My 5-Ingredient Peach Dumplings Couldn’t Be Easier To Make

While I grew up eating my fair share of chicken and dumplings, I did not grow up eating apple dumplings. That is until my mother discovered a shortcut recipe that used canned crescent rolls and a can of soda. Warm and gooey from the oven and super sweet, we’d top the little makeshift dumplings with vanilla ice cream and dig in.

These days, I lean less cloying and more balanced in my dessert choices. I love the idea of dumplings all year long, and peaches are the obvious candidate. However, they don’t lend themselves to the full dumpling treatment—whole, cored fruit wrapped in buttery pastry—since it’s nearly impossible to core a peach without making a gigantic mess. So I took the shortcut dumpling recipe and heavily tweaked it to match up with my adult tastes, swapping the crescent rolls for puff pastry and the soda for peach nectar or juice.

The result is a dessert that’s easy to make, full of delicious textures and flavors, and requires just five ingredients. It’s my new summer favorite!

Choosing Your Fruit

I recommend seeking out good peaches that are ripe but not so juicy they fall apart when you slice them. Freestone peaches are easier for this recipe, but any kind will do, including yellow or white peaches. I am lazy and leave the peel on—no one seems to notice—but you can peel them if you like. Nectarines work equally well, as do plums, which add a tarter flavor, depending on the variety.

Double It for a Crowd

If you’re feeding a crowd, you can easily double this recipe. Use a 9x13-inch pan and double the ingredients, using both puff pastry sheets in a standard package. The cooking time will remain the same. Some people may want just one dumpling, perhaps with a scoop of ice cream, while others will eat two. Even if everyone wants two, you can serve nine people with a double recipe.

Peach Delights

• Peach Upside Down Cake With Buttermilk
• Peach Frangipane Puff Pastry Tarts
• Peach Crumb Bars
• Peach Cobbler

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Make the sauce:

Add the butter to an 8-inch square pan, a 9-inch round pan, or an equivalent glass or ceramic baking dish. Place in the preheating oven until the butter melts, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully tilt the pan so the bottom and halfway up the sides are greased. Add the brown sugar and stir until it is melty. It’s OK if the mixture looks separated and grainy.

Prepare the peaches:

If desired, peel the peaches. Slice into 1-inch thick slices. Depending on the size of your peaches, you will likely get 6 to 8 slices per peach.

Make the dumplings:

Unfold the puff pastry and cut it into 9 equal squares/rectangles. Grab a square and press it with your fingers to make it into a more even square shape, if needed. Wet a pastry brush or your finger with water and paint the outside 1/2 inch of the square. Place two slices of peach in the center, then fold over each corner so they meet and make a square parcel. Press the edges of the pastry together to seal.

Add the dumpling to the pan, spooning sauce over the top. The sealed edge goes upward. Repeat with the remaining dumplings, spacing them evenly in the pan. If you have leftover peach slices, dice and scatter them in between the dumplings.

Add the juice and bake:

Pour the nectar or juice into the corners of the pan, avoiding the tops of the dumplings. The liquid should reach about halfway up the dumplings, so only use as much as you need.

Bake until the tops of the pastry are browned and the sauce is bubbling and thickened, 40 to 50 minutes. The dumplings will likely open to reveal the peach slices inside, and that’s okay!

Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving warm, topped with any extra sauce.

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day, or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the oven or microwave.

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