These Crescent Apple Dumplings are the coziest, perfect fall dessert. Juicy apple slices are wrapped in buttery crescent roll dough, then baked in a cinnamon-sugar butter sauce that bubbles into a golden, sticky glaze. With just a handful of ingredients and barely any prep, this shortcut recipe delivers big-time comfort and flavor—perfect for fall, holidays, or any night you need a warm, crowd-pleasing treat.
If you’re looking for a fall dessert to make with a bounty of apples that you might have in your possession… this is it. Don’t even look anywhere else. When I served these apple dumplings to my husband, he practically fell on the floor with delight. It’s truly a droolworthy, amazing dessert. And with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting all over the top, it’s even better.
Ingredients Needed:
- Apples: I use Granny Smith apples for this recipe. The tart flavor balances out all of the sweet in the recipe.
- Crescents: Look for these in your market near the pie crust. They’re sold in a tube.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar combined with the butter is going to make an amazing sauce for the apple dumplings.
- Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract.
- Cinnamon and Salt: Use ground cinnamon and sea salt.
- Lemon Lime Soda: Any lemon lime soda will work. You need 7.5 ounces. The mini cans are exactly 7. 5 ounces.
How to make Crescent Apple Dumplings:
The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post. Here’s a brief overview.
- Peel the apples. Core them, and cut each into 8 wedges. Wrap each wedge with a triangle of the crescent dough and place it in a baking dish.
- Heat the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Pour this mixture evenly over the apple dumplings in the pan. Pour the lemon lime soda all around the edge of the dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm. Add a scoop of ice cream, if you’d like!
Recipe Tips
- Choose apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji. They hold their shape and balance the sweetness of the syrup.
- Peel apples and slice into uniform wedges so they cook evenly inside the dough.
- Use real butter! It will create a richer flavor and better texture than using a butter substitute.
- The lemon-lime soda poured around the dumplings makes them extra moist and creates that signature bubbling caramel sauce.
- For an extra crisp, golden top, sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar over the rolled dumplings before baking.
Substitution Ideas:
- Crescent Dough Substitutes: Puff pastry will produce a flakier dumpling—just cut into triangles or rectangles. Homemade biscuit dough will be slightly denser but still delicious. Pie crust will work in a pinch, though it won’t puff as much.
- Apple Substitutes: Fresh pears, peaches or nectarines will also work to make dumplings. In a pinch, you can use apple pie filling, Just spoon it into the pastry and wrap.
How to serve Apple Dumplings:
You can certainly eat these right out of the pan. I suggest serving them warm, for sure! But they’re even more amazing when you serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream or salted caramel ice cream on top. They’re also good with a scoop of whipped cream.
More Favorite Apple Desserts:
What You’ll Love About This Recipe:
- The apples bake until they’re soft, and the sauce becomes thick and wonderful.
- It’s an amazing, melt-in-your-mouth dessert!
- Everyone will love these crescent apple dumplings!
Crescent Apple Dumplings
Ingredients
DUMPLINGS:
- 2 large Granny Smith apples
- Two 8-ounce tubes refrigerated crescent dough
SAUCE:
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 7.5 ounces 7-Up or Sprite
FOR SERVING:
- vanilla ice cream, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×12-inch baking pan with nonstick spray (or rub with butter).
PREPARE THE DUMPLINGS:
- Peel each apple, remove the cores and cut each apple into 8 wedges.
- Separate the crescent dough into triangles. Starting at the wide edge, roll an apple slice up into the crescent dough. Set in the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining apples and dough.
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Keep stirring until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolves a bit. Pour the sauce evenly over the dumplings.
- Pour the soda around the edge of the pan (don't pour it directly on top of the dumplings).
BAKE AND SERVE:
- Bake the dumplings for 30 to 35 minutes, until they have turned golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
- Serve two dumplings per person with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
