Easy Apple Blackberry Mini Cinnamon Dumplings

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This easy recipe for apple blackberry mini cinnamon steamed dumplings is a delicious dessert that’s perfect for the fall season. This easy stovetop dessert features homemade mini cinnamon dumplings that are irresistibly light and fluffy. With a few simple ingredients, these fruit sauced dumplings offer the right amount of sweetness to satisfy your sweet cravings. This time of year is the perfect time to enjoy this great recipe!

Growing up in the North, surplus apples meant lots of apple recipes in the fall. I loved apple dumplings as a child, and now my kids are hooked on these mini versions, which make for a family favorite. The biscuit dough creates a tender dumpling that pairs perfectly with the fruity compote. 

This recipe is ideal when looking for a comforting and quick apple dessert. The easy apple dumplings are a great addition to any fall meal and an excellent recipe for your next gathering. If you’re looking for a delicious dessert with a lot of liquid, these mini dumplings will satisfy you.

Try my pumpkin bundt cake with chocolate chips if you love tasty fall treats. It’s killer!

spoonful of apple blackberry mini cinnamon dumplings dumpling cut open to show fluffiness

Why You Will Love This Easy Sweet Dumpling Recipe.

Old-Fashioned Appeal: This dessert brings a nostalgic touch with its classic combination of warm, spiced dumplings and fruity compote, evoking the comforting flavors of old-fashioned home cooking. It’s a timeless treat that adds a cozy, homemade feel to any occasion.

Simple and Quick: With easy-to-follow steps and minimal ingredients, this dessert is simple to make, with minimal prep, making it a great option for satisfying your sweet tooth.

Irresistible Flavor Combination: The sweet and tangy mix of apples and blackberries, combined with the warm, spicy notes of cinnamon, creates a perfectly balanced and comforting dessert that’s hard to resist.

Let’s Get Started On These Tasty Fruit Dumplings.

The first part of this recipe is pretty straightforward. We must choose our apples and peel and core them. You can leave the peel on, but it’s a bit chewy when cooked and can detract from the tasty little dumplings in fruit compote.

After you have the apples peeled and cored, cut them into smaller pieces; keeping them uniform ensures they cook at the same speed. We are doing all of the cooking in this recipe in just one Dutch oven. So into the pot goes the apples and rinsed blackberries. We add the water, sugar, and half a teaspoon of cinnamon to the fruit.

Stir it and turn it on to med-high so it can boil. Put the lid on and let it cook while you make the dumplings.

Measure your dry ingredients in a small bowl and stir to blend them well. When baking powder dumplings, you must be careful not to overwork the mixture. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk. Stir it all together and set aside.

We want to check on the fruit. If it looks semi-cooked, so the apples are soft, you can use a masher to smush them up. Notice the lovely berry color imparted to the fruit? Add some water if the whole pot is getting a wee bit dry. Conversely, if you think it looks too wet, let it cook for an additional time until the fruit resembles chunky applesauce. We don’t need soup.

You will now make the mini dumplings by dropping teaspoonfuls onto the fruit. Return the cover once you’ve covered the fruit entirely with dumpling dough. Be sure to have only one layer and leave a tiny space around each dumpling. If you have extra dumpling dough, it’s okay. You can bake it as a biscuit or toss it in the bin.

Return the lid to the Dutch oven and make sure it is closed. The steam created cooks the dumplings, so the cover must sit fully closed while it simmers. At this point, reduce the burner temperature to simmer for fifteen minutes.

After fifteen minutes, remove the lid. The dumplings should appear fully cooked. Serve while warm and enjoy. You can refrigerate and reheat them for breakfast the next day.

Ingredients:

Apples: Some apple varieties are best suited to cooking. In this recipe, I used MacIntosh. Other great cooking varieties are Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Ida Red, and Granny Smith. There are 7,500 varieties of apples in the world. For making applesauce and fruit compote, you are looking for softer apples.

Blackberries: While there may not be as many varieties, there are several. It’s important to note that berries will vary in flavor based on where they grew, how ripe they are, and what variety they are. In this recipe, we simply used cultivated blackberries from the grocery store.

White Sugar: Adds sweetness to the fruit compote and also to the dumpling dough, enhancing the overall flavor and balancing the tartness of the blackberries.

Water: Helps cook the fruit and creates a flavorful sauce, preventing the mixture from drying during simmering.

Cinnamon: Adds a warm, aromatic spice to the fruit compote, complementing the apples and enhancing the overall flavor.

Flour: Forms the base of the dumpling dough, providing structure and a soft texture to the mini dumplings.

Salt:  Balances the sweetness in the fruit compote and the dumplings, enhancing the overall flavor.

Milk: Moistens the dumpling dough, helping to bind the ingredients and create a tender texture

Baking Powder: This agent will help your dumplings be as light as air. Don’t use too much, as it will make the dumplings taste bad. Once, as a small child, I used too much in a recipe, and even our outdoor dog wouldn’t touch them.

spooning up the cinnamon dumplings with apple blackberry compote over the dutch oven

Substitutions And Add-Ins For This Dessert Recipe.

Apples: They can be replaced with other fruits such as pears, plums, peaches, and nectarines. 

Blackberries Can be replaced with pears, currants, or apricots. These substitutions pair well with apples. 

White Sugar: Can be replaced with superfine sugar in the fruit sauce.

