Apple Dumplings (Grandma’s Recipe)

This apple dumplings recipe is truly the best! Tender, cinnamon-spiced apples are baked in a flaky pastry crust. Want to…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This apple dumplings recipe is truly the best! Tender, cinnamon-spiced apples are baked in a flaky pastry crust.

Apple Dumplings

Want to make dumplings? Have we got the recipe for you. Introducing…Grandma’s Old Fashioned apple dumplings recipe! Yes, this really is Grandma’s recipe: we worked with Alex’s mom to adapt her famous fall favorite for your home kitchen. Tender, cozy-spiced apples are baked up in a flaky pasty crust with a spiced brown sugar syrup. The result is a revelation: there’s a reason Grandma is famous for these! Here’s what you need to know to make the very best apple dumplings.

About this apple dumplings recipe

Apple dumplings are a dessert of apples that are baked or boiled wrapped in pastry crust. They originated in England in the early 1700’s, then later spread to America where they become popular. Each cook has their own way of making an apple dumpling. A common method is to core apples, place sugar and cinnamon inside, wrap them in pastry crust, and bake in a spiced sugar syrup.

This apple dumplings recipe is truly Grandma’s famous recipe: Alex’s mom makes these dumplings every fall in huge batches and sells them to the surrounding farm community. People come from far and wide to get ahold of them! So we were excited to work with her to share the secret family recipe! Here we’ve adapted her original recipe for 26 dumplings to make a pan of 6.

Apple Dumplings

How to make apple dumplings: an overview

Here’s the basic outline of what you’re getting yourself into with this apple dumplings recipe. The process takes about 2 ½ hours total. This recipe makes a pan of 6 dumplings; you can multiply it as desired. You can refrigerate or freeze leftovers. Here’s an outline of what you’ll have to do (jump to the recipe for full details):

Mix the pastry dough15 minutes active
Rest30 minutes to 1 hour, hands off
Make the apple filling~30 minutes active (during rest time)
Assemble the dumplings20 to 30 minutes active
Bake the dumplings1 hour

Best apples to use

This apple dumplings recipe works with many different types of apples. Because it’s a rustic family recipe, Alex’s mom has made it with just about every variety from any tree in the surrounding area. This is a great recipe for apples from apple picking, and it works with most types of purchased apples. However, here are a few things to note:

  • Crisp tart apple varieties work best. They hold their texture inside the pastry crust, and a tart finish makes for the best flavor (in our opinion). Varieties we like are Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Jonathon or Jonagold.
  • Soft apple varieties are harder to work with. Stay away from apple varieties like Gala or Red Delicious, which can fall apart when you’re working with them.
Apple Dumplings recipe

How to cut apples for apple dumplings

The only part of this apple dumpling recipe that requires a little technique? Peeling, coring and slicing the apples. An apple peeler-corer-slicer is the quickest and easiest way to accomplish this. There are many manual versions of this tool, and also a type that connects to a stand mixer (which we used here).

You can also peel and cut the apples manually with a vegetable peeler and knife. The trick to cutting the apples is to cut around and pull out the core, then cutting the apples into 1/8th inch slices width wise. See the photos below! We tried it both ways and it worked with either. The machine makes it look very professional, but you won’t notice in the finished dumpling.

Apple Dumplings
Apple preparation methods: peeler-corer-slicer vs vegetable peeler and knife (background). Either works!

How to form apple dumplings

The other tricky part of apple dumplings: how to form them! Here are a few tips:

  • Fill: Take the apple and place spiced sugar and a small pat of butter inside the hole where the core was.
  • Roll: Roll out the dough to a circle about 8 inches in diameter and place the apple on top.
  • Fold: Fold up the sides to wrap the apple in pastry. Gently press the top to seal. This apple dumplings recipe is very rustic, so don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect. See the photos below!
Apple Dumplings
Apple Dumplings recipe

Multiply the recipe as desired

This apple dumplings recipe is adapted from Grandma’s original recipe that makes 26 dumplings: intended for giving away, selling, or freezing the leftovers. The recipe below makes 6 dumplings, but you can double, triple, or quadruple it as needed to make 12, 18, or 24 dumplings.

Storage info for apple dumplings

Got leftover apple dumplings or using them to give away? These dumplings are delicious cold, room temperature, or warm. (We actually loved eating leftover refrigerated dumplings cold!) Here’s what to know about dumpling storage:

  • Refrigerate dumplings for up to 1 week. To reheat, place in a 250 degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes until warmed through.
  • Freeze dumplings for up to 6 months. Place the dumplings in a freezer safe container, wrap it in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and then plastic wrap again. Per Grandma, this should last for up to 1 year (though we suggest 6 months to be on the safe side). Reheat frozen dumplings in a 250 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes until warmed through. Or, you can microwave them!

Dietary notes

This apple dumplings recipe is vegetarian. But it can easily be made vegan by using vegan butter! This type of butter works well as a substitute in vegan pastry crusts and desserts. For gluten-free, you can certainly try 1-for-1 gluten-free flour, but we haven’t tested this swap.

Serving apple dumplings

Last up: serving apple dumplings! This recipe is perfect for a fall dessert or winter dessert, great for Thanksgiving, Christmas or other family gatherings. These little balls of goodness are so tasty, you don’t need any toppings. However, serving with a bit of vanilla ice cream takes it to the next level. Or, you can add other toppings! Here are some ideas:

More apple desserts

The fall and winter are perfect for tasty treats with apples! Here are a few more apple desserts you’ll love:

This apple dumplings recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan, use vegan butter.

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Apple dumplings

Apple Dumplings (Grandma’s Recipe!)


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 dumplings

Description

This apple dumplings recipe is truly the best! Tender, cinnamon-spiced apples are baked in a flaky pastry crust.


Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter*
  • ½ cup milk

Filling

  • 6 medium crisp tart apples 
  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Syrup

  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork until a pebbly texture forms (with butter chunks about the size of peas). Add the milk and stir to combine, adding more milk by the tablespoon until the dough comes together (we usually add about 2 more tablespoons). Divide the dough into 6 equal balls (about 100 g each). Place in a covered container and refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes. 
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
  3. Peel the apples, then cut out the cores with a knife. Slice the apples into 1/8th thick rings width-wise, so the apple can stack after being cut (see the photos above). You can do this with an apple peeler-corer-slicer, or by hand. Check to make sure there are no extra seeds left inside the apple slices. 
  4. In a small bowl, mix the filling ingredients: granulated sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger. Cut the 3-tablespoon piece of butter into 6 small stick shapes that fit inside the hole in the center of the apple. 
  5. Remove the dough from the fridge. Roll out one piece of dough wide enough to cover the apple when folded, about 8 inches in diameter. Place an apple in the center. Place 1 butter pat and 1 tablespoon of spiced sugar into the center of the apple. Wrap the dough up and around the apple from each side. Pinch the top gently to seal. Repeat for each dumpling, placing the finished dumplings in an ungreased 9 x 13” pan. 
  6. Bake the dumplings for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the syrup: bring the brown sugar, water, cinnamon and butter to a boil, stirring often, then remove from the heat. 
  7. After the first 15 minutes of bake time, spoon a few tablespoons of the syrup over each dumpling, using about half of the syrup. Bake for another 30 minutes, then spoon the remaining syrup over the dumplings. Bake for a final 15 minutes (to make a total of 1 hour bake time). Remove from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

*For vegan, substitute vegan butter, which works well as a substitute in pastry crusts and desserts. 

  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Apple dumplings, apple dumpling recipe, apple dumpling, apple dumplings recipe

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is comfort food at its best! Start with a hearty chicken and vegetable stew, then add easy homemade dumplings that cook up light and fluffy. Continue reading “Chicken and Dumplings” »

Chicken and dumplings is comfort food at its best! Start with a hearty chicken and vegetable stew, then add easy homemade dumplings that cook up light and fluffy.

