Baked Apple Dumplings with Cinnamon Syrup
These baked apple dumplings bring together tender apples, crisp puff pastry, and a warm cinnamon syrup in one cozy dessert. Each apple holds a little brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, while the syrup surrounds the pastry as it bakes.
Puff pastry keeps the preparation approachable while giving the dumplings their golden, flaky finish. A few details make a difference: use pastry that is pliable but still cool, keep the apple bottoms intact, and seal the pastry edges well.
Choose apples that hold their shape
Medium baking apples are a practical fit for individual dumplings. Peeling them lets the cinnamon syrup and pastry make up the outer layers, while coring from the top leaves each apple’s bottom intact to hold its filling. Work carefully so you make a cavity without cutting through the base.
The brown sugar and cinnamon tucked inside give the apple a sweet, spiced center. A small piece of unsalted butter in each cavity adds richness as it bakes. Keep the filling inside the apple rather than packing it around the outside, where it can interfere with sealing the pastry.
Keep the puff pastry cool and sealed
Thawed puff pastry should bend without cracking, but it should still feel cool. If it gets warm and soft while you shape it, the squares can become harder to handle and seal. A brief chill for the assembled dumplings helps firm the pastry again, as the recipe note recommends.
Center each apple on its pastry square and bring the corners up around it. Pinch the edges together so the apple is enclosed, then set each dumpling seam side up in the baking dish. Brushing the pastry with beaten egg mixed with water helps give the outside a finished, golden look.
Make a smooth cinnamon syrup
The syrup combines unsalted butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Whisk the ingredients as they warm, and stir while the mixture gently simmers until smooth. This keeps the syrup cohesive before you pour it around the dumplings; pouring it into the dish rather than over the pastry preserves the pastry’s surface for browning.
As the dumplings bake, the syrup gathers in the dish and becomes part of the dessert. Follow the recipe card’s cues for doneness: look for deeply golden pastry and check that a knife slides easily into an apple. Let the dumplings rest before serving so the filling and syrup can settle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know when the apples are tender?
Check an apple with a knife near the end of baking. It should slide in easily, while the pastry should look deep golden. If the apple still feels firm, continue baking and check again rather than relying on the pastry color alone.
What should I do if the pastry gets soft while I wrap the apples?
Chill the assembled dumplings briefly before baking. Cool pastry is easier to handle and pinch closed, and this short pause helps firm it up after shaping. Keep the apples enclosed and the seams pinched together when you return them to the dish.
Why is the syrup poured around the dumplings?
Pouring the cinnamon syrup around the pastry lets it sit in the baking dish while the exposed pastry can turn golden. The syrup remains available in the dish to serve with the dumplings after they rest.
Baked Apple Dumplings with Cinnamon Syrup
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes45
minutes700
kcal1
hour45
minutesWhole apples filled with cinnamon sugar are wrapped in puff pastry and baked in a buttery cinnamon syrup until tender.
Ingredients
- Dumplings
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (17.3 oz total), thawed but still cool
6 medium baking apples, peeled and cored from the top, leaving the bottoms intact
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 small pieces
1 large egg
1 tbsp water
- Cinnamon syrup
6 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp kosher salt
Directions
- Thaw the puff pastry according to the package directions, about 30 minutes at room temperature, until pliable but still cool. Heat the oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, mix the 1/4 cup brown sugar with 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Fill each apple cavity with some of the mixture and one piece of butter.
- Cut each pastry sheet into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a 7-inch square. Set an apple in the center of each square, bring the pastry corners up over the apple, and pinch the edges together to seal. Arrange the dumplings seam side up in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Beat the egg with 1 tbsp water and brush it over the pastry.
- For the syrup, melt the 6 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup water, 1 tsp cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until smooth. Pour the syrup around the dumplings.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and a knife slides easily into an apple. Let the dumplings rest for 10 minutes before serving with the syrup from the dish.
Notes
- If the pastry softens while you wrap the apples, chill the assembled dumplings briefly so the pastry stays easier to handle.
