Okay, this recipe goes against everything I stand for. I’m a staunch supporter of homemade pie crusts and am not a huge fan of refrigerated crescent rolls. Cooking with soda is one of those Southern traditions like eating squirrel and pickling okra that I just have a hard time getting behind. And yet…this is easily in my top 3 dessert recipes. Ever. It is up there with pizzookies and that is saying a lot. Maybe it’s the radioactive nature of Mountain Dew or the sheer amount of butter involved, but these are A. MAZ. ING. Food-gasmic. Dumplightful, as my husband once called them. Okay, we might be heading in the wrong direction here…
I first found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman’s cooking blog. From many vehement comments over there, I discovered that this recipe has dark and mysterious origins–some people claim it comes from Allrecipes, others say that it’s from an old Pillsbury cookbook, their grandma, or Recipezaar. I don’t know what the truth is, but I do know that the world is a happier place with magical Mountain Dew-spiked slices of apple wrapped in cheap, canned pastry. So no knocking these until you’ve tried them. Seriously.
Ingredients Needed
- Granny Smith apples
- Crescent rolls
- Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla
- Can of soda – Mountain Dew or Sprite
How to Make Easy Apple Dumplings
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Peel apples and cut into 8ths.
- Open a can of crescent roll dough and carefully separate the dough along the perforations. Place 1/8 of an apple on one segment of dough and then roll/wrap the apple in the dough. Place in the prepared pan and repeat with remaining apples and dough. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add sugar and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour butter/sugar mixture over the apples, then pour the can of Mountain Dew or Sprite on top of everything. Sprinkle everything with cinnamon and bake for 40 minutes.
- When the dumplings are done, remove from oven and serve with a ladle of sauce. I usually plan on two dumplings per person, before they go back for seconds. And then breakfast. Then second breakfast. Then a little snack. For true transcendent awesomeness, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Storing and Other Tips
- These apple dumplings are definitely at their peak fresh from the oven, but leftovers can certainly be reheated. Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days for best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
While I haven’t tried these with other forms of dough, they would likely be ok with other canned biscuit doughs!
Readers have reported great results using peaches! Other fruits you could try would be pears, plums, or nectarines.
This is an old recipe that has been making the rounds for decades. Other versions use orange juice or other soda flavors in place of the Mountain Dew, so feel free to try out other options!
The sugar is what cooks down to form the sauce, which is why it calls for so much. However, readers have reported cutting it down by up to half and still enjoying good results!
Easy (and Amazing!) Apple Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples
- 2 cans crescent rolls
- 1 cup butter
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- cinnamon for sprinkling
- 12 ounces Mountain Dew or Sprite (1 can)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Peel apples and cut into 8ths.
- Open a can of crescent roll dough and carefully separate the dough along the perforations. Place 1/8 of an apple on one segment of dough and then roll/wrap the apple in the dough. Place in the prepared pan and repeat with remaining apples and dough. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add sugar and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour butter/sugar mixture over the apples, then pour the can of Mountain Dew (or Sprite, although I’ve never actually tried it), on top of everything. Sprinkle the pan with cinnamon and bake for 40 minutes.
- When the dumplings are done, remove from oven and serve with a ladle-ful of sauce. I usually plan on two dumplings per person, before they go back for seconds. And then breakfast. Then second breakfast. Then a little snack. For true transcendent awesomeness, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- These apple dumplings are definitely at their peak fresh from the oven, but leftovers can certainly be reheated. Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days for best results.
- While I haven’t tried these with other forms of dough, they would likely be good with other canned biscuit doughs!
Questions & Reviews
I make this recipe but rather using Mt. Dew or Sprite, my recipe calls
for orange juice. Dumplings turn out great!
I can’t stand the idea of using sprite or MT Dew so I didn’t. I made these 2 nights ago just like the recipe except I used a carbonated unsweeted water (La Croix) and had wonderful results. My husband said that this was just the best thing ever.
Thanks for the sept by sept pic’s. I made the mistake of chopping up my apples. But these are reaaly good.I also made the mistake of putting the mixture on the inside of the dumpling. Pic help alot.
Have you tried freezing any uncooked ones?
I see this and remember how much my boyfriend LOVES Mt. Dew… Perfecccttttt. Maybe I can get him to eat my desserts now (he’s not a sweets kinda guy).
My family loves these and they are always a hit at potlucks! I always pour the sugar butter mixture over the dumplings and the mountain dew around them so there is a crunchy top on the dumplings when they are finished.
If you think this is good, you should try them made with peaches instead of apples. Use 1/4 peach for each dumpling. OMG!
Excellent recipe!! Even better with homemade ice cream.
These really were easy and amazing. Since I don’t have an apple peeler-corer-slicer (always wanted one of those!), I peeled the apples by hand and rough chopped them into small bite-sized pieces. I ended up using an extra half an apple for added yumminess. I also used the reduced-fat crescent rolls and they still turned out delicious! I would probably use less sugar and butter in the future, as there was a lot of extras. The dumplings went over really well at a dinner party I hosted, and the few leftovers have made for fantastic breakfasts.
For a brief time, nearly 15 years ago, I lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, with an older sister. Every fall, her ward would host a fundraiser that sold none other than old-fashioned homemade apple dumplings. They were divine, but their recipe was classified! Over the years, I’ve tried to duplicate them and have only been disappointed. Until now! While these apple dumplings use a different (and simpler!) technique, the flavors are still there! I LOVED them and will dream about these just as I have about those top secret apple dumplings in Virginia! Thanks for passing on the recipe!