Continue reading "Chicken and Dumplings" »

Irish Stout Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings.

I’m cruising into the week with a hearty irish beef stew! That has DUMPLINGS. Omg. Before spring hits us in full force, I must sneak in one more serious comfort food. Because it’s everything. And that’s what we have here. Serious comfort food. Cue all the exclamation points! You guys LOVE my guinness short ribs […]

The post Irish Stout Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

I’m cruising into the week with a hearty irish beef stew! That has DUMPLINGS. Omg.

My new favorite soup! Irish stout beef stew is flavorful and hearty and topped with delicious herb dumplings. Perfect comfort food.

Before spring hits us in full force, I must sneak in one more serious comfort food. Because it’s everything. And that’s what we have here.

Serious

comfort

food.

Cue all the exclamation points!

irish stew ingredients

You guys LOVE my guinness short ribs and guinness pot pie with beer bread biscuits. I knew I wanted to make one more delicious stout infused recipe for saint patrick’s day – and why not do a play on one of theeee most popular recipes on the blog: chicken and dumplings! Also one of my personal favorites.

P.S. this might just be the last soup of the season?! Kind of makes me sad but oh man am I ready for SUNSHINE and spring. 

My new favorite soup! Irish stout beef stew is flavorful and hearty and topped with delicious herb dumplings. Perfect comfort food.

But let’s take a back a minute. To some cool and chilly weather that will no doubt rear its ugly head here. And to a delish recipe for Saint Patrick’s Day. Frankly, it can work anytime of year, but it will be super good next week.

Just sayin’.

stew dumplings

So the base of this stew is ridiculously flavorful. Onions, potatoes, carrots – the works, hit with a bunch of seasonings and cooked with tomato paste until deep and rich and caramely in flavor. And color. This might be the best base for any stew I’ve ever made.

Next up, we use a bit of beer and a lot of beef stock, the beef itself and a few more herbs.

The result is a silky, rich, decadent stew. And to make it even more rich? Let’s just go ahead and add some bread right there in our stew. Oops! 

My new favorite soup! Irish stout beef stew is flavorful and hearty and topped with delicious herb dumplings. Perfect comfort food.

Finally, the dumplings.

The herbed dumplings are so good. What I love about these are that you can truly make them any size you wish. Do super mini dumpling dough balls or big ones that you can split in half. 

Melts in your mouth!

My new favorite soup! Irish stout beef stew is flavorful and hearty and topped with delicious herb dumplings. Perfect comfort food.

Actually this entire bowl will melt in your mouth. The veggies are soft, the beef is tender. The broth is silky and smooth. It’s obviously a complete meal already, but adding in those dumplings? It’s the epitome of comfort and satiety.

The perfect bowl of love for your Monday!

My new favorite soup! Irish stout beef stew is flavorful and hearty and topped with delicious herb dumplings. Perfect comfort food.

Irish Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings

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Irish Stout Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings

My new favorite soup! Irish stout beef stew is flavorful and hearty and topped with delicious herb dumplings. Perfect comfort food.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author How Sweet Eats

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into pieces
  • kosher salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 baby yukon gold potatoes, halved
  • 2 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 8 ounces stout beer, like guinness
  • 4 cups beef stock

herb dumplings

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary or thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk

