Apple and Marzipan Dumplings are both delicious and pretty. Made with homemade marzipan and decorated with pastry leaves, these dumplings are heavenly and easy to make!
Apple & Marzipan Dumplings are utterly delicious and the perfect autumnal dessert. Apples are stuffed with homemade marzipan wrapped in puff pastry and decorated with puff pastry leaves.
I have many fond childhood memories of Peter’s Tea Room and Baker’s Shop in Weybridge; all the cakes and delicacies are etched in my memory.
One such treat I remember seeing in the window and occasionally having at home was their Apple Dumplings.
Louise Johncox has recreated her father Peter’s recipes in her book The Baker’s Daughter which I used as the basis for my inspiration but I then went completely off-piste and did my own thing.
As half my family just doesn’t like dried fruit I couldn’t go down that route so decided that some homemade marzipan would be a fabulous core for these apple dumplings.
For my first attempt, I tried using a sheet of ready-rolled pastry. This didn’t work as you need a square of pastry and not a rectangle.
I also tried trimming off excess pastry but this just led to the pastry splaying open and leaving gaps in the finished product, and I didn’t let the pastry rest in the fridge!
Another mistake I made was leaving the skin on the apples, resulting in my apples turning mush.
It all felt like my first driving test, you get all your mistakes over and done with in one go and then you know what not to do the second time,
I’m happy to say I passed my driving test 2nd time and also succeeded in making these gorgeous Apple & Marzipan Dumplings 2nd time!
If you don’t have any ground almonds to hand don’t buy them just whizz up some almonds or flaked almonds like I did.
On my first attempt, I used ground almonds but I think the marzipan tasted even better when using freshly ground almonds (I use my herb chopper attachment from my stick blender).
I’m pleased to say everyone loved my Apple and Marzipan Dumplings – even my son who had turned his nose up at my first attempt and doesn’t like marzipan!
Gosh it’s difficult sometimes catering to everyone’s likes and dislikes, isn’t it?
Luckily I often win the taste battle as kids in particular can have preconceived ideas about what they will and won’t like.
I just say “Try it and if you don’t like it you don’t have to eat it”. Once they’ve had the first taste an empty bowl usually ensues!
Do you have a childhood memory of a treat that you’ve yet to bake? Do let me know in the comments.
More Recipes Using Apple and/or Marzipan
Once you’ve tried my delicious Apple & Marzipan Dumplings you should also check out the following recipes!
- Apple & Blueberry Tarte Tatin
- Rhubarb & Marzipan Cake
- Rhubarb & Blackberry Cobbler
- Quick Apple Puddings
- Apple Meringue
- Spiced Apple Lattice Pie
- Burnt Apple & Bourbon Ice Cream
- Ella’s Quick Apple (and Apricot) Pies
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Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
Apple & Marzipan Dumplings
Ingredients
- 4 Dessert apples small I used Gala
- 1 Pack of Puff Pastry 500g
- For marzipan filling:
- 30 g Ground Almonds I ground my own
- 30 g Icing Sugar
- 1 ½ to 2 tsp Egg white taken from egg for egg wash
- 1 Egg whisked for egg wash
- Caster sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Mix the ground almonds, icing sugar and egg white together to form the marzipan paste. (Whisking the egg white will make it easier to measure out).
- Cut off 425g of pastry from the block and roll out to a 36cm square on a floured surface, trim and cut into 4 x 18cm squares.
- Peel and core the first apple and stuff with a ¼ of the marzipan (you can do this from the top and bottom). Doing one at a time will prevent the apples from going brown.
- Place the apple in the centre of one of the squares.
- Brush a little water on the outer edges of the pastry and draw up one corner to meet the middle, then do the same with the next corner sealing and tucking in the pastry as you go following your way round in one direction until you reach the end.
- Repeat above with the next 3 apples.
- To decorate, roll out the pastry trimmings and cut straight lines down and diagonally across to make diamond shapes and score with a knife to make them look like leaves. You need 16.
- Using the apple corer cut out 4 circles.
- Decorate the apple dumplings with the leaves using a little water to seal and finish with a little circle of pastry on top.
- Place on a lightly greased baking tray and pop in fridge for 20 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 190⁰C.
- Brush the apple dumplings with egg wash and sprinkle with caster sugar.
- Place in the middle of oven for 40 minutes turning halfway through.
- Serve hot with cream or ice cream.
- Can also be reheated if needed later (about 15 – 20 mins at 150C⁰).
Elizabeth
Oh yummy! These look like adorable mini apple pies! Perfect for picnics too, I would think! Thank you for sharing with the no waste food challenge 🙂
Camilla
Thanks Elizabeth, they are totally yummy:-)
kathderoet
It doesn’t matter that I have just eaten, I immediately want to make these and serve them with double cream, they look lovely.x
Camilla
Thank you, they were delicious:-)
Joyce
Wow, look so delicious.
Fuss Free Helen
I love these Camilla! So simple but effective. I keep puff pastry in the freezer all the time too as it is so useful.
Camilla
Thank you Helen – love puff pastry:-)
YOLANDA DAVIS
this sounds amazing. I can’t wait to try making it myself.
Camilla
Great – I’m sure you’ll love them:-)
tiggerific1973
Oooh I love marzipan and apples, great combo!
Camilla
Thank you:-)
Margot⚓Coffee & Vanilla
That looks amazing Camilla, I like also the design you have created on the top of them very much!
Oh, and thank you for linking to my apple pies.
Camilla
Aah, thank you so much Margot:-)
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs
These look ADORABLE! So simple yet so effective. They caught my eye on instagram and I think I might need to recreate them. Thanks for sharing!!!
Camilla
Aah, thank you Emma – they really are simple and delicious:-)
Kate @ Veggie Desserts
These look great – second time was definitely the charm! Beautiful!!
Camilla
Thank you Katie – it definitely was second time lucky:-)
Jeanne Horak-Druiff
I am not a huge fan of commercially-produced marzipan, but strangely I do like things made with ground almonds – and this looks fantastic! Love the final 2 pics 🙂
Camilla
Thanks Jeanne – I’m sure you’d like them then as my son is exactly the same:-)