These Apple Crisp Cookie Cups combine classic oatmeal cookies with homemade apple pie filling for the perfect comfort food.
I am eternally grateful to friends and family members who help me come up with recipe ideas. Sometimes I have a list of things I want to bake, but inevitably that runs out and then, in a panic, I ask people for suggestions.
The idea for these Apple Crisp Cookie Cups came from my friend Sharai who loved my Caramel Cookie Cups so much that she wanted to come up with alternatives that I could make and she could eat. Who am I to say no to that?
I know apples and apple pie are technically more of a fall dessert, but really there’s no bad time for apple pie anything. These apple crisp cookie cups are really simple to make. I used my favourite Oatmeal Cookie recipe, minus the chocolate chips as the “crust”.
I used a large cookie scoop to portion the dough into grease muffin tins, baked them up, and then pressed a small container into the center of each one once they were out of the oven. This needs to be done while the cookies are still HOT, so be careful not to burn yourself.
The apple pie filling is really easy too — chop up some apples, throw them into a pot with some ingredients and cook until tender. You’ll want to cool the cookies and the apple pie filling completely before assembly. I made both the day before, but you could make them all in the same day as long as everything cools.
I topped some of these with a simple sugar glaze, but you could use whipped cream or even ice cream if you prefer. Or just eat them straight up like I did.
I recommend microwaving the cookie cups for a few seconds so you get that fresh baked apple crisp taste and texture. The kids are sure to love these. Bite sized and delicious!
You will love these Apple Crisp Cookie Cups. They are delicious any time of year!
Be sure to check out my other cookie cup recipes!
Notes & tips for these Apple Crisp Cookie Cups:
- The cookie part will soften over time as it sits with the filling.
- The drizzle is optional, but adds another hit of sweetness.
- These freeze very well! Store in fridge for up to 5 days or in freezer (in an airtight container) for 1-2 months.
- Best served warm. I recommend microwaving them for 10-15 seconds to heat up!
Apple Crisp Cookie Cups
INGREDIENTS
Apple Pie Filling:
- 6 cups Granny Smith apples 4-5 apples, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch salt
- 2 cups water
Oatmeal Cookie Cups:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups rolled oats
Sugar Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp water
INSTRUCTIONS
Apple Pie Filling:
- Toss apples and lemon juice in a medium bowl, set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugars, cornstarch, and spices. Pour in water. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Cook for 2 minutes. Add apples, bring back to a boil. Simmer until tender (10-15mins). Cool completely.
Oatmeal Cookie Cups:
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition, and beat on high for 1 minute. Add vanilla.
- Turn mixer to low and add flour mixture, mix until combined. Add oats and mix until just combined.
Spray 2 regular sized muffin tins with cooking spray. Using a large cookie scoop (3 Tbsp) scoop dough into muffin tins, press down and push up the sides to create cups.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cookie cups for approx. 15mins or until browned and mostly set.
- Remove from oven and (if needed) immediately use a small jar or container to press firmly down in the center to create a well. Cool in pans for 15mins, then place on wire rack to cool completely.
Assembly:
- Using a tablespoon, fill each cookie cup with apple pie filling. Drizzle with sugar glaze if desired.
The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.
Hi Olivia The Caramel Apple Oatmeal cookies sound delish! What is the shelf life for them? I bake cookies & brownies for 2 shops near me and I seal them in food grade bags, usually 3 cookies per bag ( bags are 4 3/4″
x 6 3/4″ 3mil bags) The clientele prefer a soft rather than crunchy cookie. Also what size /weight is each cookie
approximately? Thanks so much for your reply and TERRIFIC recipes. Susie
Can u use a mini pan?if so how much dough?
Hi Lynda! I’ve never used a mini pan myself, but it should work. Try it with 2 tsp of dough maybe?
I’ve made them in the MINI pan – Love that size! LOVE the Cookie Cups. I’m making them again for a Desert Party for a friend…cause they are That Good. No Chocolate Chips..don’t need them.
Think I’ll make the cups ahead of time and filling the day of the party.
Hi Maureen! So happy to head that you liked these 🙂
I just tried these with my kids. Observations: The cookie cup itself is very tasty. We just need to refine the shaping and removing. Ours were too thick on the bottom and too thin on the sides. Several sides cracked off as we removed them. Definitely would chill the dough next time. I’m intrigued by the suggestion to mold them onto the bottom of the muffin tins and may try that next time.
Hi Bobbi! Sorry to hear some cracked on you, but glad you liked them! 🙂
3 tbsp of cookie dough per tin was WAY too much. they all “popped” up and it was messy and not good…I’ve made cookie cups before and this was a nightmare. The apple recipe smells good – but I would just recommend not using 3tbsp 🙂
Hi Monica, 3Tbsp of cookie dough is the correct amount for a standard cupcake tin, which is what the recipe calls for. Perhaps you used a mini cupcake tin? Sorry it didn’t work out for you!
