By Erin Odom, Contributing Writer
When we were newlyweds, one of my favorite desserts to make for my husband was apple dumplings.
They were absolutely delicious, but I stopped making them a long time ago–because, nutritionally, they were very, very SAD.
But even though I really still consider myself a real food newbie, I’ve started experimenting in the kitchen more and tweaking old recipes to make them with REAL food.
The original recipe for these included refrigerated crescent rolls, sugar and even Mountain Dew! (Yikes!)
Check out this recipe for real food Orange-Glazed Whole Wheat Apple Dumplings:
Ingredients for Whole Wheat Crescent Rolls*:
- 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup very warm water until it’s foamy and dissolved
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
*I modified this recipe to come up with the whole wheat version. Here is another whole wheat crescent roll recipe I found.
Directions:
Using a mixer, beat all the ingredients except the flour. Slowly mix in the flour. Knead dough well. Let rise to double in size in a bowl, about an hour or so (cover the bowl with a light, clean towel).
Punch dough down. Divide into two. Roll each piece of dough into a large circle to about 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick.
Cut the dough like pizza, making 16 small or 8 large rolls per circle.
Ingredients for Orange-Glazed Apple Dumplings*:
- 8 large or 16 small crescent rolls (from above recipe)
- 3-5 apples (I use whatever kind I have available! My original recipe called for Granny Smith.)
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- cinnamon, to taste
- 1/2-1 cup orange juice (depending on how much orange taste you prefer)
Directions:
Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Wrap each roll around 4-5 slices of apple. Place each apple bundle in a 9×13 in. dish. In a sauce pan, melt the butter and add the honey and vanilla. Stir until mixed well. Spoon mixture over apple bundles. Pour orange juice evenly over bundles. (I am curious how lemon juice or even apple cider vinegar would taste in this recipe in place of the orange juice.) Sprinkle bundles with cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
*The original recipe that I modified the above from was given to me by a friend.
Want some more real food apple recipes for fall? Check out these:
- Crockpot Applesauce @The Humbled Homemaker
- Gluten Free Crockpot Apple Cake @Gluten Free A-Z
- All Natural Apple Pie @Simple Bites
- Peanut Butter and Apple Sandwich @Alli N Son
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins @Keeper of the Home
- Grain-Free Apple Pie @Keeper of the Home
- Grain-Free Apple Flax Muffins @Kitchen Stewarship
- Apple Squares @Kitchen Stewardship
- Crockpot Stuffed Apples @Stacy Makes Cents
- Crockpot Apple Butter @Stacy Makes Cents
- Kate’s many apple recipes @MAM
Lastly, if you haven’t already, purchase Kate’s Against the Grain, which includes a recipe for some yummy grain-free upside down apple muffins!
What’s your favorite apple recipe? Have you ever modified a SAD recipe to line up with your real foods diet?
Erin is a believer in Jesus Christ and stay-at-home wife and mom of two little redheaded girls. She writes for Carolina Weekly newspaper group, Modern Alternative Mama,Lake Norman Mommies and Jack’s Changing Table. She loves mission work, speaking Spanish, breastfeeding, cloth diapering and researching how to live a healthier lifestyle. She blogs about breastfeeding, natural living and homemaking at The Humbled Homemaker.
Erin, Are you making these recipes yourself? Is that what I am reading? Also, would it be okay for someone like me who's insulin resistant to eat these? They sound delicious!
Yummy! These sound delicious Erin – I think I may just have to make them this weekend! 🙂
Thanks for linking me! 🙂
Those look delicious! Crescent Rolls are one bread I haven't tackled yet.
@Crystal, yes, I made them myself! Will LOVES apple desserts, and I hadn't made these in years, so I just decided there had to be a way to make them healthier! They won't be quite as sweet, but they are still yummy. I'm not sure about the insulin resistance. They do contain honey, which is a much better sweetener than sugar, but it is still a sweetener. I would ask your doc how much honey you can have.
@Mindy, I hope you like them!!
@Stacy, your recipes sound delicious! There are lots and lots and lots of things I haven't tackled yet!
Erin, I am so glad to have a homemade crescent roll recipe! That is one thing I have been missing and haven't tried making at home yet. Can't wait to try them, they sound great! Thanks for sharing!
Could you cook the rolls as is, just rolled up and baked? Or stuff them with other things, I’m thinking breakfast stuff? I can’t wait to try these!
These look delicious; I’m trying to eliminate store-bought bread products and make my own. Do you think you could store the dough for later use, a la those refrigerated cresccent rolls in the can? With small children, I tend to have smaller chunks of free time, so I’d love to be able to prep these ahead of time and use them for all my appetizers that used to call for crescent dough.
I made these (just the crescent rolls!) last week and they are really tasty! I am planning on making them for Thanksgiving this year, and am curious to find out if anyone has tried to prepare the dough beforehand (either refridgerate or freeze the dough)? I am going to bake them shortly before we eat, but will have family showing up fairly early in the morning and am trying to make as much as I can ahead of time so I am not in the kitchen kneading bread etc.! If anyone has successfully made the dough ahead of time, please let me know-I would love to hear how you did it!
Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Thank you for the crescent rolls recipe! I’ve been wanting to try making my own. 🙂
[…] And if you love apple recipes, be sure to check out one of our old family favorites: Orange-Glazed Apple Dumplings! […]