Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings with Cinnamon Syrup

Why you’ll love it

• A whole apple for everyone, wrapped in buttery, flaky pastry.
• Built-in sauce: the cinnamon syrup bakes into a glossy caramel-like glaze.
• A showstopping fall dessert made with simple pantry ingredients.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup (226 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 6–8 tbsp (90–120 ml) ice water

For the apples

• 6 small firm baking apples, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Jonagold (about 6 oz / 170 g each)
• 1/3 cup (70 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

For the cinnamon syrup

• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) water
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For serving

• Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or cold heavy cream (optional)

Step-by-step method

1. Make the pastry. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough holds together when pinched. Divide in half, shape into 2 flat rectangles, wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. Cook the syrup. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, both sugars and the cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Set aside.

3. Prepare the oven and pan. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the center. Butter a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish.

4. Prepare the apples. Peel the apples and remove the cores with an apple corer or a small spoon, leaving them whole; if the bottoms wobble, slice off a thin piece so they stand straight. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

5. Roll and cut the pastry. On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a rectangle about 7 x 21 inches (18 x 53 cm) and 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Trim the edges and cut each rectangle into three 7-inch (18 cm) squares, for 6 squares in total.

6. Fill and wrap. Set an apple in the center of each square. Pack the core with the cinnamon sugar, sprinkle any extra around the apple and top with a piece of butter. Bring the four corners up to meet over the apple, then pinch the side seams closed with wet fingertips so the apple is fully wrapped. Place the dumplings in the baking dish, leaving space between them.

7. Add the syrup. Slowly pour the warm syrup into the dish around the dumplings, then spoon a little over the tops.

8. Bake. Bake 45–55 minutes, basting with the syrup 2 or 3 times, until the pastry is deep golden and a thin knife slides easily into the apples. If the tops brown too fast, cover loosely with foil.

9. Rest and serve. Let the dumplings rest 10 minutes so the syrup thickens. Serve warm with the syrup from the pan spooned over and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a splash of cold cream.

How to know it is done

The dumplings are ready when the pastry is deep golden brown and crisp on top, the syrup is bubbling and has thickened slightly around the edges, and a skewer or thin knife pushed through the pastry into the apple meets no resistance. Undercooked apples feel firm in the center; give them 5–10 minutes more.

Tips for the best result

• Choose small, firm, tart apples so they fit in the pastry and keep their shape while baking.
• Keep the butter and water very cold; little pieces of butter are what make the pastry flaky.
• Seal the seams well, or the pastry may open and slide down the apple in the oven.
• Do not skip basting: it glazes the pastry and keeps the tops from drying out.

Variations and substitutions

• Store-bought pastry: use 2 boxes of refrigerated pie dough (4 rounds); roll each a little thinner and cut 7-inch (18 cm) squares, rerolling the scraps to get 6.
• Nutty filling: add 2 tbsp chopped pecans or walnuts and 1 tbsp raisins to the cinnamon sugar.
• Pears: use 6 small firm Bosc pears and bake about 40 minutes.
• Caramel syrup: use all brown sugar in the syrup for a deeper caramel flavor.
• Cider syrup: replace the water in the syrup with apple cider.

Make ahead

The pastry can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen up to 3 months and thawed overnight in the refrigerator. The syrup keeps in the refrigerator up to 3 days; warm it before pouring. You can wrap the apples up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate them, covered, in the baking dish; add the warm syrup just before baking.

Storage and reheating

Store leftover dumplings covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat covered with foil in a 350°F (175°C) oven 15–20 minutes, or microwave a single dumpling 45–60 seconds. Baked dumplings can be frozen in an airtight container up to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven.