Recipes & Cooking Desserts & Baking Fruit Desserts These Apple Dumplings with Cider Caramel Are Like Pie, But Better Be the first to rate & review! Like an apple pie and caramel apple, but better. By Sarah Martens Sarah Martens Sarah Martens is the Senior Editor overseeing food at Better Homes & Gardens digital. She has been with the BHG brand for more than 10 years. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on September 13, 2023 Recipe tested by Ellen Gray Recipe tested by Ellen Gray Ellen Gray has been working in professional kitchens for over 40 years. Her experience as a restaurateur, baking instructor and recipe developer spans NY's metropolitan tri-state area. Ellen's roster of pie patrons include members of the Broadway and television community. When not in her kitchen, the award-winning pastry chef and food writer enjoys running half marathons. Learn more about the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Kelsey Hansen Prep Time: 30 mins Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Servings: 4 Jump to Nutrition Facts A Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, these baked dumplings are cored apples stuffed with a brown sugar-walnut filling and wrapped in pastry. Using refrigerated pie dough keeps this apple dumpling recipe quick, as does the stir-together sauce made with purchased caramel and apple cider. What Are Apple Dumplings? Apple dumplings are made by wrapping a whole peeled apple with pastry. They're often stuffed or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and then baked until golden. It's common to serve homemade apple dumplings with a caramel or butter sauce. 23 Amazing Apple Desserts to Add to Your Fall Baking List Apple Dumpling Ingredients Classic apple dumplings are made with fresh apples and pastry. Here's everything you'll need to make apple dumplings at home. Pastry: You don't need to make homemade pastry for the flakiest crust. We're using purchased pie dough for this apple dumpling recipe. Look for a two-pack of refrigerated pie crusts you can unroll, rather than one that's formed to the pan. Apples: Some apples are better than other for apple dumplings. Our Test Kitchen recommends using Rome, Cortland, Honeycrisp, or Jonagold apples in this recipe. If you can't find one of those varieties, you can use any good baking apple like Granny Smith. Filling: This apple dumpling recipe is stuffed with butter, brown sugar, and walnuts. For the most flavor, use toasted walnuts. As the apple dumplings bake, the filling melts and flavors the apple. Sauce: Our shortcut sauce is made with apple cider and purchased salted caramel sauce. Cook them together with a pinch of cinnamon. How to Serve Apple Dumplings This apple dumpling recipe is best served after it's had a chance to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. This ensures the filling isn't too hot as you cut into the apples. Our Test Kitchen recommends serving the dumplings and cider caramel sauce warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 23 Amazing Apple Desserts to Add to Your Fall Baking List Ingredients 1 14.1 oz pkg refrigerated unbacked piecrust (2 crusts) 4 7- to 8- oz apples, peeled (Rome, Cortland, Honeycrisp, or Jonagold) 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened 2 tbsp chopped walnuts 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus 1/8 tsp. cinnamon for sauce 1 large egg, lightly beaten 3/4 cup salted caramel sauce 2 tbsp apple cider Directions Cut each piecrust in half and form each half into a round disk about 1/2 inch thick. Roll out disks into about 8-inch-diameter circles. Using an 8-inch plate or cake pan as a template, cut exact circles from rolled-out disks. Cut decorative leaves from the scraps. Refrigerate pastry circles and leaves while you fill the apples. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 2-qt. square baking dish. Using a melon baller, core the apples, leaving some of the core intact at the bottom to keep filling inside. For filling, in a small bowl stir together brown sugar, butter, walnuts, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Spoon filling into centers of apples. Place one filled apple upright in the center of a pastry circle. Brush edge of pastry with some of the beaten egg. Wrap pastry up and around the apple, pleating and pinching sides and top to seal. Repeat with remaining apples and pastry circles. Place dumplings in prepared baking dish. Brush apple dumplings all over with beaten egg. Attach pastry leaves; brush with beaten egg. Bake, uncovered, until apples are tender when pierced with a skewer and pastry is golden, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan combine caramel sauce, apple cider, and the 1/8 tsp. cinnamon. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over warm apple dumplings. Serves 4. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 821 Calories 38g Fat 115g Carbs 10g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 821.3 % Daily Value * Total Fat 37.9g 49% Saturated Fat 13.4g 67% Cholesterol 61.8mg 21% Sodium 696.8mg 30% Total Carbohydrate 115.2g 42% Dietary Fiber 5.1g 18% Total Sugars 60.7g Protein 9.6g 19% Vitamin D 0.2mcg 1% Vitamin C 6mg 7% Calcium 83.1mg 6% Iron 3.3mg 18% Potassium 279.1mg 6% Fatty acids, total trans 0g Vitamin D 10.2IU Alanine 0.4g Arginine 0.5g Ash 2.6g Aspartic acid 0.7g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 0mcg Choline, total 59.3mg Copper, Cu 0.2mg Cystine 0.2g Energy 3438.1kJ Fluoride, F 19mcg Folate, total 80.3mcg Glutamic acid 2.7g Glycine 0.4g Histidine 0.2g Isoleucine 0.4g Leucine 0.7g Lysine 0.4g Methionine 0.2g Magnesium, Mg 32.3mg Manganese, Mn 0.2mg Niacin 3.6mg Phosphorus, P 152.4mg Pantothenic acid 0.7mg Phenylalanine 0.5g Phytosterols 6.9mg Proline 1g Retinol 67.6mcg Selenium, Se 11.8mcg Serine 0.5g Starch 48g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0.3g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1mg Tryptophan 0.1g Tyrosine 0.3g Valine 0.5g Vitamin A, IU 314.8IU Vitamin A, RAE 70.4mcg Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 9.7mcg Water 98.6g Zinc, Zn 0.8mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.