These Caramel Apple Pie Cookie Cups have a snickerdoodle cookie base and are filled with caramel and apple pie filling!
Quick Tips
- I love using canned dulce de leche for these, but you can also use a mixture of baking caramels and cream to achieve a good caramel consistency (or make your own dulce de leche!)
- Be sure to cut your apples into smaller cubes 1-2 centimeters, so that they fill the small cookie cups properly
- Use a piping bag to add the dollop of caramel (or dulce de leche) to the bottom of the cookie cup and to drizzle it on top
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Saucepan
- Silicone spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Peeler
- Muffin tin
- Piping bags (optional)
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Apples– any harder apple like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Granny Smith apples with work!
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar– dark brown sugar is OK too
- Ground cinnamon– used in the cookie cups and in the apple pie filling
- All-purpose flour– used in the cookie cups and for thickening the apple pie filling
- Egg
- Unsalted butter– salted is OK too
- Cream of tartar
- Vanilla extract
- Dulce de leche – I prefer to use canned dulce de leche, but you can also make your own!
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How to make Caramel Apple Pie Cookie Cups
These Caramel Apple Pie Cookie Cups are the perfect fall treat and can be made in three simple steps.
- Make the cookie cups
- Make the apple pie filling
- Assemble the Caramel Apple Pie Cookie Cups
How to make the cookie cups
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a medium-large mixing bowl and mix with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla extract, egg, cream of tartar, cinnamon and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl once complete.
Lastly, add the flour in two portions, mixing after each addition. Scrape down the bowl once complete.
In a separate bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon that will be used for topping the cookie dough.
Grab some cookie dough and form a 2-3-inch ball. Toss the ball in the sugar mixture and completely coat it. Then press it into the bottom of a well greased (or silicone) muffin tin (pictured below).
Repeat the step above until all of the muffin wells are filled (should make about 15 total cookie cups).
Bake the cookie cups for 15-20 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, use a tablespoon measuring spoon or a regular spoon to make indents in each cookie, forming your cookie cups.
Set the cookie cups aside to cool (do not yet remove them from the pan).
How to make the apple pie filling
Peel the apples and dice them into 1-2 centimeter cubes.
Add the peeled and diced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon to a medium saucepan and cook it on medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
Continuing stirring and cooking until the apples have softened and the mixture has thickened (7-10 minutes). Remove them from heat and set aside.
How to assemble the Caramel Apple Pie Cookie Cups
Remove the cookie cups from the muffin tin once they have cooled.
Place the dulce de leche in a piping bag or ziploc bag. Trim the corner of the piping bag to form a small opening, then pipe a 1 teaspoon dollop of dulce de leche in the bottom of each cookie cup.
Spoon the apple pie filling on top of the dulce de leche, filling each cookie cup to the top.
Drizzle more dulce de leche over the top of each cookie cup if desired.
Store these in the fridge and enjoy chilled or at room temperature.
Try these other fall recipes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can! This caramel will be a little runnier, so it might leak out of the cookie cups once you take a bite of it. You can also use dulce de leche or melted baking caramels mixed with a little heavy cream.
Any harder apple will work for this recipe. I like to use Honey Crisp, Pink Lady or Granny Smith Apples.
Caramel Apple Pie Cookie Cups
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use convection bake if you have it.
- Place softened butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a medium-large mixing bowl and mix with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract, egg, cream of tartar, cinnamon and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl once complete.
- Add the flour in two portions, mixing after each addition. Scrape down the bowl once complete.
- In a separate bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon that will be used for topping the cookie dough.
- Grab some cookie dough and form a 2-3-inch ball. Toss the ball in the sugar mixture and completely coat it. Then press it into the bottom of a well greased muffin tin (see photo above).
- Repeat the step above until all of the muffin wells are filled (should make about 15 total cookie cups).
- Bake the cookie cups for 15-20 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.
- Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, use a tablespoon measuring spoon or a regular spoon to make indents in each cookie, forming your cookie cups.
- Set the cookie cups aside to cool (do not yet remove them from the pan).
- Peel the apples and dice them into 1-2 centimeter cubes.
- Add the peeled and diced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon to a medium saucepan and cook it on medium-low heat, stirring constantly.
- Continuing stirring and cooking until the apples have softened and the mixture has thickened (7-10 minutes). Remove them from heat and set aside.
- Remove the cookie cups from the muffin tin once they have cooled.
- Place the dulce de leche in a piping bag or ziploc bag. Trim the corner of the piping bag to form a small opening, then pipe a 1 teaspoon dollop of dulce de leche in the bottom of each cookie cup.
- Spoon the apple pie filling on top of the dulce de leche, filling each cookie cup to the top.
- Drizzle more dulce de leche over the top of each cookie cup if desired.
- Store these in the fridge and enjoy chilled or at room temperature.
Ckock says
These were a big hit!
I made them in mini muffin tins and added chopped nuts to the top.
I like nuts on my caramel apples.
Jackie says
so glad that you enjoyed them! Adding chopped nuts is a great idea
Eva Dankers says
How long did you bake them in the mini muffin cups?
Jackie says
I have not tried them in mini muffin tins, but I would at least lower the baking time by 10 minutes and check every few minutes after that.