Apple Dumpling Dessert Video

prep time
cook time
total time
makes
12 servings

This apple dumpling dessert is warm, gooey and unbelievably delicious. Granny Smith apples, buttermilk dough, vanilla, pecans—yowza! You’ll receive a gold star from the whole family!

The trick to making this dessert melt-in-your-mouth delicious is cutting the butter into the dough using a food processor, pastry blender, fork or even your fingers! Just remember, the butter must remain cold, and the chunks should ultimately be about the size of peas.

Granny Smith apples are the perfect filling because obviously, they’re tasty, but they also have a great shelf life—this means you can shop for the dessert ingredients on Monday, and they’ll still be fabulous on Saturday afternoon when you’re ready to whip up dessert.

Apple Dumpling Dessert Recipe

what you'll need
  • dumplings
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold and cubed, 1 stick
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 - 3 Granny Smith apples
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • gooey sauce
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 stick
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • ground cinnamon
Nutrition Facts
Apple Dumpling Dessert Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 339 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 42mg 14%
Sodium 767mg 32%
Potassium 147mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 42g 14%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 18g
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin A 10%
Vitamin C 7%
Calcium 11%
Iron 8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
let's do it
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with butter then set aside.
  2. First, make the dough for the dumplings. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then, cut cold butter cubes into the mixture until butter chunks are the size of peas. Make a well in the center of the mixture then pour in buttermilk. Mix in buttermilk just until dry ingredients have been moistened.
  3. Form dough into a cohesive ball then wrap with plastic wrap. Place dough in fridge or freezer for a few minutes to get nice and cold while you prepare the filling.
  4. Next, peel, core then cut apples into ¼" pieces. As you cube each apple, place pieces into a mixing bowl, coat with the juice of ½ a lemon to prevent browning, then set aside.
  5. Remove dough from the fridge or freezer. Roll it out slightly less than ¼" thick, into a 12" x 16" rectangle, then cut into 4" x 4" squares.
  6. Drain excess liquid from chopped apples before placing 2–3 Tbsp of apples into the center of each dough square. Bring each corner into the center of the square then pinch seams together, forming a pyramid-like shape. Place bundles, seam side down, into prepared casserole dish. Repeat with remaining apples and pastry squares. Once completed, set dish aside.
  7. Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Once the butter has melted, remove saucepan from the heat then stir in sugar, vanilla and nuts—the sugar will remain somewhat grainy. Pour mixture evenly over the dumplings.
  8. Pour apple cider over each dumpling, making certain to coat each one. Sprinkle dumplings with ground cinnamon then bake 35–45 minutes—until the tops of the dumplings turn golden brown and are firm to the touch.
  9. Let dumplings cool for at least 15 minutes. Spoon remaining sauce over each dumpling then serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Cheryl Says

Apple dumplings taste great on their own, but they are even better served warm with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream!

Apple dumpling dessert recipe