You know that feeling when your favorite dish suddenly vanishes from a restaurant menu? It’s frustrating, right?
Even worse is when you never really find out why it was taken away. Well, if you were a fan of Cracker Barrel’s apple dumplings, we’ve got some inside scoop for you.
The Real Reason Behind the Disappearance: Could It Be the Calories?
A former Cracker Barrel employee recently spilled the beans on TikTok, explaining why the beloved apple dumplings disappeared from the menu. According to @theharpsichord, the reason is all about calories.
When Cracker Barrel had to start listing nutritional information on their menus, they realized just how calorie-packed those apple dumplings were—and it wasn’t a number they wanted to flaunt.
In the video, which has already racked up over 59,000 views, the former employee shared:
“Sometimes I randomly think about how I used to work at Cracker Barrel, and when they were forced to put all the nutritional info and calories on the menus, they had to take apple dumplings off because it had so many calories.”
She hinted that the calorie count was so shockingly high that the company decided to quietly pull the dessert rather than deal with the backlash.
How Did Fans React? Spoiler: There Was Outrage!
“They were like, ‘We can’t admit to that,’ and there was outrage when the apple dumplings were taken off. I mean outrage,” she added.
It seems that the dumplings were so popular that it became a bit of an unspoken rule among staff—don’t mention the apple dumplings.
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What Made Cracker Barrel’s Apple Dumplings So Special?
For those who might not be familiar, Cracker Barrel’s apple dumplings were the stuff of dessert dreams: a warm, apple-filled pastry topped with a sweet streusel and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
While they’ve been recreated by many home bakers and recipe bloggers, nothing quite compares to the original.
According to My Food Diary, a single serving with ice cream clocked in at around 1,700 calories—a number that might have left even the biggest sweet tooth in shock.
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Cracker Barrel’s Take: Will We Ever Get a Straight Answer?
Cracker Barrel hasn’t officially commented on the TikTok revelation, but a company executive did mention to Southern Living that they occasionally remove menu items to make way for new dishes. However, for many, the loss of the apple dumpling still stings.
Why Are Calories on Menus Anyway?
In case you’re wondering why calories started showing up on menus in the first place, it’s all thanks to a 2018 FDA regulation.
Restaurants with 20 or more locations are required to provide nutritional info for their offerings, and it has to be easy to find and understand.
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What Are Fans Saying Now? The Dumpling Love Lives On!
Unsurprisingly, the apple dumplings have left a lasting impression on many. “I think about the apple dumpling all the time,” one commenter shared. “That toasted pecan topping. I got one every day after my shift!”
Another reminisced, “They also used to have bread pudding with a caramel pecan sauce. Probably the same reason. But omg that Coca-Cola cake has got to be high too!”
Yet another added, “Man, I was so sad when they took it off, but we always split it between about 5 people because it was so big.”
So, while we may never get those delicious dumplings back, at least we now know why they disappeared—and maybe that’s just enough to spark some kitchen experiments at home.