Apple Desserts

Whether double-crusted or streusel-topped, deep dish or custard-style, apple pie is a perennial favorite. See our step-by-step articles for tips on making a perfect apple pie.

Apple dumplings are whole apples that are peeled and cored, stuffed with a sweet mix of spices, raisins and nuts, folded into pastry and baked until the apples are soft and the pastry is golden. To ensure the fruit is tender when the pastry is done, use smaller apples, and use a melon baller to hollow out the inside of the apple. Keep the filling from leaking out the bottom by leaving a half inch or so of flesh at the bottom when coring the apples.

Pack the filling into the centers and fold a pastry squares around each apple. Shape any leftover dough scraps into leaves. Brush the pastry with egg wash, and bake as directed. As with pie crusts, cover the dumplings with foil if the pastry starts browning too soon.

Homier than pies, crisps and crumbles are easy to make, perfect when you're in a hurry.  Sliced or chopped apples are covered with a mixture of oats, flour, butter and sugar to create a crunchy topping. Apple Brown Betty is one of the first documented apple desserts in the United States, popular during Colonial times. The dessert is as simple as it gets: apples are layered with a mixture of fresh breadcrumbs, butter and brown sugar, and the concoction is baked just until the apples soften and the crumb topping gets crispy. Serve these warm, comforting desserts with vanilla ice cream. To dress up your crisps, assemble them in individual ramekins or custard cups instead of in one big pan.

Apple strudel is a classic Austrian dessert consisting of spiced apples and nuts rolled into a log of crisp, fine pastry. Strudel shows off the baker's art, as the dough requires special handling: it is stretched so thin you can read the newspaper through it. Phyllo dough makes a fine substitute for homemade strudel dough.

Start assembling the strudel on parchment paper. For a crisp, airy crust, sprinkle fresh sugared breadcrumbs between the layers of butter-brushed phyllo. Spoon in the apple filling. To roll up the strudel, use one hand to gently lift the edge of the parchment, and the other hand to carefully roll the strudel up like a jellyroll, gradually lifting the paper up higher as you roll the strudel into a neat log. Tuck the edge of the dough underneath the roll, and use the paper like a sling to lift the strudel onto the baking sheet. Bake the strudel on the parchment-lined baking sheet until the crust is golden brown.