Homemade Apple Dumplings Recipe

Prepare apples

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Peel, core, and halve each apple (or quarter if very large). Toss apple pieces immediately with lemon juice to prevent browning.

In a medium bowl combine 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg and 2 tbsp flour. Stir to blend. Sprinkle the sugar-spice mixture over the apple pieces and toss to coat evenly.

Divide 4 tablespoons of butter into four 1-tablespoon pieces. Place one piece of butter inside the center of each apple half (or dot over quarters) so butter will melt into the filling while baking.

Make dough

In a large bowl whisk together 2 cups flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Add cold cubed butter and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter remaining.

Mix 2 tbsp cold milk and 1 tbsp cold water; add to the flour-butter mixture and use a fork to bring dough together until it just forms a shaggy, slightly sticky dough. Do not overwork. If dough seems too dry, add up to 1 tbsp additional cold water.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 3–4 times to bring it into a smooth ball. Pat or roll into a 10x12-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 4 equal squares (one for each apple portion).

Place one prepared apple half (buttered, sugared) in the center of each dough square. Gather the dough up over the apple to fully enclose it, pinching seams to seal. Transfer each wrapped dumpling seam-side down to a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly buttered or lined with parchment.

Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush the top of each dumpling lightly with the egg wash for a golden finish.

Make caramel sauce

In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt 6 tbsp butter. Add 1 cup brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves and begins to bubble, about 2–3 minutes. Slowly pour in 1 cup heavy cream while whisking (careful — it may steam). Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 4–6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp kosher salt. Let sauce cool 2–3 minutes to thicken but remain pourable.

Pour about half of the warm caramel sauce evenly over the assembled dumplings in the baking dish, allowing some to pool around the bases. Reserve the remaining sauce for serving.

Bake dumplings in the preheated 375°F (190°C) oven for 30–35 minutes, or until dough is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a skewer. Halfway through baking (at ~15 minutes), spoon any caramel that has pooled onto the tray up over the tops of the dumplings to keep them moist.

When dumplings are done, remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Spoon reserved warm caramel over each dumpling to glaze.

Serve each warm apple dumpling topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and an extra drizzle of caramel sauce. If desired, sprinkle a light pinch of ground cinnamon over the ice cream.