The Unexpected Soda Ree Drummond Uses To Modernize Old School Apple Dumplings

Food and television personality Ree Drummond has long been a source for easy food hacks and accessible recipes, ever since she published her first post on The Pioneer Woman. Who doesn't love her plastic bag hack for omelettes, which not only gives you delightfully tender eggs, but also makes cleanup a breeze? Or her simple seasoning trick for saltine crackers, which involves using Italian seasoning to elevate them with little to no effort. And when it comes to dessert, her secret weapon is an unlikely ingredient you can find anywhere: a can of Mountain Dew.

Drummond's recipe for apple dumplings is simple enough: Wrap apple slices in canned crescent rolls and then top them with a mixture of butter, sugar, and vanilla. The unexpected part is that she pops open a can of Mountain Dew next and pours the whole thing into her dish before popping it into the oven. As unusual as it might seem, it looks like the soda does a lot of work in the recipe, with the dumplings coming out of the oven soaked in a decadent syrupy glaze. It's a tip that deserves to be among the most creative ways to cook with soda, and the dumplings are so easy to make that they could very well become part of your regular dessert rotation at home.

The secret to Ree Drummond's apple dumplings lies in Mountain Dew's flavor — as long as it's the regular variety. Drummond calls it lemon-lime pop in her recipe video posted on Food Network's Facebook page, while the soda's label lists concentrated orange juice among its ingredients; either way, its flavors are based around citrus, which famously goes well with butter. The acidity balances out the richness of butter, brightening the overall palate without losing the creamy, nutty, and fatty flavors that butter brings.

As the dumplings bake, excess water in the soda evaporates, turning the liquid into more of a syrup. This, combined with the melting sugar-butter mixture, creates a glaze-like sauce that elevates the apple dumplings in the same way a splash of lemon juice makes apple pie so much better. The tang from the citrus flavors provides contrast to the sweetness in the fruit and sugar, keeping the dessert from being too cloyingly sweet. Once everything's done baking, you'll be left with warm, sticky-sweet apple dumplings that go perfectly with a scoop of ice cream.

If you're feeling adventurous, you could also try making the dumplings with some of the seven different Mountain Dew flavors we ranked from worst to best and figure out which one works best for you. Just avoid low or zero sugar varieties, the recipe won't be the same without the sugar from the soda.