Apple Dumplings prepared in a Crock-Pot with crescent rolls and apples
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls (did you know they have organic ones now?)
- 2 apples (i like granny smith or pink lady, but any will work)
- 1 stick of butter
- a few shakes of nutmeg
- 1 cup ginger ale (i used reed's ginger beer with extra ginger)
- enough flour to roll out crescent dough
- Carbohydrate 59.9022801785714 g
- Cholesterol 60.7375 mg
- Fat 35.1989583928571 g
- Fiber 1.46575003242493 g
- Protein 4.44261571428571 g
- Saturated Fat 18.6120732142857 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (190g)
- Sodium 611.096425 mg
- Sugar 58.4365301461465 g
- Trans Fat 9.75539192857143 g
- Calories 572 calories
Step-by-step
- Grease your crock insert with cooking spray or any other greasing agent you like to use.
- Roll out the little triangles of crescent rolls and fill each one with an apple slice or two and roll it up.
- Pile the crockpot high with all of your little dumplings.
- Melt the stick of butter & remove from heat.
- Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
- Pour over the dumplings, making sure to get down in the nooks and crannies.
- Add 1 cup of Ginger Ale.
- Prop lid open with a wooden spoon and cook on high for 3--5 hours (depending on size of crock you are using), or until the dough is golden and cooked through.
Using carbonated beverages like ginger ale or ginger beer as a braising liquid in slow cooker desserts creates a self-saucing glaze because the escaping carbon dioxide interacts with the melting sugar and butter to form a light, glossy syrup. When adapting this method for different slow cooker capacities, scaling the fruit and dough requires maintaining the ratio of one cup of liquid and one stick of fat per two cans of crescent dough to prevent the pastries from becoming waterlogged or dry. Selecting high-pectin fruit such as Granny Smith apples ensures that the slices retain their structural integrity during the four-hour cooking window without dissolving entirely into mush.
Adjusting this formulation downward for a smaller three-quart slow cooker means cutting the butter, sugar, and soda precisely in half while utilizing a single can of crescent rolls and one large apple. Conversely, doubling the batch for a six-quart unit requires careful arrangement of the rolled pastries in two distinct layers rather than overcrowding the base, which allows the heated air to circulate and cook the interior dough thoroughly. Packing the insert too tightly traps excess moisture, resulting in raw, gummy pastry pockets that fail to brown properly under the propped lid.
Baking wrapped fruit in sweetened dough has deep roots in American culinary history, evolving from colonial apple puddings where scraps of pastry enveloped windfall apples before being boiled or baked. Modern slow cooker adaptations trade oven heat for gentle, sustained convection, transforming convenience-store crescent dough into a tender dumpling that mimics traditional baked versions. Monitoring the final hour of cooking is essential, looking specifically for a deep golden hue on the exposed pastry tips and bubbling edges that indicate the starches have fully gelatinized.
Leftover portions should be cooled completely before transferring them to an airtight container, where they will keep safely in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheating individual servings in a conventional toaster oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for ten minutes restores the crisp exterior texture that tends to soften during cold storage. Avoid using the microwave for reheating, as the high humidity turns the flaky dough layers tough and rubbery instead of preserving their initial tenderness.