Instructions

  • Heat a large stock pot over medium heat and add the oil. Toss the beef piece with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, then toss them with the flour so all the pieces are coated.
  • Add the beef to the pot and sear until each side is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. You may need to do this in batches. Remove the beef pieces with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate until ready to use.
  • To the same pot, toss in the butter, onions and garlic. Stir and toss, scraping the bottom so you remove some of the brown bits of flavor from the beef. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
  • Stir in the potatoes and carrots with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and make sure all the pieces are coated. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes to develop the flavor, stirring often so the tomato paste doesn’t burn on the bottom. Add the beef back to the pot.
  • Pour in the stout to deglaze the pan. Stir to release any more bits of flavor from the bottom. Stir in the beef stock. Add a sprig of thyme or rosemary to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 to 60 minutes, until the beef is tender and falling apart. You can simmer it for even longer as long as it’s covered! I like to taste it here and see if it needs any additional salt and pepper. If so, add it!
  • To make the dumplings, whisk together the flour, baking powder, herbs and salt in a large bowl. Combine the milk and the eggs, then stir into the flour until just mixed. Set the mixture aside for 10 minutes.
  • Once the beef is tender, uncover the soup and add spoonfuls of the dumpling dough directly to the broth. I don’t worry about crowding the pot and usually cover the entire top of the stew mixture. You want the mixture to be bubbling for 10 to 15 minutes so it cooks the dumplings – after 10 minutes I usually gently flip the dumplings over and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Serve the stew immediately with chopped parsley or rosemary, or both!

My new favorite soup! Irish stout beef stew is flavorful and hearty and topped with delicious herb dumplings. Perfect comfort food.

Dumpling pillows for life.

The post Irish Stout Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

egg and chive potstickers

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After making a bunch of Adam and Ryan’s potstickers for meal prep, I got on a potsticker kick and wanted to make more! Even though my very puffy pregnant hands made pleating a little bit difficult, I spent two extremely pleasant afternoons sitting at the kitchen table, folding dumplings while ice skating was on (this was back in February during the Four Continents competition). It also made me feel like I was in the dumpling scene in Crazy Rich Asians. For this second round of dumplings, I wanted a super low maintenance filling that would also pack some protein, so I went with a classic- egg and chive! The soft fluffy filling could not be easier and it’s so easy to adjust if you want a little more ginger or heat or whatevs. I also like that since it’s totally cooked before going into the dumplings, it makes for a kid-friendly project where you don’t have to worry raw meat getting everywhere. So, Bernie, when you’re ready, say the word and we’ll get pleating!!!


Egg and Chive Potstickers

Makes 38-40 dumplings

Ingredients

8 large eggs

1 tb soy sauce, plus more for serving

1 tb rice vinegar, plus more for serving

1 tb unsalted butter

1 tb sesame oil

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced or grated

1 c (1 1/2 oz) chives, finely chopped

Black pepper

Sriracha or crushed red pepper

All purpose flour, for dusting

40 store-bought dumpling wrappers

Flavorless oil (if frying)

Clues

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, soy sauce, and rice vinegar and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the butter and sesame oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger and cook for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the eggs and cook, stirring gentled with a rubber spatula until just set (don’t over cook, otherwise the filling will be dry). Transfer to a large bowl (I use the same bowl that I whisked the eggs in) and break up the egg into small pieces with your spatula. Stir in the chives, a few good turns of black pepper, and sriracha or crushed red pepper to taste. Taste and adjust as desired.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and dust with flour. Fill the dumpling wrappers by moistening the edges with water, adding a heaping teaspoon of filling, and pleating the edges, pinching well to seal. (I do this step seated at my kitchen table since it takes kind of a while. I’d also recommend YouTubing pleating videos, way easier to see it than to describe it!) Place the dumplings on the sheet pan. 

If cooking immediately, you can either steam or fry them. To steam, cut out a round of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of your steamer and cut a bunch of holes in it. Place the dumplings in the steamer leaving a little bit of room between them and set the steamer over a pot of boiling water. Steam for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Let cool slightly and serve. I like dipping mine in a half-and-half mixture of soy sauce and vinegar. Maybe a drizzle of sesame oil.

To fry, heat a thin layer of flavorless oil in a large lidded nonstick skillet. Place the potstickers flat-side down in the skillet in a single layer and cook until browned on the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water and immediately cover the pan, since it will be very spitty. Cook for 3 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to cook until all of the water evaporates. Let cool slightly and serve. I like dipping mine in a half-and-half mixture of soy sauce and vinegar. Maybe a drizzle of sesame oil.