Could you bake the cups on the back side of the muffin tin? The cups would be formed while baking. I’ve never tried this before.
Hi Kim! I’ve never done it this way so I’m not sure if it would work out.
Do the leftovers need to eat refrigerated? I’m making them ahead of time as a Christmas treat.
Hi Kristi! Ideally, yes. Pop them in the fridge if making in advance and take out 1 hour or so before serving. I actually recommend microwaving them for a fresh-out-of-the-oven kinda taste 🙂
Made these & they were delicious. Will say they are big & quite filling. Doubled the recipe & got 48 exactly. They were quite time consuming. Took 5 hours but, again, I did make a double batch & I only had 1 pan to use. I did however use a “gold” muffin pan. No spraying & they came right out without any sticking.
I’m so glad you liked these! I will have to look into that “gold” muffin pan! 😮
Made these yesterday and my husband declared they are his new favorite dessert!!! Had a little apple filling left over after filling 24 cups so I saved it to put over morning oatmeal…..SO GOOD!!! Thank you for the great recipe!
Ohhh good call about the oatmeal! I’m so glad you guys liked these 😀
Hi Olivia! I have my cookie cups in the fridge right now. It made 17 not 24. I used the 3 Tbsp scoop. Anyway, they look good so far 😉. My filling was a bit runny so I heated it up again and added some more cornstarch with water and cooked it some more. I will assemble them tomorrow at my sisters place for Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to try them. I may add a bit of cinnamon to the sugar glaze because I love cinnamon!
Yay!! Let me know how you like them 😀
It took 4 hrs to make 36. They turned out perfect. You need the right cup to press. I used oatmeal raisin pre maid cookie dough. I maid my own apple filling. Topped with Carmel and icing.
They look wonderful. I am wondering if they could be made with packaged oatmeal cookie dough. Has
anyone tried that?
Hi Helen! That should work just fine, I don’t see why not!
I love all you cookies the Apple and peanut butter are the best
So glad to hear that! 🙂
Has anyone had trouble removing the cups from the pan once done? I am thinking about making these & I have made similar recipes & even though I thoroughly sprayed the pan my cups stuck & broke when I tried to take them out.
Hi Elaine! The dough for these is a bit firm due to all the oats, so I hope you don’t have any issues taking them out! My process is typically to press down to make the cups, leave them for 5-10mins, then go around and twist and loosen each one (I mostly just do this to make sure they aren’t stuck), then I leave them in there until they’re stiff enough to remove.
Me as well. Was wondering if I should have let them cool a bit before of seeing them down. Well.oiled and they all broke and won’t come out 😓
Hi Richard! Sorry to hear about your troubles with these. Sounds like they were possibly left in the pans too long when cooling. They will start to stick as they cool. Did you try flipping the pan over and whacking it to see if they might pop out?
I made these for a appy night we had when we were camping. Everyone loved them. I am making them again today for a family dinner. It’s good to low after reading the comments that they can be frozen. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
Hi Debbie! So glad you liked these! 🙂
To make the well in the middle, couldn’t you press a second muffin sheet down on top of the hot tin? I haven’t tried it but wondered if that would work?
Hi Robin! You could try that for sure, though I’m not sure if the sides of the cups would be too thin then (and harder to judge even-ness). Also, with the oatmeal cookie cup specifically, the dough is a bit thick, so you need to press firmly to create the well. I’m not sure how easy it would be with another muffin tin on top, but if you try it, please let me know!
Do you think these could work in mini muffin tins? If yes, do you have any suggestions that could help out when making them mini?
Hi Victoria! They should work just fine in mini muffin tins, though they’d be a bit harder to squish down and couldn’t hold as much filling. I would try using 1 Tbsp of cookie dough per mini muffin tin and see how that ratio is. I used 3Tbsp per regular muffin tin.
This was absolutely amazing! I’m the worst cook and these turned out fantastic. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Liz! I’m so glad you liked these 🙂
I’m wondering if I could just replace the apples with peaches since that’s what I have right now
Hi Marcia! I think that should work just fine and sounds like a delicious combination!
Hi Olivia, tried this recipe & they tasted delicious. The cookie cups are not too sweet even when I added the chocolate chips. I didn’t prepared the Apple pie fillings but instead opt for a readymade. But none the less they tasted great. Thank you for sharing luv 😘
Hi Farah!! I’m so glad you liked these, thanks for letting me know! 🙂
I used the extra filling and blended it in my nutribullet and it’s just like apple butter!! Would recommend if you had extra like me!!
That is genius! Thanks for the tip, I hope you liked these :).
