Apple Crumble Tartlets

Name: Apple Crumble Tartlets
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 prepared pie crusts; 2 large granny smith apples; 1/4 cup unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup white sugar; 1/4 cup packed brown sugar; 2 tablespoons water; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 cup unsalted butter

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Apple crumble tartlets are the perfect dessert to add to your holiday menu. These adorable desserts have a caramel apple filling and a delicious brown sugar crumble topping for all the classic apple pie flavor with half the work.

A cooling rack with 6 mini apple crumble tarts. Cinnamon sticks and star anise are to the side, along with a bowl of whipped cream.

Mini pies are happening at my house this Thanksgiving. I am picturing a big table full of individual desserts, with bowls of salted caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream, and pumpkin spice whipped cream. Homemade apple pie is my personal favorite fall dessert, so these mini apple tarts will be front and center.

Made with crisp apples, and topped with rich caramel sauce and buttery crumble, these mini apple crumb tarts are a mash up of all of the best apple desserts – apple pie, apple tart and apple crisp.

The best part is that they bake up in individual servings in only 20 minutes! I am always on the hunt for truly easy recipes that are fun and memorable enough for special occasions, and this is one of my favorites. Serve with a big scoop of ice cream on top of the warm cinnamon apples for a simple holiday dessert your whole family will beg you to make again next year.

For more festive fall apple recipes, try my apple cider martini.

A stack of three apple crumble tartlets, with more tartlets in the background.

Ingredients

To make apple crumble tartlets, you need the following simple ingredients (exact measurements are in the recipe card below).

Ingredient Notes

Apples: Any firm fresh apples will work in this recipe. My personal preference is for granny smith apples, but if you prefer sweet apples pink lady apples or honeycrisp work well too. You need about two cups of diced apples, which amounts to 2-3 large apples.
Mini pie crusts: You can use homemade or store bought pie crust. This recipe uses approximately two crusts, with a little dough left over.
Unsalted butter, divided: If you use salted butter, reduce the salt called for in the recipe.
Rolled oats: I used Old Fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats will also work, but instant oats and steel cut oats will not.

Instructions

Step One: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare your mini pie crusts. Roll out your pie crust into a thin dough circle. Using a 3-4 inch diameter circular cookie cutter, cut the crust into mini dough rounds. Lightly grease a muffin tin, and press a dough round down into each cup. The crust may overlap a bit – just pinch the crust together in the overlapping spot. Move the muffin tin to the refrigerator to keep the crusts cold while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

A muffin pan with pie crust in each cup.

Step Two: Prepare the apples. Peal the apples and cut them into slices. Dice the apple slices into very small pieces, about 1/4 inch cubes. Add a couple tablespoons of diced apples to each muffin cup, forming a small mound in each cup.

A white cutting board with green and red apples being peeled and diced.

A muffin pan with pie crust and diced apples in each cup.

Step Three: Prepare the caramel sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and cook for a few minutes until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add both sugars and the water, and bring to a light simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for 3-4 minutes until smooth and caramel colored. Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool until comfortable to touch (slightly warmer than room temperature). Spoon one tablespoon of caramel sauce into each muffin cup on top of the apples.

A stainless steel pan with cooking caramel.

A muffin pan with pie crust, apples and caramel sauce.

Step Four: Prepare the crumb topping. Add the oats, flour, brown sugar and ground cinnamon to a large mixing bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Melt the butter. Drizzle the melted butter into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Spoon the crumble mixture onto the top of each mini tart.

A glass bowl with crumble topping in it, being stirred with a fork.

A muffin pan of apple crumble tartlets, not yet baked.

Step Five: Put the muffin tin into the preheated oven on the center rack. Put a cookie sheet on the bottom rack to catch any caramel sauce that drips over the side. Bake the mini tarts until the apples are bubbly and the crunchy crumble is golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.

A muffin pan of baked apple crumble tartlets.

Step Six: For best results in getting the mini tarts out of the muffin tin, allow them to cool in the tin for about 5-10 minutes, and then remove them to a cooling rack.

A close up of a fork with a slice of apple crumble tartlet on it, with more desserts in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of apples are best for baking?

You can use almost any type of apples in this apple tart recipe. My personal preference is for firm tart apples, like Granny Smith. Granny smith apples have a great texture when baked, and the tart flavor balances very well with the sweet and buttery caramel. However, firm sweet apples, like Honeycrisp, Sweet Tango or Pink Lady apples, will also work well too! I typically do not use softer apples, like Gala apples, in baking recipes. They are so soft that they disintegrate during cooking and can leave your tarts watery or mushy. Save those for snaking with some peanut butter greek yogurt dip!

What is the difference between apple tart, apple pie, and apple crumble?

Apple tart, apple pie and apple crumble are all delicious fall deserts, and they have a lot of similarities. This mini caramel apple crumble tart recipe is basically a mash up of all three!

Apple tart, apple pie and apple crumble all feature fresh apples (of course!), sugar, butter and often cinnamon for a delicious sweet filling. The main difference between these three desserts is in the pan and the crust. A tart is baked in a tart pan, which is a wide round pan with shallow sides (usually about 1 inch). A tart has only one crust (the bottom crust) and the crust is usually a thick shortbread or pastry crust. An apple pie traditionally is baked in a pie pan, which has a slightly smaller diameter but higher sides (about 2 inches), so that the pie is thicker. An apple pie usually has both a bottom and top crust. Pie crust is thinner than tart crust, and is buttery and flaky, An apple crumble usually doesn’t have any crust at all! Instead, the juicy apples are baked in a baking dish topped with a sweet and crispy crumble topping.

This dessert uses one bottom pie crust (although you could absolutely substitute a tart crust if you prefer) and a delicious brown sugar crumble topping for the best of all worlds!

Storage

Store leftover tarts in an airtight container in a cool dry place for 3-4 days. Allow them to cool completely before storing. For longer storage, wrap tartlets tightly in plastic wrap and put them in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 3-4 months.