I love the fall season, especially apple picking and all of the apple recipes I can make with the apples we pick including these Apple Dumplings! Plus, I thought you might be getting sick of pumpkin recipes!

For the past couple of years, I’ve been purchasing my apple dumplings in the frozen section of the grocery store, but recently I decided I needed to try making them from scratch. The best apple dumpling I ever had was from a county fair in North Carolina – it was SO good with the best flaky dough! 

So in order to make my apple dumpling dough fluffier and flakier, I substituted sparkling water into the recipe. The effervescence and bubbles add air to the dough, making it fluffier and in turn flakier. And since it has zero calories, zero sodium, is all natural, and unsweetened, I don’t feel bad adding it to my dough! 

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to go apple picking yet this year – it has simply been TOO hot and after forcing it last year and getting sunburned, I’m waiting to go apple picking when it is less than 80 degrees outside. So instead, I picked up my apples at the store. It is what it is!

Apple Dumplings Recipe

Yield: 4 dumplings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Apple Dumplings Recipe

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Ingredients

• 4 apples
• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1 tsp salt
• 10-11 Tbsp butter, cold
• 2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 12 oz sparkling water, divided
• optional: 3 Tbsp raisins and/or 3 Tbsp chopped nuts

Instructions

1. Mix your flour and salt together, then add in your butter in small diced pieces and mix together with a fork until the mixture is tiny bits.
2. Next, add in sparkling water 1 Tbsp at a time and continue mixing with fork until dough is firm. Do not add too much water or dough will be sticky and soggy.
3. Then gather your dough, press it into a square and roll out until dough is 1/4 inch thick.
4. Cut the dough into 4 squares.
5. Sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon onto the 4 squares of dough.
6. Next, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
7. Then peel and core your apples.
8. Place one peeled and cored apple into the center of each square, cover with more brown sugar and cinnamon or optional raisins/nuts.
9. Then take two opposite corners of one square up to the top of the apple and press together. Repeat the same with the other two corners.
10. Repeat on the other 3 apples.
11. Place the apples into a buttered casserole dish.
12. Next, heat your remaining brown sugar and sparkling water over medium heat in a saucepan on the stove, continuously stirring until sugar is dissolved.
13. Then pour the sugar syrup over the apples and into the bottom of the pan, but not all of it. Save some of the sugar syrup for later.
14. Bake for 35-40 minutes, spooning the sugar syrup over the apples 2-3 times.
15. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
16. Enjoy!

My husband was blown away by how good these looked and tasted and couldn’t believe I had made them from scratch. So if you want to impress your holiday guests, I urge you to make these for dessert. And if you haven’t yet been able to go apple picking this year, just go to the store and pick up some apples and make this delicious fall treat! 

Want to make your own apple dumplings from scratch? Here’s the recipe: 

Apple Dumplings Recipe

Yield: 4 dumplings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Apple Dumplings Recipe

Print

Ingredients

• 4 apples
• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1 tsp salt
• 10-11 Tbsp butter, cold
• 2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 12 oz sparkling water, divided
• optional: 3 Tbsp raisins and/or 3 Tbsp chopped nuts

Instructions

1. Mix your flour and salt together, then add in your butter in small diced pieces and mix together with a fork until the mixture is tiny bits.
2. Next, add in sparkling water 1 Tbsp at a time and continue mixing with fork until dough is firm. Do not add too much water or dough will be sticky and soggy.
3. Then gather your dough, press it into a square and roll out until dough is 1/4 inch thick.
4. Cut the dough into 4 squares.
5. Sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon onto the 4 squares of dough.
6. Next, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
7. Then peel and core your apples.
8. Place one peeled and cored apple into the center of each square, cover with more brown sugar and cinnamon or optional raisins/nuts.
9. Then take two opposite corners of one square up to the top of the apple and press together. Repeat the same with the other two corners.
10. Repeat on the other 3 apples.
11. Place the apples into a buttered casserole dish.
12. Next, heat your remaining brown sugar and sparkling water over medium heat in a saucepan on the stove, continuously stirring until sugar is dissolved.
13. Then pour the sugar syrup over the apples and into the bottom of the pan, but not all of it. Save some of the sugar syrup for later.
14. Bake for 35-40 minutes, spooning the sugar syrup over the apples 2-3 times.
15. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
16. Enjoy!

And let me know in the comments your favorite fall treat!

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