These Caramel Apple Cookie Cups are like mini homemade apple pies in cookie form! Chewy cinnamon brown sugar cookies are baked in a cup shape and filled with homemade caramel sauce and soft cinnamon apples! The perfect fall dessert!
Cookie cups are such a great treat. They’re a fun spin on classic cookies that allow you to add more textures, layers and flavors to cookies with ease. All you have to do is spoon your favorite fillings into a deliciously chewy vessel that was just as easy to make as a basic cookie.
And these particular cookie cups are perfect as we move into fall. The cookies themselves are moist and tender, the apples are soft and tender, and the salted caramel sauce is always a hit. The whole thing is spiced with some cinnamon and nutmeg and the final cookie is heavenly. The prefect cross between cookie and pie!
These cookies are great served warm or at room temperature. The caramel will be more melty the warmer they are, which can get messy but is also delicious. Having them closer to room temperature gives a gooey texture without them being too melty.
What You’ll Need
Without further ado, let’s get into the ingredients you’ll need to make these festive fall cookies happen.
For the Cookie Cups
- All-Purpose Flour: Be sure to measure accurately so that you don’t end up with a dry cookie. I personally use a food scale, but if you don’t have one, you can use the scoop and level method.
- Baking Soda: For the ultimate chewy cookie.
- Cinnamon: For extra spice and fall flavor.
- Cornstarch: This helps create a tender texture.
- Salt: For flavor.
- Unsalted Butter: You’ll want this to be at room temperature so that it will cream properly with the sugars.
- Brown & White Sugars: The combination gives the best of both moisture and flavor.
- Egg: Make sure it’s large in size. Eggs help bind everything together.
- Vanilla Extract: For flavor.
For the Caramel Apple Topping
- Caramel Sauce: You can make this while the cookies bake and cool, or you could even make it ahead. It stores well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Diced Apples: I recommend Granny Smith apples. The tart flavor compliments the sweetness of the cookie and they stay a little more crunchy when cooked.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: The perfect spices for apples!
- Brown Sugar: To coat the apples a bit and add a touch of sweetness.
- Butter: Adds moisture to the pan and adds flavor.
Each component of these lovely apple cookies is super easy to pull off. And putting everything together is so satisfying!
Make the Cookies
- Prep for Baking: Coat a cupcake pan with non-stick cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cream Butter & Sugars: Cream the butter and sugars together for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Egg & Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Add all of the the dry ingredients mixture and mix until well combined. The dough will be thick.
- Form Cookie Cups: Make balls of about 2 tablespoons of dough. Press the dough into the bottom and about halfway up the sides of each cupcake divot, forming a cup shape.
- Bake: Bake the cookie cups for 10-12 minutes.
- Let Cool: Remove your cookies from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. If the centers aren’t cupped enough to add the fillings, use the end of a wooden spoon or the bottom of a tablespoon to press the centers down a bit.
Make the Caramel Sauce and Apples
- Prepare Caramel: Make the caramel sauce according to the instructions in the recipe linked in the ingredients section. Allow the caramel to cool to about room temperature or a bit warmer. If you’ve made it in advance, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature while the cookies are cooling.
- Cook Apples: Combine apple ingredients in a pan over the stove and cook until fork tender, then let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Assemble
- Add Caramel to Cookies: Add about half a tablespoon of caramel sauce to each cookie cup.
- Add Cooked Apples: Divide the apples between the cookie cups, about a large tablespoon of apples per cookie. Drizzle additional caramel sauce on top, if desired.
- Serve: I recommend serving these a little warm. The gooey caramel and warm apples are delicious!
Tips for Success
These simple suggestions will help guide you through the process of making these cookies. Don’t forget to give them a read!
- Use Tart, Firm Apples: Any time you’re cooking apples with cinnamon and sugar, it’s a good idea to pick an apple variety on the tarter and firmer side. Tart apples won’t get overly sweet amid the sugar and caramel, and firm apples will not become soggy when cooked. Granny Smith, Gala and Pink Lady are all great options.
- Don’t Skimp on the Creaming Time: A well-creamed butter and sugar mixture acts as the base for your cookie dough, so you definitely don’t want to skimp on the creaming time. Keep on beating until the mixture lightens in color and texture.
- Cook the Apples to Your Preferred Softness: The longer you cook the apples, the softer they’ll become. You can always spoon out an apple chunk, let it cool and test it to know whether or not they’re ready.
- Add the Apples to Individual Servings: Rather than adding your apple topping to all of the cookies at once, you can spoon it on as you serve them. If you end up having extras, it’s better to store the apples separately and warm them up as you serve them.
Serving Suggestions
Want to add even more yumminess to your caramel apple cookies? Try one of these simple serving ideas.
- Top with Whipped Cream: My easy Homemade Whipped Cream is the ultimate topper for any treat, including these apple pie cookie cups. You only need 3 ingredients to make it!
- Serve with Ice Cream: Enjoying these cookies warm with some creamy vanilla ice cream on the side is always a great idea. This is definitely my preferred serving method for a holiday – it takes it up a notch!
- Add Chopped Nuts: Topping your cookies with chopped pecans or walnuts is a wonderful way to add crunch and flavor. You can toast the nuts first if you’d like.
These cookies should be stored in an airtight container. You can either keep them at room temperature for up to 24 hours, or in the fridge for 3-4 days. The apples can be refrigerated separately for easy reheating, if you like. You can warm up each cookie in the microwave for 5-10 seconds, then warm up the apples and top the cookies. Alternatively, if they are fully assembled, you can heat them up for 5-10 seconds.
Can I Freeze These?
While these cookies are freezer-friendly with the caramel on top, I don’t recommend freezing your cooked apple slices. Their texture won’t be the same after they thaw, so I suggest whipping them up just before serving.
To freeze the cookies, place them into a freezer-safe container with a sheet of parchment or wax paper in between each layer to avoid sticking. Thaw them out in the fridge and serve. Freeze for up to one month.
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- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 18-20
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Caramel Apple Cookie Cups are like mini homemade apple pies in cookie form! Chewy cinnamon brown sugar cookies are baked in a cup shape and filled with homemade caramel sauce and soft cinnamon apples! The perfect fall dessert!
Ingredients
For the Cookie Cups
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour (measured accurately)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cups (168g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (112g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Caramel Apple Topping
- 1 recipe caramel sauce
- 3 cups (320g) diced apples (2–3 Granny Smith apples)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp (28g) light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Spray a cupcake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cornstarch and salt. Set aside.
- Add the butter and sugars to a large mixer bowl and beat for 2-3 minutes, until light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined, but don’t over mix. The cookie dough will be thick.
- Makes balls of about 2 tablespoons of dough. Press cookie dough in bottom and about 1/2 way up the sides of each cupcake cup, forming a cup shape.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookie cups are lightly golden around the edges.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling. If the centers aren’t cupped enough to add filling, use the end of a wooden spoon or the bottom of a tablespoon to press the center down a bit while they are still warm and fresh out of the oven.
- While the cookies bake and cool, make the caramel sauce according to the instructions. Allow to cool to about room temperature.
- When the cookies and caramel sauce have cooled, make the apples. Add the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and butter to a pan and cook for about 10 minutes, or until just fork tender. Remove from heat to cool for about 5-10 minutes.
- To assemble the cookie cups, add about half a tablespoon of caramel sauce to each cookie cup.
- Divide the apples between the cookie cups, about a large tablespoon of apples per cookie. Drizzle additional caramel sauce on top, if desired. Serve.
- I recommend serving the cookies slightly warm. You can also refrigerate them and then bring them back to room temperature to serve, or heat them up for 5-10 seconds. You don’t need to heat them too much – the caramel sauce melts quickly. You can also store the cookies with the caramel in them in the fridge and the apples separately and then reheat individually before serving. Cookie cups should be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours or in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie Cup
- Calories: 283
- Sugar: 21.5 g
- Sodium: 81.6 mg
- Fat: 16.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.7 g
- Protein: 2.2 g
- Cholesterol: 52.6 mg
Keywords: apple cookies, caramel cookies, apple pie cookies
Categories
More Festive Apple Dessert Ideas
Apple desserts are obligatory for fall, and the following recipes are the best of the best! You have to try them out next.
- Easy Caramel Apple Cheesecake
- Homemade Apple Pie
- Easy Apple Cobbler
- Caramel Apple Cupcakes
- Easy Apple Crisp
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My boyfriend and I baked these tonight and they were stunning, so good !!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
can this be made gluten free?
I would imagine they could be. You should be able to use an all purpose gluten-free flour. I’m not super familiar with baking gluten-free so I’m not sure what else needs to be changed. But I imagine those substitutions would be available.