I made this while it look very nice and tasted great, I think next time I’ll just make into a bar, I found it very time consuming
Hi Sandra! Sorry to hear you found this time consuming, but I’m glad you liked the taste! 🙂
I made this for my team at work for our bosses last day on our team and everyone loved it! Actually brought cookie ‘cups’ and the filling to work separately, then filled the cups and heated in microwave at work. Was easy to travel with and assemble!
Suggestion for making cookie cups – chill a bit in muffin tin before pushing up sides, and make sure to push up plenty. I found that couldn’t make much of a well after cooking and had too much extra filling, which is not a bad thing 😉
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Carolyn! I’m so glad that you and your team loved these! Good call on taking them separately and heating up the filling. Thanks for the tips! 🙂
These look amazing. Can the regular flour be substituted with coconut or other gluten free flour?
Hi Regina! As long as it’s a GF flour blend that replicates regular flour it should work fine. Otherwise you’d need to add a gum of some sort.
I just made these. They are quite easy to make. The hardest part was punching down the cookie after coming out of the oven to get a cup. Some were perfect, other not so much. They are cooling right now. My husband just tried one, and he said “it was really good”. High praise from him. They filling is thick but still runny. Not sure if I would put in a lunch box. Maybe it will harden as the apples are still slightly warm. I love the idea of the cookie cup rather than dough. Thank you for the recipe. It is very unique.
Hi Susan! I’m so glad you liked this recipe! I agree, punching down the cups is the trickiest part, but they don’t all have to be perfect — certainly not all of mine were. I probably wouldn’t toss them into a lunch box without putting them in their own little container, or maybe wrapping them in plastic wrap. They freeze really well, so you could pop a frozen one into a lunch box (wrapped in plastic) and it should thaw out before they need to eat it :).
Thanks for the tip on freezing them. Another nice thing about the recipe is that is truly makes 24 cookie cups. I often find a recipe will say for example, 24, but actually make 18. Nice to know I can freeze some for later. I have handed out a couple to more. So far, everyone really likes them.
I used to make tart shells this way: roll out pie crust, cut out circle of dough, drape over the back side of a muffin tin, press gently to form, patch cracks and holes, bake, and repeat. It took hours to make any significant quantity, and I couldn’t bring myself to bother with it more than once a year.
This life-changing gadget has revolutionized the process. You drop a ball of pie crust into a tart pan or mini muffin pan, dip the wooden end of the tart press/tamper into some flour so it won’t stick, and do a quick little press-and-wiggle maneuver to form beautiful tarts. We made ten or twelve dozen mini tarts for our last party: mini pumpkin pies, chocolate ganache tarts (with chocolate crust), and honey-nut tarts.
Two hints: If you’re using a mini muffin pan to make tart shells, then one medium cookie scoop (I use the OXO brand scoops) is enough dough for TWO mini tarts. Also, if you roll the ball of dough between your hands, to make it mostly smooth, then you’ll get prettier tarts with smooth, uncracked edges at the top.
Thanks for the awesome tips, Marie! I don’t make pies and tarts often because of the hassle with the dough, but you have convinced me to check out this tart press! Sounds like a life saver :).
Why do people comment without actually making them? That’s not helpful. I look for peoples opinions who actually made them.
Sorry Liz, I hope you try them anyhow, they are delicious!
Thank you very much! My opinion exactly! I too want to know what people think of the recipe after they made it!
did you use the mini muffin pan or a regular cupcake pan?
Hi Robin! I used a regular cupcake pan 🙂
How adorable are these??? Oh my goodness, and they sound so tasty.
Thanks so much Karen! They were super delicious 🙂
Actually wanted one of these in my hand right now, they sound incredible! Crunchy oatmeal cookie + warming spiced apple filling? And none of the trials involved with pie crust making? Such a win! So right for the cold weather hitting Melbourne at the moment.
I know, right?? Pie crusts are my least fave thing ever to make. I am sure they would be perfectly comforting for the Fall weather in Aus! 🙂
Well this is perfect consider it’s Autumn and rainy here in Australia! Love anything apple and spiced. The combination is always so comforting and cozy.
Ack, how did I miss this message?? Thanks Thalia! These are truly a perfect comfort food 🙂
This looks great. Nice and crispy. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Keith!
Who cares if it’s not autumn. I can go for apple desserts anytime – especially when they sound as heavenly as these. I think my kids would be delighted to find one of these in their lunchbox on a Friday as their end of the week treat.
Me too! Apple anything all the time. I hope you try these. Thanks Jane! 🙂
Apple pie is a year round dessert for me! This is such an amazing idea and I love recipes that you can make the day before and then assemble the next day. Perfect!
Thanks Meg! I’m glad you agree 😀
I can almost smell those delicious apples! what a fun cookie cup idea
Thanks so much Heather! 🙂
Yum! These are such a great idea, Olivia. They looks so delish! Pinning now. 🙂 Hope you’re having a nice weekend!
Thanks Justine! <3 xoxo