To freeze, stick the sheet pan into the freezer and freezer for a few hours until the dumplings are firm. Transfer to a ziploc bag and stick back in the freezer for up to 3 months. Heat them either by steaming or frying (adding an extra few minutes for each method), or using one of the methods here.

Print this recipe

-yeh!

photos by chantell and brett quernemoen

veggie potstickers with spicy dipping sauce

Adam and Ryan from Husbands That Cook are two of the sweetest humans on the planet and I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe from their new book tod…

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Adam and Ryan from Husbands That Cook are two of the sweetest humans on the planet and I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe from their new book today! I’ve gotten to hang out with them a few times in LA and every time it’s like an espresso shot of joy. Their book totally captures that happy, joyous energy through a ton of delicious approachable everyday recipes that all happen to be vegetarian. I’ve kept their book on the shelf in my kitchen where I keep my most used cookbooks and it exudes great energy all over. One of the first things that I made from their book were these veggie potstickers and they are so good!!! I was deep in meal prep mode when the book arrived and looking for something kind of snacky and vegetabley that I could keep in the freezer, and these checked both of those boxes. So I made a big batch of them and kept a stash in my freezer for dumpling emergencies. The flavors are great, Adam and Ryan understand my need for a very gingery potsticker, and these can be steamed or pan-fried! I prefer them crispy and pan fried, but pulling out my little bamboo steamer and steaming a cute basket of them is also fun :)!

Anyway, if you don’t yet follow Husbands that Cook or have their book, get on it!!!! Your life will be warmer and more delicious, I promise. 

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veggie potstickers with spicy dipping sauce

makes about 40

from Husbands that Cook

ingredients

for potstickers:

4 tb vegetable oil, divided

2 c (200g) finely chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)

3 c (185g) sliced bok choy cabbage (about 2 small cabbages)

2 c (155g) grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)

1 c (120g) grated daikon radish (about one 6-inch piece)

2/3 c (40g) sliced scallions (about 3 scallions)

4 tsp tamari or soy sauce

2 tb (24g) minced ginger

3 large garlic cloves (15g), minced

40 gyoza wrappers

gyoza dipping sauce, for serving (to follow)



for dipping sauce:

1/4 c (60 ml) rice vinegar

1/4 c (60 ml) tamari or soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp ginger powder

clues

for potstickers: place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. when hot add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. add the bok choy, carrots, daikon, and scallions, and cook for 4 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the tamari, ginger, and garlic, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. remove from heat and transfer the vegetable mixture to a bowl or plate to cool enough to handle comfortably. use the filling immediately, or transfer to a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

to make the potstickers, first prepare a work station with the gyoza wrappers, the bowl of filling, a small bowl filled with water to wet your fingers, and a tray lined with parchment for the finished dumplings.

hold one gyoza wrapper flat in the palm of your hand. scoop about 2 heaping teaspoons of filling into the center of the wrapper. fold the wrapper over, pinching and pleating the edges to seal them tightly. place on the prepared tray, and repeat with the remaining wrappers until all the filling is used up, arranging the finished potstickers so they are not touching. they can be cooked immediately, or frozen for future use (freeze them directly on the tray, then transfer to a sealed container in the freezer for up to 2 months).

place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. when hot, place the potstickers flat-side down in the skillet in a single layer, as many as will fit comfortably without touching. cook without stirring until deeply browned on the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes (add 1 to 2 minutes of cooking time if frozen). without stirring, add 1/4 cup of water and immediately cover the pan, as it will spatter aggressively. cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to cook until all of the water evaporates. serve immediately with dipping sauce and enjoy!

for dipping sauce: in a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together all the ingredients. let sit for 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend. use immediately or keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. makes about 1/2 cup.

Print this recipe

-yeh!

photos by chantell and brett!