Pioneer woman apple dumplings is a quick dessert made with Granny Smith apples, canned crescent rolls and Mountain Dew, ready in just 50 minutes. That makes it a solid pick for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas brunch or any weeknight when you want something warm without a lot of fuss.
The step that matters most is barely stirring the butter and sugar, since leaving it lumpy creates caramelized, crunchy pockets across the top. If you stir it smooth, you lose that texture and end up with a flat sauce and no crispy edges.
The Mountain Dew reacts with all that butter during baking to form a sticky, golden sauce on the bottom of the pan. Most apple dumpling recipes call for cider or plain water, so they never develop that sweet, caramelized glaze you can spoon over each serving.
Pioneer Woman Apple Dumplings
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings10
minutes40
minutes744
kcalTart apple wedges wrapped in soft crescent roll dough, then baked in a buttery sugar sauce until the tops turn golden and the filling softens.
Ingredients
2 Granny Smith apples
2 (8-oz.) cans crescent rolls
1 c. butter, plus more for greasing
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (12-oz.) can Mountain Dew soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
Directions
- Prep the oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, then butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish so the dumplings don’t stick.
- Slice the apples: Peel and core both apples, then cut each apple in half and each half into 4 wedges so you get 16 pieces total.
- Wrap in dough: Unroll the crescent dough on a lightly floured surface and separate into 16 triangles. Place one apple wedge on the wide base of each triangle, then roll toward the point so the dough wraps around the apple. Arrange the wrapped dumplings in the prepared baking dish.
- Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the sugar and barely stir to keep it lumpy and grainy. Add the vanilla and barely stir again, then pour the mixture over the wrapped apples.
- Add soda and bake: Pour the Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake until the dumplings are golden brown and crispy on top, about 30 to 45 minutes.
- Serve: Spoon the sauce from the bottom of the pan over each dumpling, then top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
FAQs
Can I use puff pastry instead of crescent rolls for apple dumplings?
You can, but the texture changes quite a bit since crescent roll dough wraps tight and stays chewy against the apple. Puff pastry works differently because it puffs up and pulls away, giving you a flakier shell but less gooey contact between dough and fruit.
Can you freeze baked apple dumplings?
Yes, just cool them completely and then wrap each dumpling in plastic wrap before placing them in a freezer bag. They keep for up to 2 months, and you can reheat them from frozen in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
How do you keep apple dumplings crispy when reheating?
Use the oven instead of the microwave, since the dry heat crisps the crescent dough back up. Just set it to 350 degrees and reheat uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, because covering traps steam and turns the pastry soggy.
Can I bake apple dumplings in a cast iron skillet?
A 12-inch cast iron skillet works if you can fit all 16 dumplings in one layer, since stacking blocks the tops from crisping. Cast iron holds heat better than glass, so your sauce may caramelize faster and you should check a few minutes early.
Why did my apple dumplings turn out soggy?
The most common cause is pulling them out too early, since they need 30 to 45 minutes to turn golden and crisp on top. Overcrowding the pan also causes problems, because dumplings packed too tightly steam each other instead of browning in the dry oven heat.
