Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings

Apple wedges wrapped in buttery crescent roll dough and baked in a cinnamon sugar sauce with a can of lemon-lime soda. The prep takes about 20 minutes and the pan sauce is perfect for spooning over vanilla ice cream!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword crescent roll apple dumpling recipe, crescent roll apple dumplings

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Resting Time 15

Total Time 1 10

Servings people

Calories 495kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Equipment

13 x 9-Inch Baking Dish

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) cans crescent rolls
2 Granny Smith apples (or another firm apple)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup salted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or apple pie spice)
1 (12 ounce) can Mountain Dew (or Sprite, 7UP, or another lemon-lime soda)
For serving: vanilla ice cream

Instructions

Prep the oven and dish: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Separate the dough: Divide the crescent roll dough into 16 triangles, 8 from each can.
Prep the apples: Peel and core the apples, then cut each one into 8 wedges so you have 16 apple slices total.
Wrap and arrange: Roll one apple slice in each triangle of dough, starting at the wide end. Arrange them in a single layer in the prepared dish.
Make the sauce: In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and cinnamon until the brown sugar has no lumps.
Pour it over the top: Spoon or pour the butter mixture evenly over the dumplings.
Add the soda: Pour the Mountain Dew in the center and around the edges of the dish, but not directly over the dumplings.
Bake: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the dumplings are deep golden brown and crisp on top and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
Rest, then serve: Let the dish rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes so the sauce can thicken slightly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, spooning some of the pan sauce over the top.

Video

Notes

Use a firm apple: Granny Smith holds its shape and balances the sweet sauce. Honeycrisp works for a sweeter result. Softer apples like McIntosh and Gala break down too much.
Pour the soda around the edges. Down the center and along the sides, never over the dumplings. Soda on top makes the dough soggy instead of crisp and may push away the butter sauce.
Any regular lemon-lime soda works. Sprite, 7UP, and ginger ale all do the same job as Mountain Dew. Skip the diet versions, since the sugar helps build the sauce.
Don't worry about the grainy sauce. The granulated sugar won't fully dissolve in the butter mixture. It finishes dissolving as the dumplings bake.
Let them rest before serving: Ten to fifteen minutes gives the sauce time to thicken. Straight out of the oven it's too thin.
Leftovers: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 325°F oven for about 10 minutes to bring back some crispness. These don't hold up assembled ahead or frozen, so prep the apples early if you need a head start.

Nutrition