A wicked breakfast or dessert that says, ‘Yeah, I woke up for this, I might even put on real pants today.’ Sweet, gooey, and unapologetically spiced. I’ve been a fan of Monkey Bread (will have to post my recipe sometime) for quite some time, but I do believe this make take it’s place as #1 in the house.
Outlaw Apple Dumplings: Cinnamon-Clove Swagger Edition
Soft, sweet, and unapologetically bold. These crescent roll dumplings bring the spice and sass to your table.
Ingredients
2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 can (20 oz) apple pie filling (Chopped up into smaller pieces, pretend you are disposing of a body in tiny Tupperware containers and go nuts dicing it up!)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (nobody said this was a heart-healthy recipe!)
1 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark, go based on what you like best, or which one in your pantry hasn’t turned into a solid brick)
1 can (12 oz) lemon-lime soda, do not use diet! 7-Up or Sprite or whatever you got, I have no sponsors, I won’t tell you what to use. (Unless 7-Up wants to sponsor me, since that’s what I used)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (unless you’re a psychopath who grinds their own cinnamon, just use the pre-ground stuff)
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional, but it’s worth adding!)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (That’s some other number in Celsius. I didn’t pay enough attention in school, so I don’t know what…). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Suggest putting foil in it also to help with cleanup.
- Unroll the hopefully name brand crescent roll dough and separate it into triangles. Spoon a small amount of the apple pie filling onto each triangle. Wrap them up snugly. I did about half a spoonful on each. What size spoon you ask? The size I grabbed from my silverware drawer. It’s not rocket science…
- Line up the wrapped soon-to-be-dumplings in the prepared baking pan. Should be able to fit them all in 2 nice neat rows, if you used the right size pan.
- In a saucepan (or microwave if you are lazy like me), melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Whisk until smooth and combined. Pour this mixture evenly over the dumplings. I used a power mixer, again, lazy.
- Pour 2/3 of the can of lemon-lime soda around the edges of the pan. Do not pour them directly on top of the dumplings. This step is going to feel a bit weird…. 2/3 of a standard 12oz can is 8oz by the way, I paid attention to that part of school I guess.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the dumplings are golden brown and bubbling. Keep an eye on them starting at 30 minutes, unless you want to ruin all the work we just did.
- Serve warm, drizzled with the sauce or gooey drippings from the pan. Add whipped cream or ice cream if desired. Makes a fantastic apple cobbler’ish type dessert thing if you heat it up and toss a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Notes
- This recipe really is perfect for breakfast, dessert, or when you want to impress without breaking a sweat.
- Since folks always ask why I am telling them to pour pop (soda for you weirdo’s) into their food before baking and insist it’s going to end up making soup: Below is more explanation than you asked for!
Why the Lemon Lime Pop? Let’s talk about the bubbly wildcard in this recipe: lemon-lime pop. Why, you ask? Because it’s the secret sauce to lazy baking genius. The carbonation helps tenderize the dough, creating a perfectly soft, pillowy texture without any extra effort on your part. You probably wonders why something using crescent rolls was getting called a dumpling didn’t you? The acidity adds a subtle tang, balancing out the sweetness and giving the sauce a bright, complex flavor.
And let’s not forget—it’s sugar water with fizz. So when it bakes, it caramelizes into a syrupy wonderland of flavor that makes you look like a culinary wizard. Science meets shortcuts, and you win. You’re welcome.
Download the printable recipe here
This is the baking pan I love. Cooks nice and evenly, has wide handles, and having a lid you can just snap on top is so convenient!
A thin silicone spatula/turner is the way to go to get under these. If yours is falling apart or you don’t have one, Oxo makes great stuff.
If you are like me, you hold on to kitchen knife sets longer than you should, without caring for them properly. I finally bit the bullet in October 2024 and bought a whole new set and couldn’t be happier. Had some concerns going from my ~20yr old Wusthof knives we had since dinosaurs roamed the earth to a set made by Ninja. I can report as of January 2025 we are very happy with the Ninja set! Razor sharp and the large kit has everything you need and more. Check it out if you are considering new knives, it’s really worth a look!
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