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5-Ingredient Apple Dumplings: The Ultimate Easy Dessert with Butter-Sugar Excellence

A crowd-pleasing dessert that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen. Refrigerated crescent dough is wrapped around sweet apple pie filling, then baked in a pool of lemon-lime soda and topped with a rich brown sugar-butter glaze. The result is a soft, pillowy bottom with a crisp, golden top.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 16 dumplings
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Dough: 2 cans refrigerated crescent dough
  • Filling: 20 oz can apple pie filling
  • Sauce Base: 1 can 12 oz lemon-lime soda (e.g., Sprite or 7-Up)
  • Topping: 1 cup butter softened, 1 cup brown sugar

Method
 

  1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  2. Assemble: Unroll the crescent triangles. Place a small spoonful of apple pie filling at the wide end of each triangle. Roll the dough toward the point, tucking the edges as needed.
  3. Arrange: Place the dumplings in the prepared baking dish.
  4. Glaze: In a small bowl, stir together the softened butter and brown sugar until a paste forms. Dollop a small spoonful of this mixture onto the top of each dumpling.
  5. The "Soda Secret": Carefully pour the lemon-lime soda into the bottom of the dish around the dumplings. Tip: Do not pour it directly over the tops, or you'll wash off the sugar-butter mixture!
  6. Bake: Bake for 35–45 minutes until the tops are deep golden brown and the dough is cooked through.
  7. Serve: Let them cool for at least 10 minutes. The liquid in the pan will thicken into a delicious apple-caramel sauce as it sits.

Notes

  • Serving Suggestion: These are absolute heaven when served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
  • Soda Tip: Don't be afraid of the soda! It sounds strange, but the carbonation and acidity help the dough rise and create a sauce that isn't cloyingly sweet.
  • Variation: Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon or some chopped pecans over the butter mixture before baking for added warmth and crunch.