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This Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings Recipe is a super easy dessert made with crescent roll dough, apple slices and Sprite. The perfect fall dessert!
Apple Crescent Roll Dessert
One of the best things about apple season is all the delicious apple desserts! This easy apple dumplings recipe is a family favorite that has been around for awhile — I actually found a copy in my grandma’s recipe stash.
What makes this easy dessert recipe so simple is you start out with refrigerated crescent roll dough instead of making the dough from scratch. Wrap the dough around an apple wedge, and bake the crescent roll dumplings in a sweet brown sugar butter sauce made with a can of Sprite or Mountain Dew.
Sounds odd, but this recipe works! Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream over the golden brown bites of deliciousness, and enjoy your new favorite apple dessert!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this easy recipe for apple dumplings. You can find them in your grocery store, or you might have what you need in your fridge or pantry. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Crescent roll dough — 2 packages. I use Pillsbury brand, but any brand is fine.
- 2 large Granny Smith apples — These are the best apples for baking, but pink lady apples, gala apples and golden delicious apples are good, as well
- Sprite — Sprite, Mountain Dew or ginger ale. Any lemon-lime soda works here.
- Butter — salted or unsalted
- Brown sugar — either dark or light
- Cinnamon — for fall flavor
- Vanilla extract — for added flavor
How to Make Apple Dumplings with Crescent Rolls and Sprite
First, you wash, peel and core the apples. Then, slice each apple into 8 wedges. Place in a separate bowl, and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Try to cut the apple slices so they’re about the same size. If you get thinner slices, you can use 2 per triangle.
Next, open the packages of crescent roll dough. Tear each sheet into triangles using the perforations.
Place an apple wedge on the widest edge of the triangle. Then, gently roll the triangle of dough up over the apple, and continue rolling until you reach the the small end.
Both ends of the dumpling should be open. Place each apple dumpling into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. I use butter to grease the dish, but non-stick cooking spray works, too.
You want to leave a little room between them. Then, continue until all of the apples are done.
Now, add the butter and brown sugar to a small sauce pan. Cook on low to medium heat until the butter is melted, stirring gently until you get a smooth caramel sauce.
When the sauce is smooth and completely melted, add the vanilla. Then, pour the sauce over the dumplings.
Make sure to get some of the sauce on each dumpling. It should completely cover the bottom of the pan.
Finally, pour the Sprite, or whatever can of soda you’re using, around the dumplings. Try not to pour soda pop on top of the dough. Otherwise, you’ll get soggy dumplings! The sides of the rolls will be mostly submerged, but the tops should be sticking up over the liquid.
Baking Time
Place the baking dish into a preheated oven –350 degrees f. And, bake for 30 minutes. When done, the tops are golden brown, the dumplings are puffy and the brown sugar sauce is bubbling. If 30 minutes isn’t enough, you can bake them another 10 minutes. But, they should take no more than 40 minutes, tops.
The caramel sauce will continue to thicken up as the dumplings cool. We sprinkled a little bit of white sugar over the tops for a little bit of sparkle.
Aren’t they gorgeous? By the way, you can’t taste the pop. The citrus flavor just enhances the flavor of the sauce!
Serve these apple crescent dumplings with ice cream or whipped cream and a little drizzle of caramel sauce on top. And watch this tasty dessert disappear!
How to Store Leftover Dumplings
You can keep this apple dessert on the counter at room temperature for a few hours. Pop it into the fridge overnight.
Just cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or transfer leftovers into an airtight container. The apple crescents should keep for a day or 2 before getting soggy.
You can reheat leftovers in the oven. They are best served warm.
Variations
You can easily add your own substitutions to the original recipe. Add a few golden raisins or chocolate morsels along with the apple slice. Throw in a few cinnamon candies if you like!
Leave out the cinnamon. Or, add pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice over the apples for extra flavor.
You can use apple pie filling instead of apple slices. If you don’t have crescent rolls, try puff pastry. Don’t like apples? Use pears or make peach dumplings with crescent rolls! If you don’t want to use soda, you can use a mixture of water and sugar.
Recipe Tip
Make sure the apple slices are roughly the same size for even baking.
Melt the butter and brown sugar together on the stove top so they make a sauce. Don’t just add them to the pan separately.
Make sure you are using 12 ounces of soda. If you only have a larger bottle, measure out 12 ounces before using.
Try not to pour soda on top of the dumplings as they may get soggy.
More Easy Apple Dessert Recipes
If you love apple desserts, try my apple crisp — made with fresh apples and no oats. If you like caramel apples, try my caramel apple dump cake or my easy baked caramel apples or my super easy caramel apple nachos. I also have an easy caramel apple dip recipee and a recipe for apple pie dip. Try my apple pie dump cake or this very easy skillet apple pie.
Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 large granny smith apples
- 2 containers crescent roll dough
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 12 ounces lemon lime soda sprite, mountain dew, 7-up, ginger ale
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees f
- Grease a 13 X 9-inch baking dish
- Wash, peel, core and slice apples into 8 slices each ( total of 16 slices) Place in small bowl or clean surface, and sprinkle with cinnamon
- Open tubes of crescent roll dough, and divide into triangles along perforations
- Place 1 apple slice on the wide end of each crescent roll triangle. Roll up dough over the apple slice, leaving ends open. Repeat until all apples and dough are used up
- Place dumplings into greased baking dish
- Place butter and brown sugar in small saucepan, and melt over low to medium heat on stove. Stir frequently until well combined and smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract
- pour caramel sauce over dumplings. The sauce should cover the bottom of the baking dish
- Pour Sprite around edges of the baking dish
- Bake for 30 minutes or until tops are firm and golden brown, dumplings are puffy and sauce is bubbling
- Allow to cool slightly before serving
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How far ahead can these be made?
A day ahead of time is fine. They tend to get soggy after a couple of days.
Wow how simple! Almost always have these ingredients around! Yummy with vanilla ice cream too!
I have made these delicious dumplings for several years, but the problem I have is that the butter always floats on top of the caramel. I am unable to get it to mix together. Could you please tell me what it is I am doing wrong? Thank-you in advance
Are you heating the butter and brown sugar on the stove first? This step is part of making the caramel sauce, and the butter won’t separate when baked.
I accidentally bought grand crescent rolls which are larger. Has anyone made this recipe with the larger rolls?