Apple Dumplings

One of the hardest things about loving to bake is actually eating everything and making sure that nothing goes to waste—I absolutely hate throwing food out! With only two people in my house, I usually have to think ahead and ask myself: Is there anyone I can give this to? Can I cut down the recipe? Is this something that freezes well?

That’s why I really love recipes that make it easy for you to make only as much you need. These apple dumplings are perfect for that. Whether you are making these for 2, 4, or 20 people, it’s super easy to adjust the amount.

All you need is some apples, frozen puff pastry, a little brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and some egg wash and you are good to go. And just so you know, serving them with ice cream is NOT optional. Can you imagine eating any baked apple dessert without it? I think not!

Apple Dumplings
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen: Cooking for Two, 2009

I don’t own an apple corer, so I have to cut my apples in half and use a melon baller to take out the seeds. If you have an apple corer, cutting the apple in half isn’t necessary (you’ll just have to tuck the butter and cinnamon-sugar down the middle). Also, the organic apples that I get are on the small side, so if you use a regular, medium sized apple you will only need 1 apple to make 2 dumplings (just cut the apple in half crosswise).

1/2 (9-inch square) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut in half to make two squares
2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, and cored (see note above)
1 tablespoon of butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Set the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Lay the apples, cut-side facing up and sprinkle them with half of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Put a piece of butter in the center of each apple and then unite each apple half with its original half so it looks whole again. Sprinkle the outside of each apple with the remaining brown sugar-cinnamon mixture.

Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make the egg wash and set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out both pieces of puff pastry so that they are each a 6-inch square. Place each assembled apple on a pastry square and brush the edges of the dough with egg wash. Then stretch the corners of the dough over the apple and twist them to form a “knot” on the top of each apple. Pinch the 4 seams of the dough together to form a tight seal and trim any excess dough off with a pair of kitchen scissors.

Place the dumplings on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the apple is soft, but not mushy. Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes 2 dumplings.

See more: Apples • Cinnamon • Fruit • Puff Pastry