Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings
A dessert that is memorable and delicious.
This is one of those recipes that lands in your recipe box by way of a good friend’s grandmother, who made Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings every fall, when Granny Smith apples are in season. It’s a recipe I come back to again and again, when the air is crisp, the leaves have started to turn, and I want to fill my kitchen with the comforting aroma of spiced and sweet baked apples.
Here’s how I do it.
First, the pie crust. Homemade is always a treat, but I do have store-bought handy in my refrigerator. Here’s an All-Butter Pie Crust that I like to use. I roll the dough out on a floured surface to a rectangle, approximately 16×24 inches, the right size to divide into six equal squares. Each square gets a spoonful of brown sugar plopped in the center and is then topped with a peeled and cored Granny Smith apple.
Butter is a must! I’ve cut my butter into sticks or chunks to fit into the core of each apple, and top the apple with another tablespoon of brown sugar. It’s time to wrap the apples! The corners of the crust meet at the top of the apple, and I press and fold to seal the apple inside the pie crust. Each apple is turned seam-side down into a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish.
Onto the sauce. I take brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg and combine them in a saucepan with two cups of water. It will melt and reduce into a sauce that I’ll pour over the apple dumplings. It will continue to thicken as the dumplings bake, taking on additional sweetness as the apples release their own sweet juices.
You’ll know when the dumplings are done when the apples are soft when poked, about 50 minutes. I give the dish a few minutes to cool and the sauce to set before serving each dumpling, warm and topped with either fresh whipped cream or cool vanilla ice cream.
Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings are perfectly suited for the season. It’s a recipe that is warm, comforting, and sweet. The kind of recipe that is filled with memories and one you’ll make with fondness and familiarity. Maybe it’s new to you, or maybe you already know its goodness. It’s certain, though, that you’ll never forget it once you’ve tried it!
Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings
For the dumplings:
- 2 9-inch pie crusts or enough pastry for a double-crust pie
- 6 Granny Smith apples
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the sauce:
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 cups water
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
- Peel and core apples. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a large rectangle, roughly 16x24. Cut into 6 equal squares.
- Place an apple on each square with the cored hole opening facing up. Place a piece of butter on each apple opening.
- Place a tablespoon of brown sugar on each apple, tucking some into the cored opening and a bit around the bottom of the apple. Sprinkle some cinnamon over the apples.
- Fold corners of the pastry over the tops of the apple, then press seams together to seal in the apple. Place apples in prepared baking dish. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine the 2 cups brown sugar, water, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and let cook until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Pour sauce over dumplings. Bake until apples feel soft when poked, about 50 minutes.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from All Recipes