: 3 of the new Cosmic Crisps, peeled, cored all the way through, and cut in half crosswise (through the equator). It was exactly enough pastry. The apples were placed cut-side down on the rolled-out dough, and I followed the rest of the recipe as directed. Next time, I'll double the dough recipe and leave the Cosmic Crisps whole because everyone wanted more.
Amirissa
I had large apples so I cored & cubed them. If you attempt, be sure to be delicate when folding the pastry so it doesn't get punctured on an apple corner. I added a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg as well & the juice of a quarter of a large lemon along with the raisins. Flour your bench well to ensure ease foldingNext time, I will likely bring the salt in the pastry down to only a 1/2 tsp & maybe add some marzipan.In a couple of them, I forgot to add the small pieces of butter: made no difference
BC
I didn't have a tool to core the apples as described, so I just cut them pieces and cut out the core. There is plenty of dough to keep the apple pieces together.
Neil Churches
Why 'Kosher Salt' and why so much:(?! Kosher Salt is only useful when making Confit dishes as the larger crystals seem to improve the moisture removal. Any type of salt works in a recipe where the salt is going to be absorbed by mixing with liquid or fat.
alison
Can I use premade pie dough for this?
GGOH
Easy to make with excess Granny Smith apples - the pasty was flaky and and came together easily. I added some chopped pecans to the filling for crunch
Renorose
I used very large fuji apples, needed all the 40 minutes to bake. Great aromatherapy! Delicious way to enjoy National Appling Dumpling Day.
s.martiny
I loved these. I assembled them a day ahead, traveled with them, baked them the morning of our event, and traveled with them warm to our dinner destination. They looked lovely and cut in half perfectly for smaller portions. I added a handful of oatmeal to the filling and rubbed the butter into it with a little grated lemon rind, like a baked apple, but you don’t have to.
Chenda
Made this with half a large granny smith and the apple really broke down, almost to sauce, and seeped out of the pastry, so it sort of like a danish. Any suggestions? Thicker pastry? Different kind of apple? It was delicious but I'd like it stay more intact and cute.
Amirissa
I had large apples so I cored & cubed them. If you attempt, be sure to be delicate when folding the pastry so it doesn't get punctured on an apple corner. I added a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg as well & the juice of a quarter of a large lemon along with the raisins. Flour your bench well to ensure ease foldingNext time, I will likely bring the salt in the pastry down to only a 1/2 tsp & maybe add some marzipan.In a couple of them, I forgot to add the small pieces of butter: made no difference
BC
I didn't have a tool to core the apples as described, so I just cut them pieces and cut out the core. There is plenty of dough to keep the apple pieces together.
betteirene
I made 1.5 times the dough--the recipe is easily scaled down--because of the bigger apples I used: 3 of the new Cosmic Crisps, peeled, cored all the way through, and cut in half crosswise (through the equator). It was exactly enough pastry. The apples were placed cut-side down on the rolled-out dough, and I followed the rest of the recipe as directed. Next time, I'll double the dough recipe and leave the Cosmic Crisps whole because everyone wanted more.
Ann B.
Our family recipe that is likely over 100 years old calls for dicing the apples, no raisins (but it does add something). Also, just before putting the dumplings into the oven, an inch of boiling water is added to the pan. The resulting juicy sauce is fantastic. Serve for dessert one night, and breakfast the next morning.
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