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 these all the time .. they are divine and so easy. Instead of the Mountain Dew, which is so sweet, I use half Prosecco (an Italian “champaign”) and half orange juice. I also add a little fresh grated nutmeg and just a sprinkle of ground cloves to the cinnamon dusting. Yummmmmy!
Just made this recipie,exactly as it was listed.My house smells amazing!! The taste of this is wonderful, and can’t wait for time toserve!! Thank you so much!!
These are the best and way too easy to make Thanks for sharing this! Excellant
i love this recipe. i have made it before (with sprite) it is delish!!!
Well..looks like a butter and mountain dew bath for the dumplings… in the oven they go! We’ll see 🙂
Love all things apple especially for breakfast, you know that means I will make plenty for the left overs! Who knew that crazy stuff folks like to drink called Mt Dew would be good for baking apples in??? Thank You for sharing your recipe.
Better than apple pie!!! My mother in law made this tastie delight for Easter, it was the most delicious ,not to sweet dessert ever!!! I will be making this soon!
OMG!!!!!!! I tried these for the first time using your recipe and they was to die for!! Thank you for sharing…. Im cooking them again tonight. The mountain dew scared me but I used it and you can’t taste it