Cast Iron Apple Dumplings with Crescent Rolls and Caramel Sauce

These easy Apple Dumplings are made with refrigerated crescent rolls and are baked right in a cast iron skillet in a homemade caramel sauce made from butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream. Fresh apple slices become tender wrapped in crescent rolls that get crisp on the outside as they bake in caramel, no soda to be found in this recipe. Perfect for a quick dessert that is always a crowd pleaser, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Other easy skillet apple recipes we are loving right now are: Apple Cobbler, Skillet Apple Pie, or Apple Skillet Cake.

How to Make Apple Dumplings with Crescent Rolls

I set out to make an apple dumplings recipe without popping open a can of soda, but making a classic homemade caramel sauce with butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream. To make this easy apple dumplings with crescent rolls, slice the apples into wedges, wrap them up in crescent roll dough, then place into the caramel sauce in a 12 inch cast iron pan. Let’s walk through how to make apple dumplings.

1. Prepare the apples– slice and core the apple into 16 equal slices. I like to do this easily with my favorite apple slicer. This can also be done with a sharp knife to slice and remove the core and seeds.

2. Wrap the apples– wrap each apple slice in a triangle of the crescent rolls. Place the apple slice on the wide end of the crescent roll, wrap the corner of the triangle over the apple, then roll up the dumpling.

3. Make the homemade caramel sauce– instead of pouring soda over the dumplings, we are going to make a homemade caramel sauce for these apple dumplings. Place a 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add in the brown sugar, and cinnamon then stir/whisk to combine. Pour in the heavy cream, mix and finish with a splash of vanilla. The sauce will bubble and thicken as it cooks in the oven.

4. Bake the apple dumplings– bake the apple dumplings in a 350º F oven for 30-40 minutes, the crescent rolls will be golden brown, apples softened, caramel sauce is thickened and bubbling around the dumplings, and the tops of the crescents become golden brown while the bottom soaks up all the caramel sauce.

5. Serve warm– serve these homemade apple dumplings warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a big drizzle of that homemade caramel sauce for an easy apple dessert.

Why You’ll Love These Easy Apple Dumplings

• Easy apple dessert-store bought crescent dough make these simple to make.
• Homemade caramel sauce– simply made with butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream.
• No soda needed– no 7UP, no Sprite, just butter, cream, and brown sugar.
• Cast iron skillet dessert– these cook evenly right in a cast iron skillet and make a great presentation when done.
• Perfect fall dessert– warm apples, buttery crescents and caramel make this an easy autumn dessert.
• Great for holidays– serve these baked apple dumplings for Thanksgiving, Sunday dinner or for a family gathering.

Apple Dumplings Without Soda

A lot of old fashioned apple dumpling recipes call for Sprite, 7UP, or even Mountain Dew, this recipe takes a different spin and uses heavy cream to make the smooth, creamy caramel sauce.

These apple dumplings without soda come out perfect, the cream gives the sauce a rich, creamy flavor while the dumplings cook tender and golden.

Recipe Tips for Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings

• Choose the right apples– I prefer apples like Cosmic Crisp, Gala, or Fuji. Granny Smith can also be used, I just don’t like the flavor and texture as a personal preference.
• Don’t overfill the crescent dough– just one slice per crescent roll will help these rollup easily without tearing.
• Use a well seasoned cast iron skillet– this will help it stay nonstick and will help with heat retention so these back up perfectly.
• Let the apple dumplings rest before serving– allowing the dumplings to cool for a few minutes will help the caramel thicken and cool off so no mouths are burned.

Ingredients For Apple Dumplings

• Apples– firm, sweet apples like Cosmic Crisp or Gala work great. I used one apple, but if you want thicker apple slices, 2 apples can be used. 16 slices is all that will be needed.
• Crescent roll dough– refrigerated crescent roll dough makes this dumpling recipe easy and simple.
• Butter– the best base for any homemade caramel sauce
• Brown sugar– add sweetness and a deep caramel flavor
• Heavy cream– heavy cream creates a rich caramel sauce that replaces the soda traditionally used in baked apple dumpling recipes
• Vanilla– add a depth of flavor to any caramel sauce
• Salt– balances out the flavor and sweetness

Other Apple Recipes To Try: