Here’s a question for you – feel like enjoying a classic apple pie, but prefer a single-serve treat? If the answer is ‘yes please,’ then these mini apple pies are just what you need! Baked right in your muffin tin with a tender sugar cookie crust, quick homemade apple filling, and a buttery streusel topping drizzled with caramel, they deliver all the cozy flavors of apple pie in the perfect portion control.
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I’ve been seeing these mini apple pies everywhere! And for good reason: They have all the great taste of a homemade apple pie but are perfectly portioned.
The secret to my irresistible muffin tin apple pies is the not-overly-sweet sugar cookie crust that whips up in minutes. Paired with a quick homemade apple pie filling and finished with a warm drizzle of salted caramel over the buttery streusel topping, these little pies are pure perfection in every bite.
Why You Will Love This Mini Apple Pie Recipe
- Perfect Portion Control: Enjoy all the flavor in a perfectly sized, single-serve treat.
- Quick and Easy: Whip these up quickly with a simple crust and homemade filling.
- Classic Cozy Flavors: All the warmth of apple pie in a mini, caramel-drizzled package.
Simple Ingredients Apple Crisp Cookie Cups
Quick Apple Pie Filling
- Butter | Butter adds to the silky texture of the apples.
- Apples | I prefer green and subtly tart Granny Smith apples, but others, like honey crisp, gala apples, or your favorite apple variety, will also work.
- Brown sugar | Balance the tart green apple with light brown sugar. If desired, use dark brown sugar for a more molasses flavor.
- Spices | Warm the overall taste of the filling with ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
Fresh Tip
- If peeling and slicing your apples ahead of time, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice and toss to coat to keep them from turning brown.
Sugar Cookie Crust
- Butter | Use real butter for the most tender sugar cookie crust.
- Brown Sugar | Adjust the sweetness by adding more or less light brown sugar.
- Egg | I use large eggs in my baking; bring to room temperature.
- Vanilla | I love pure vanilla extract, but if you prefer, you can use almond extract (just ¼ teaspoon) or bourbon vanilla.
- All-Purpose Flour | I like using organic, unbleached flour in baking.
- Salt | Bring out the sweet flavors of the crust with a contrasting pinch of kosher salt.
Crumble Streusel Topping
- Butter | The butter will bind your streusel together, start with it soft and then refrigerate to firm it back up so it doesn’t melt into your apples.
- Flour | Use regular or gluten-free flour if needed.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon: Use light or dark brown sugar, depending on your preference. You can also use cinnamon or try Apple Pie Spice!
- Caramel sauce | Try making homemade salted caramel bourbon sauce!
Mini Pies Shortcut Tips
If you are in a hurry to get these bites of pure comfort food, try these tips:
- Replace the sugar cookie dough with storebought. I’d go for an all-natural or organic brand, personally. Press into muffin tins
- Purchase a quality apple pie filling, Bonne Maman now sells it, but not everywhere.
How to Make Mini Pies
Step 1 | Preheat and Prep
Begin by preheating the oven to 350° F (175° C), then spray a 12-cup cupcake or muffin tin really well with cooking spray.
Fresh Tips
- Make removal easy by generously spraying the pan with baking spray, avoiding paper liners. During testing, things stuck to paper liners. Silicone cupcake liners might work better.
Step 2 | Mix the crumble topping
Use a pastry blender or your hands to mix butter, cinnamon, flour, and light brown sugar in a separate small bowl. Place the crumb topping in the fridge while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Step 3 | Make the apple mixture
Melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add small pieces of apples, brown sugar, and spices to the butter and cook over medium heat for about 7-10 minutes.
Once the apples are tender, remove the filling ingredients from the heat and set aside for later. May be made ahead of time and cooled until ready to assemble.
Step 4 | Combine cookie crust ingredients
Then, beat the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy 2-3 minutes. Add the room-temperature egg and vanilla, beating slightly. Next, add the flour, salt, and mix until just combined.
Step 5 | Assemble the mini apple pies
Spoon two tablespoons of the crust batter into each cupcake tin cup and press with fingers or the back of a spoon to form the crust slightly up the sides of the muffin tin, then add two heaping teaspoons of the apple pie filling mixture.
Step 6 | Bake, cool, and serve!
Bake for about 15 minutes until the tops of the pies are a light golden brown and the cookie crusts are puffed and golden.
Carefully remove the muffin tin from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, loosen the miniature apple pies by gently running a butter knife or tablespoon between the edge of the pies and the tin. Remove the warm apple pies to the cooling rack. Drizzle while warm with caramel sauce.
Enjoy with a creamy scoop of vanilla ice cream and a little more rich caramel!
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Fresh Tips
- Don’t overfill the muffin cups; removing the treats will be challenging.
- Slice the apple pieces into small chunks of the same size to ensure even and thorough cooking.
Don’t you love it when a classic dessert is made mini? Not only are they cuter than ever, but they are just the right size for serving a crowd.
Try these adorable Chocolate French Silk Pies, gooey and warm Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookies, or mini King Cakes easily made with crescent rolls for more delightful miniature desserts like these little pies.
Variations & Substitutions
Gluten-Free Mini Apple Pie Recipe
Swap the all-purpose flour for a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour (I like this one). You can also use almond or oat flour.
Salted Caramel Apple Pies
Add a pinch of kosher salt to the topping mixture, then sprinkle the tops of the pies with flaky sea salt after drizzling with the caramel when you’re ready to serve. You can also buy a salted caramel sauce and use it instead of classic caramel.
Lattice Crusted Mini Apple Pie
Make a little more sugar cookie dough (or buy storebought), roll it out, slice strips of cookie dough, and weave them together to create a lattice on top of the mini pies.
Miniature Apple Pies with Flaky Classic Crust
Use store-bought pie crust (or homemade pie crust) instead of the sugar cookie crust for a more traditional take on muffin-tin apple pies. Roll out the flaky pie crust on a lightly floured surface, use a round cookie cutter, and press into muffin tins.
High Altitude Mini Apple Pies
The only portion I needed to adjust for these perfect mini pies was the flour in the sugar cookie crust. I found that adding just 2 tablespoons of additional flour for pies at 5000 feet above sea level worked well. Bake at 375° F (190° C) 12-14 minutes.
Your dough should be the consistency of regular sugar cookie dough, so if it’s too sticky, add a little extra flour a few teaspoons at a time.
Recommended Tools
- I love these Muffin Tins – made in the USA!
- This pastry cutter makes quick work of the streusel.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you use apples for baked goods, the type will affect the overall texture and flavor. Crisper apples and slightly tart apples work better for apple pie, preventing the filling from being overly soft and mushy.
Granny Smith apples and Honeycrisps are a popular pick. Their sweet-tart flavor is also preferred to avoid an overly sweet dessert with a balance of flavors.
Cooking the apples before adding to the pie to bake depends on your preference. For these mini pies though we need to pre-cook the apple pie filling, so that they will be soft after baking.
If you prefer, you can prebake the mini apple pie cookie crusts. Bake until puffed, but not golden, about 5 minutes. Then using a tamper or back of spoon, press down to form a “cup” add your apple pie filling and streusel topping and bake until golden.
Storage Tips
Room Temperature: Mini apple pies can be kept at room temperature for up to two days in an airtight container or plastic wrap.
Refrigeration: After allowing the pies to cool completely, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Freezing: These mini apple pies freeze well for up to three months. First, freeze them on a tray or cookie sheet, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Reheating: Warm the thawed pies in the microwave for 30 seconds or in the oven at 325°F (165°C) for about 5 minutes.
What to Serve with Mini Muffin Pan Apple Pies
For picture-perfect pies, be sure not to overfill the muffin tin!
Best Drinks to Serve with Apple Pie
Enjoy these mini apple pies with a delicious drink! You would love it with a White Hot Chocolate, this Christmas morning chai, and these great drinks:
More Fun Twists on Classic Apple Pie
- Gluten-Free Apple Pie
- Old Fashioned Apple Crisp
- Air Fryer Apple Crisp Recipe
- Caramel Apple Dump Cake Recipe
- Apple Crumb Cake
More from The Fresh Cooky
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Muffin Tin Mini Apple Pies (with Cookie Crust)
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Ingredients
Streusel Crumb Topping
- 3 tablespoons butter room temperature
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour may replace with GF flour
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ – 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Apple Pie Filling
- 2 tablespoons Butter room temperature
- 2 cups Granny Smith apples peeled, chopped same size. Or Honeyscrisp
- 2 tablespoons light Brown Sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
Sugar Cookie Crust
- ¼ cup Butter room temperature
- ½ -1 cup light Brown Sugar packed, use the greater amount for sweeter pies, I used ½ cup and it was plenty
- 1 large Egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose Flour I used unbleached, increase by 2 Tablespoons for high altitude
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch kosher salt
- Caramel Sauce for drizzling after baking
Instructions
Make Streusel Crumble Topping
- In a small bowl, mix the butter, cinnamon, flour and brown sugar together with a pastry blender or by hand. Place in fridge until ready to use.
