What are Amish Apple Dumplings? They're whole apples with cinnamon, wrapped in a flaky crust, and baked in a rich homemade caramel syrup.
Serve these warm caramel apple dumplings with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you've got a comforting dessert that's irresistible any time of the year. They're simple, cozy, and sure to become a family favorite.
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Why You'll Love Amish Apple Dumplings
- Simple ingredients - pantry staples come together to make the best old-fashioned caramel apple dumplings.
- Warm and cozy - tender apples wrapped in flaky crust, baked in sweet caramel syrup equals the ultimate comfort food.
- A Taste of Home - these Amish apple dumplings taste just like grandma's, and they're always a hit around the table.
Ingredients
- Apples are the star of this dessert. Tart apples provide the main fruit flavor for the dumplings, adding a refreshing contrast to the sweetness of the dish.
- Brown Sugar sweetens both the apple filling and the caramel sauce, adding rich flavor notes and enhancing the overall sweetness of the dessert.
- Cinnamon adds warmth and depth of flavor to the apple filling and caramel sauce, enhancing their taste profiles with its aromatic qualities.
For the Crust:
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the main structure and bulk to the crust. The crust forms the outer shell of the dumplings, providing a flaky and buttery texture.
- Baking Powder acts as a leavening agent, helping the crust become light and airy. (I always use aluminum-free baking powder.)
- Salt balances the flavors and enhances the overall taste. (I like to use sea salt.)
- Butter or Shortening adds richness and flavor to the crust while also contributing to its flakiness. (It's always salted butter for me.)
- Milk moistens the dough, helping to bind the ingredients together and create a pliable dough. (I recommend whole milk.)
For the Caramel Sauce:
- Brown Sugar forms the base of the caramel sauce, providing sweetness and rich caramel flavor. The sauce creates a luscious caramel coating for the dumplings, adding sweetness and depth of flavor.
- Water thins it out, creating a smooth and pourable consistency.
- Butter adds richness and creaminess to the sauce, contributing to its luxurious texture.
- Cinnamon adds warm and spicy notes, complementing the flavors of the apples and cinnamon in the dumplings.
How to Make PA Dutch Apple Dumplings
To make the dumplings, peel, and core six apples. Put a tiny bit of brown sugar and lots of cinnamon inside the cavity of the apples.
Roll the crust into an approximate 18" x 12 ½" rectangle. Cut the dough into 6 equal squares.
Place a whole apple onto a square and fold the dough up over the apple to cover it completely. Seal the edges at the top. (You can wet the edges with a tiny bit of cold water before pushing them together to give it a better seal.)
Spread the six dumplings in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour the sauce over the top of the apple dumplings, and bake for fifty minutes to one hour, or until the apples are soft.
When serving, drizzle the caramel apple dumpling sauce over the top and enjoy them warm with vanilla ice cream. So delicious!
Baked Apple Treat for Fall
We're getting close to apple season again. And have I ever told you that I LOVE the fall season? I get so excited about crisp cool mornings when it's time to pull out a sweater again. And the scents of fall are in the air - apples, pumpkins, and spices! It's heavenly!
And these fresh-baked Amish apple dumplings are another one of those fall recipes that taste simply divine. I hope you will add them to your fall baking list.
Best Apples for Apple Dumplings
There are many different opinions on what kind of apples to use for baking. Personally, I like to use Granny Smith apples for baking, although sometimes I will mix up different kinds of tart apples.
Granny Smiths are tart and tangy apples that hold up well when baking. And they are my first choice when making this Amish apple dumplings recipe. The caramel sauce that gets poured over the dumplings is very sweet, so I like to use tart apples to balance the sweetness.
But if all you have is fuji or gala apples, etc., those will work too.
A Traditional Amish Recipe
There are several specific baked goods that you will typically find whenever you visit an Amish bakery in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The PA Dutch have some very specific foods that you won't find in too many other places.
Among all the yummy-looking pies, whoopie pies, and homemade bread, you will usually spot some Dutch apple dumplings. Especially in the fall while apples are in season.
Amish apple dumplings really are not hard to make, and they never taste better than hot out of the oven.
Caramel Apple Dumplings
This authentic Amish apple dumplings recipe uses whole apples. Once I made an apple dumpling dessert with chopped apples layered between the crust in a cake pan, and it was really good.
But I love making these old-fashioned apple dumplings that are just like my grandma's apple dumplings. They remind me of my home and my childhood. Comfort food at its finest. 🙂 The caramel sauce that they get baked in makes every bite heavenly (especially when served warm with vanilla ice cream).
I hope you enjoy this Amish apple dumpling recipe. If you try it, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
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Amish Apple Dumplings Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 crisp, tart apples
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
Flaky Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup butter or shortening
- ½ - ¾ cup milk
Caramel Sauce:
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup butter (4 Tbs.)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel and core six apples. Put a bit of brown sugar inside the cavity of each whole apple and sprinkle with cinnamon, according to your taste.6 crisp, tart apples, brown sugar, cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350°.
To Make the Crust:
- Mix flour, baking powder, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Cut in the butter, using a pastry blender, until particles are about the size of small peas.⅔ cup butter or shortening
- Add the milk and press together gently, working the dough only enough to hold it together. Do not overmix. If the dough is too dry and doesn't want to hang together, add more milk until it becomes cohesive.½ - ¾ cup milk
- Sprinkle your clean countertop with flour and roll out the dough as you would for a pie. But you want to roll it out into about a 17 x 13" rectangle instead of a circle.
- Cut the rectangle into six equal-sized squares. Place a whole apple onto each square, and gather the dough up over the apple. Moisten the edges with a bit of cold water and fasten them securely at the top of the apple. You will want to try to create a seal. Although some of mine will crack open a bit sometimes when baking, and it's not a big deal.
- Spread the six dumplings into a greased 9 x 13" baking dish.
Caramel Sauce:
- Combine brown sugar, water, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and boil lightly for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the butter, and stir until melted.2 cups brown sugar, 2 cups water, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ cup butter (4 Tbs.)
- Pour the sauce over the top of the dumplings.
- Bake, uncovered, for 55 minutes or until apples feel soft when poked.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Anna
So yummy warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Nancy
I’ve done a lot of baking but I had never made apple dumplings before. So glad I chose this recipe! Made it exactly to the recipe and it was delicious! Pastry was flaky- and sauce was delicious. I think it’s worth mentioning for anyone like me who hasn’t made them before that sauce after cooking but before baking will be very thin still but it will thicken during baking! Will definitely make these again!!
Anna
Thanks for taking the time to leave a positive review, and thanks for adding that tip.
Jan Lowery
I love how you explain you recipe and imagine you do the same with every Amish recipe. I am not a you tuber but wish very much you would write a real cookbook. I will watch closely in my favorite book store in Holmes County, Ohio for it. God Bless. Sincerely, Jan
Anna
I just published my first cookbook. It is for sale on my website. i just opened my shop, and have not promoted it yet because I have an issue with the emails that needs to be worked out yet. But feel free to place an order. https://shop.amish-heritage.org/
Jane
I had a couple apples that weren't being eaten fast enough so when I saw this recipe I decided to give it a try. I cut the recipe in half - we're empty nesters and our waistlines don't need such a big batch lol. The one difference I did was to cut the apples in half since they were pretty big. It was the perfect amount for us that way. Hubby said if he wasn't already so full he'd go in for seconds lol. This is a great recipe and not only is it delicious, it also makes the house smell good!
Anna
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Glad you enjoyed them.