Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy: With just a few ingredients and minimal prep, these dumplings are a breeze to make.
- Warm and Cozy Flavor: The combination of tender apples, warm cinnamon, and buttery caramel sauce is comfort food at its finest.
- Crowd-Pleasing: Perfect for gatherings or a cozy night in, everyone will be asking for seconds.
- Kid-Friendly: Little hands can help roll the apples in the dough, making this a fun family activity.
- Versatile: Use whatever apples you have on hand, and feel free to adjust the spices to suit your taste!
Ingredients
(Tip: You’ll find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.)
- Granny Smith Apples: These apples are tart, which balances the sweetness of the caramel sauce beautifully. However, you can also use Honeycrisp, Fuji, or any firm apple that holds up well to baking.
- Crescent Roll Dough: Store-bought crescent roll dough saves time without compromising on flavor. If you prefer, you can use a puff pastry sheet instead.
- Lemon-Lime Soda: This might sound surprising, but the soda adds moisture and helps create a sweet, syrupy sauce while the dumplings bake. You can use any lemon-lime soda, like Sprite or 7-Up.
- Butter: Adds richness and helps create that irresistible caramel sauce. Unsalted is best, but if you use salted butter, reduce the pinch of kosher salt.
Directions
- Prep the Oven and Baking Dish: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 13” x 9” baking dish with a bit of butter to prevent the dumplings from sticking.
- Prepare the Apples: Peel and core the Granny Smith apples, then slice each apple into eighths. As you work, toss the apple slices with a bit of lemon juice to keep them from browning. This is optional but helps maintain a fresh appearance.
- Assemble the Dumplings:
- Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate it into triangles on a flat surface.
- Place one apple slice at the wide end of each triangle, then gently roll the dough around the apple, starting from the wide end and moving toward the narrow tip. This should form a snug little dumpling.
- Arrange all the dumplings in the prepared baking dish, leaving a bit of space between each.
- Make the Caramel Sauce:
- In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
- Heat over medium, stirring until the butter is fully melted and the brown sugar dissolves, creating a smooth caramel sauce.
- Pour and Add Soda:
- Evenly pour the caramel sauce over the dumplings, making sure to coat them well.
- Carefully pour the lemon-lime soda around the edges of the baking dish, avoiding pouring directly over the dumplings. This ensures that the soda mixes with the caramel to create a luscious sauce while the dumplings bake up flaky.
- Bake to Golden Perfection: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the dumplings are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
- Serve: These dumplings are best served warm, straight from the oven. Add a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and drizzle with some of the extra caramel sauce from the pan. Watch as the ice cream melts into the warm dumplings—pure heaven!
Servings and Timing
- Servings: This recipe yields approximately 8 servings, making it perfect for a family dessert or a small gathering.
- Preparation Time: About 15 minutes.
- Cooking Time: 30 minutes.
- Total Time: Approximately 45 minutes from start to finish.
Variations
- Peach Dumplings: Swap the apples for peach slices for a summery twist. Peaches pair wonderfully with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Spiced Dumplings: Add nutmeg or allspice to the cinnamon-sugar mixture for a more spiced version
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Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Indulge in the cozy flavors of Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings, a quick and easy dessert that combines tart apples, flaky crescent rolls, and a rich cinnamon caramel sauce. Perfect for busy weeknights or special occasions, this recipe is sure to delight your taste buds.
Ingredients
- Granny Smith Apples: 2, peeled, cored, and sliced into eighths
- Crescent Roll Dough: 1 can (8 rolls)
- Butter: 1/2 cup, unsalted
- Brown Sugar: 1/2 cup, packed
- Ground Cinnamon: 1 tsp
- Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp
- Lemon-Lime Soda: 1 cup (e.g., Sprite or 7-Up)
- Kosher Salt: Pinch
- Lemon Juice (optional): To prevent apple slices from browning
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven
Preheat to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 13” x 9” baking dish with butter. - Prepare Apples
- Peel, core, and slice the apples into eighths.
- Toss slices with lemon juice if desired.
- Assemble Dumplings
- Unroll crescent dough; separate into triangles.
- Place an apple slice on the wide end of each triangle and roll snugly.
- Arrange dumplings in the prepared baking dish, leaving space between them.
- Make Caramel Sauce
- In a saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Heat on medium, stirring until smooth.
- Pour and Add Soda
- Drizzle caramel sauce evenly over the dumplings.
- Pour lemon-lime soda around the edges of the dish, avoiding direct contact with the dumplings.
- Bake
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until dumplings are golden and the sauce bubbles.
- Serve
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and extra sauce drizzled on top.
Notes
- Swap apples for peaches or pears for a variation.
- Add nutmeg or allspice for a spiced version.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven to restore crispiness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