Make Apple Pie Filling
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C), and spray a standard cupcake/muffin tin with cooking spray. Do not use paper liners because they will stick. If using silicone liners, spray well.
- Make quick apple pie filling; in a small sauce pan, melt the butter and add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook for about 5-10 minutes over medium heat until apples are tender. Remove apples to cool slightly.2 tablespoons Butter, 2 cups Granny Smith apples, 2 tablespoons light Brown Sugar, ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
Make the Sugar Cookie Crust
- In a mixing bowl, cream (mix well) the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Set aside.Note: If the dough is super soft and sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons additional flour, but don't overmix. Then press into sprayed muffin tins and refrigerate or freeze for 10 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.¼ cup Butter, ½ -1 cup light Brown Sugar, 1 large Egg, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 1 ¼ cups all-purpose Flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, pinch kosher salt
Assemble the Mini Caramel Apple Pies
- Place mini apple pies in the preheated oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until tops are slightly golden brown.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the cupcake pan. Use a butter knife to loosen the edges before removing and then a spoon to ease them onto a cooling rack, drizzle with warm caramle sauce. Serve warm, and enjoy with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce!Caramel Sauce
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Notes
High Altitude Mini Apple Pies
The only portion I needed to adjust for these perfect mini pies was the flour in the sugar cookie crust. I found that adding just 2 tablespoons of additional flour for pies at 5000 feet above sea level worked well. Bake at 375° F (190° C) 12-14 minutes. Your dough should be the consistency of regular sugar cookie dough, so if it’s too sticky, add a little extra flour a few teaspoons at a time and if necessary chill for 10 minutes in muffin tin before baking. Variations & Substitutions Gluten-Free Mini Apple Pie Recipe | Swap the all-purpose flour for a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour (I like this one). Feel free to use almond flour or oat flour too. Salted Caramel Apple Pies | Add a pinch of kosher salt to the topping mixture, then sprinkle the tops of the pies with flaky sea salt after drizzling with the caramel when you’re ready to serve. You can also buy a salted caramel sauce. Lattice Crusted Mini Apple Pie | Make 1 ½ x sugar cookie dough, roll out the dough, slice strips of cookie dough, then weave, creating a lattice on the top of the mini pies. Mini Apple Pies with Flaky Classic Crust | For a more traditional take on muffin-tin apple pies, Use store-bought pie crust (or homemade pie crust) instead of the sugar cookie crust. Roll out the flaky pie crust on a lightly floured surface, use a round cookie cutter, and press into muffin tins.Storage Tips
Room Temperature: Mini apple pies can be kept at room temperature for up to two days in an airtight container or plastic wrap. Refrigeration: After allowing the pies to cool completely, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Freezing: These mini apple pies freeze well for up to three months. First, freeze them on a tray or cookie sheet, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. Reheating: Warm the thawed pies in the microwave for 30 seconds or in the oven at 325°F (165°C) for about 5 minutes.Nutrition
Tasia
So much to love, sugar cookie crust, mini size and all the apple spices! These mini apple pies were perfect for sharing at my auction meeting this week, everyone loved them!
Thank you so so much Tasia!!!
Celia
Do you add the streusel topping then bake ? It’s not mentioned in the recipe at least I don’t see it? Just checking
Yes add the streusel topping then bake sorry about that! I fixed it in the recipe card too!
michelle
made these the other day and the cookie didn’t get cooked so essentially its dough. I’m going to try another way since I have left over cuz I had a lot of apples and doubled the recipe. these are going to be apple pie cookies.
So sorry to hear that Michelle, did you chill the dough ahead of time?
Shunti
Have you tried this with store bought sugar cookie dough?
I have not, but it really should work. Try it and let me know!
Hettie
I love this recipe and plan to make it for my daughter’s rehearsal dinner dessert board. Do they freeze well? And if I make them in muffin papers, do you think the paper will peel away easily? Thanks!
Hi Hettie, congratulations first off. They do not peel away well from muffin papers. I tested that and because of the caramel they stick pretty badly.
Maybe if you purchase more of a parchment non-stick style cup they might work? I’d say make a test batch, trying some different papers. And also try freezing them to make sure you like how they thaw. Let me know how it goes.
Eliza
These are the ultimate mini apple pies. The flavors are so yummy, and I love that they can be easily made in a muffin tin. That drizzle of caramel sauce takes them over the top!
Thank you so much, Eliza!