Cinnamon: If you don’t have cinnamon, use pumpkin or chai spice for a similar warm spice profile.

All-Purpose Flour: *Leave the same. 

Salt: To reduce sodium, you can use a low-sodium salt or omit it entirely, though this might slightly alter the flavor balance.

Milk: To make the recipe dairy-free, use any non-dairy milk in place of  regular milk.

Baking Powder: If you don’t have baking powder, you can use baking soda with a small amount of cream of tartar (1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar equals one teaspoon baking powder).

recipe card image of the apple blackberry mini cinnamon dumplings

Expert Tips, Serving And Storing Suggestions For This Easy Apple Recipe:

Tip #1: Apples: Before boiling, chop the apples into similar-sized pieces. Otherwise, larger pieces will remain too firm, while others will become mush.

Tip #2: Dumplings: If you want full-size dumplings, drop your dumpling batter by tablespoonfuls. Leave more room around each and change the steam cook time to 20-25 minutes. Peek inside at twenty minutes to see if they are cooked. If they aren’t, return the lid and finish cooking.

Tip #3: Sugar: White sugar is used in the fruit. You can also use ‘fruit sugar’. Check the cooked fruit before adding dumplings to be sure it is sweet enough for your family. Adjust the sugar-to-fruit ratio if needed before adding the dumpling dough.

Apple blackberry mini cinnamon dumplings make for a cozy, delectable dessert that’s perfect year-round. Simply scoop a few of the fluffy little cinnamon dumplings into a bowl with some the sweet sauce and enjoy. These homemade dumplings will surely become a family favorite, whether as a cozy fall or winter dessert or a sweet finish to a family dinner. 

If you’re familiar with steamed dumplings, then you know these fluffy dessert dumplings are best fresh. However, if you have leftover apple dumpling, they can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. Just be sure to let them cool completely before covering. 

Ready to enjoy these delicious apple blackberry mini cinnamon dumplings? Try the recipe and let us know how it turns out! Share experience in the comments below, and remember to rate the recipe. We’d love to hear from you and see how you’ve made it your own!

recipe card image of the apple blackberry mini cinnamon dumplings

Apple Blackberry Mini Cinnamon Dumplings on the Stovetop

Amber Bondar
This easy old fashioned steamed dumpling recipe makes delicious apple blackberry mini cinnamon dumplings the whole family will enjoy. Fruit compote with a dash of cinnamon is served with a few fluffy mini cinnamon dumplings made with baking powder dough. Easy and full of sweet fall flavors!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Canadian
Servings 5
Calories 379 kcal

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven
  • knife
  • Cutting board
  • Tablespoon
  • Teaspoon
  • 2 Mixing Bowls
  • Potato Masher

Ingredients
  

Apple Blackberry Cinnamon Fruit Compote

  • 6 Med Apples Peeled, cored and cut up into small pieces.
  • 1 Cup Blackberries Fresh or frozen
  • 4 Tbsp White Sugar
  • 2 Cups Water *plus a bit if needed -check after fruit is mashed
  • ½ Tsp Cinnamon

Mini Cinnamon Dumplings

  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 4 Tsp Baking Powder
  • 4 Tsp Sugar
  • 1 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Milk

Instructions
 

Apple Blackberry Cinnamon Fruit Compote

  • Wash, peel, core, cut up into smaller uniform size pieces, add to Dutch oven or mixing bowl.
    6 Med Apples
  • Wash blackberries and add to apples.
    1 Cup Blackberries
  • Measure the cinnamon and sugar and add to fruit.
    4 Tbsp White Sugar, ½ Tsp Cinnamon
  • Stir fruit mixture so that the sugar and cinnamon are distributed.
  • Add the fruit to the Dutch oven if not already. Then measure and add water, stir well.
    2 Cups Water
  • Bring to a boil on med-high heat. Reduce heat to simmer for ten minutes while you make dumpling dough.

Mini Cinnamon Dumplings

  • In a small mixing bowl measure all the dry ingredients and mix well.
    2 Cups Flour, 4 Tsp Baking Powder, 4 Tsp Sugar, 1 Tsp Cinnamon, 1 Tsp Salt
  • Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add milk.
    1 Cup Milk
  • Mix only enough to blend into a soft ball of dough.

Cooking together

  • Remove the lid from the fruit. Your apples should be cooked enough to mash with a masher. If you think that it looks like soup continue to cook uncovered for additional five minutes.
  • Your fruit compote should be wet but not soupy before you add the dumplings.
  • At this point check the sugar content of the fruit. Add more sugar as needed to make sweeter to taste.
  • Drop the cinnamon dumpling batter by the teaspoonful onto the surface of the fruit.
  • There should be a single layer of dumplings on the fruit with a small amount of space between each one to allow them to grow.
  • Return the lid to the Dutch oven and simmer for fifteen minutes.
  • Remove the lid. The dumplings will now look glossy and have risen in size. Fruit compote will be bubbling in any areas the dumplings aren't covering.
  • Remove one dumpling to double check for doneness. A finished steamed dumpling will be fluffy and fully cooked inside. A raw dumpling will be doughy on the interior.
  • Serve while hot-warm.
  • Store leftovers in the fridge and reheat or enjoy cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 379kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 437mgPotassium: 381mgFiber: 8gSugar: 41gVitamin A: 262IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 352mgIron: 4mg
Keyword apple, blackberry, dessert, dumpling, sweet breakfast
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