In this article
There is a proper way to make apple dumplings, with a homemade pastry and a whole cored apple in each one, and it takes an afternoon. Then there is the way that came out of Amish country and spread across every church cookbook in the Midwest: a can of crescent roll dough, a stick of butter, sugar, cinnamon, and a can of lemon-lime soda poured around the edge of the pan. It sounds wrong. It bakes into a sticky, buttery, caramel sauce under golden pastry, and it takes fifteen minutes to put together.
The soda is not a joke. As it bakes, the sugar and the citric acid in it turn the butter and sugar into a sauce that thickens without any stirring, and it keeps the bottoms of the dumplings soft while the tops brown. Pour it around the edges, never over the dough, or the tops go soggy. Serve them warm with the sauce spooned back over and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and do not tell anyone’s mother.
Why this apple dumplings works
- Crescent roll dough. It bakes flaky and golden around the apple with no rolling, no chilling and no pastry skills.
- Butter and sugar barely mixed. The sauce is poured on lumpy on purpose; it melts in the oven into a caramel that is not grainy.
- Soda around the edges. The carbonation and acid make a sauce that thickens by itself and keeps the bottoms tender.
- Firm apples. Granny Smith wedges hold their shape inside the dough. Soft apples turn to sauce.
Ingredients
Makes 8 dumplings, one 9x13 pan. US cups with grams in brackets.
- 2 large Granny Smith apples
- 2 cans (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226g)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for the top
- 1 can (12 ounces, 355ml) lemon-lime soda
- Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Any lemon-lime or citrus soda works; the well-known green one is traditional. Do not use diet soda, which has no sugar to make the sauce.
How to make apple dumplings
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9x13 baking dish.
- Peel and core the apples and cut each into 8 wedges, 16 wedges total.
- Unroll the crescent dough and separate it into 16 triangles. Place an apple wedge at the wide end of each triangle and roll it up toward the point, tucking the sides in as you go.
- Arrange the dumplings in the dish, seam side down, not touching.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir just until combined; the mixture should look lumpy, not smooth. Pour it over the dumplings.
- Pour the soda slowly around the edges of the dish and between the dumplings, avoiding the tops. Sprinkle the cinnamon over everything.
- Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling hard around the edges.
- Let stand 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce from the dish back over the dumplings and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Tips that make the difference
- Cut the apples just before wrapping so they do not brown, or hold them in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon.
- Use a glass or ceramic dish. The sugar sauce can scorch at the edges of a thin metal pan.
- If the tops brown before 35 minutes, tent loosely with foil.
- The sauce thickens as it cools. If it looks thin at 10 minutes, wait 5 more.
Variations
- Two apples, larger wedges. Use 4 wedges per apple for a fuller dumpling and 8 triangles; the other can of dough is not needed.
- Peach dumplings. Firm peach wedges in late summer, same method.
- Ginger ale. Some families use ginger ale instead of lemon-lime soda for a spicier sauce.
- Nutty. Scatter 1/2 cup chopped pecans over the top before baking.
Storage and make-ahead
Best the day they are made. Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for 3 days; reheat in a 325°F oven for 12 minutes or in the microwave for 40 seconds.
They do not freeze well; the pastry goes soft.
They can be assembled up to 2 hours ahead, covered, and baked when needed. Add the soda just before baking.
Frequently asked questions
Why do you put soda in apple dumplings?
The soda’s sugar and acid combine with the butter and sugar to make a sauce that thickens on its own in the oven, and the liquid keeps the bottoms of the dumplings soft and sticky while the tops brown. Water would work but gives a thinner, less caramelized sauce.
What apples are best for apple dumplings?
Granny Smith are the standard: firm, tart and they hold their shape. Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Pink Lady also work. Avoid soft apples like McIntosh, which collapse inside the dough.
Can I use puff pastry or pie crust instead?
Yes. Cut pie crust or puff pastry into 5-inch squares, wrap each wedge and pinch closed. Bake times are similar; puff pastry may need 5 minutes more.
Do I have to peel the apples?
For the best texture, yes. Peel on, the skin turns leathery inside the dough.
A can of dough, a can of soda, and the first apples of September. Nobody has to know how easy it was, and the ice cream hides the evidence.
Easy Apple Dumplings (Crescent Roll and Soda Shortcut)
The famous shortcut apple dumplings: apple wedges wrapped in crescent roll dough, baked in a butter, sugar and cinnamon sauce with a can of lemon-lime soda poured around the edges. Sticky bottoms, golden tops, ready in 45 minutes. Cups and grams.
Ingredients
- 2 large Granny Smith apples
- 2 cans (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for the top
- 1 can (12 ounces, 355ml) lemon-lime soda
- Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9x13 baking dish.
- Peel and core the apples and cut each into 8 wedges, 16 wedges total.
- Unroll the crescent dough and separate it into 16 triangles. Place an apple wedge at the wide end of each triangle and roll it up toward the point, tucking the sides in as you go.
- Arrange the dumplings in the dish, seam side down, not touching.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the sugar and vanilla and stir just until combined; the mixture should look lumpy, not smooth. Pour it over the dumplings.
- Pour the soda slowly around the edges of the dish and between the dumplings, avoiding the tops. Sprinkle the cinnamon over everything.
- Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling hard around the edges.
- Let stand 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce from the dish back over the dumplings and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
