It’s a Southern Thing

The secret to the perfect apple dumplings might surprise you, but trust me, you need to try it.

Get rid of your old apple dumpling recipe because this one is a life changer. I am not much of a sweets eater, but when it comes to these apple dumplings, I just can’t resist. These savory bundles of warm, gooey goodness go perfect with a heaping scoop of cold vanilla ice cream. They are perfect for an afternoon by the pool or as a late-night treat in the kitchen.

Keep it simple is my motto, so for this recipe I use Grands crescent dough as the dumpling. It is quick and easy to just pop open and unroll the dough and, quite frankly, tastier than any dough I can make.

There is really no wrong technique to rolling the apple slices as long as they are wrapped up in the dough. I usually just roll them up and line them side by side in the dish. However, I gave this recipe to a co-worker about 10 years ago, and she made her dumplings look so pretty. She had wrapped the apples with the dough as if they were perfect little packages. They looked really nice and probably took her much longer to create, but it tasted the exact same. Feel free to get creative with your little bundles.

The unique ingredient in this dish is the can of lemon-lime soda. Maybe it is a Southern thing to cook with soda, but I have lots of recipes that cut out tons of ingredients with just a can of soda. They key is to pour the soda around the dumplings, but not directly on top of them. The dough needs the sugar sauce to crisp up the tops of the dumplings, while the soda makes the bottoms sticky and gooey.

I am fond of this recipe because it tastes like it takes a lot of time and energy, but it only takes a handful of ingredients and is super easy to prepare. I served this dessert for my family one day by the pool, and they loved it. Later that night I found my spouse in the kitchen finishing it off . . .. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as mine.

Photography by James Stefiuk

Print Recipe

Easy Apple Dumplins

The secret to the perfect apple dumplings might surprise you, but trust me, you need to try it.

Ingredients

• 2 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and quartered
• 1 can Grands crescent dough
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 6 ounces lemon-lime soda (Sprite)
• Vanilla ice cream

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lightlyflour your workspace. Open and unroll the Grands crescent dough and lay on the floured workspace. Cut the dough into 8 equal squares.
• Take one piece of apple and roll it up in one square of the dough. Repeat until all 8pieces of apple are rolled up in dough.
• Place the wrapped dumplings in a 9 x 9” baking dish. Mix all the sugar, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and spread it over the dumplings.
• Pour the soda in the dish around the dumplings but not directly on top of the dumplings and bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, until the tops of the dumplings are lightly browned and crisp.
• Serve warm, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.