Bite sized Apple Pecan cups filled with apples, pecans and gooey caramelized glaze. A cream cheese cookie crust surrounds the gooey apple filling that’s sweetened with brown sugar and almost overflowing with crunchy pecans.
Apple season is one of our favorites around here. We love making these soft and chewy Apple Blondies every year. Bake up a couple loaves of Apple Pound Cake for a delicious dessert, it’s freezer friendly too!
Easy Apple Pie Cookies
Any fellow apple pie lovers out there? You’re going to flip over this recipe!
While I called them Apple Pecan Cups, these essentially taste like mini apple pies baked into handheld cookie form.
Based off of our favorite Pecan Tassies recipe, these cookies are a hit all year long!
A cream cheese cookie crust surrounds the gooey apple filling that’s sweetened with brown sugar and almost overflowing with crunchy pecans. They’re easy to transport and serve while delivering apple pie flavor with a nutty twist!
The powdered sugar on top makes them super pretty, too. If you’re looking for a new apple dessert to make for Thanksgiving this year, promise me you’ll give by Apple Pecan Cups a try.
Apple Notes
For my apple desserts, I usually prefer a tart variety of apple like Granny Smiths. The apples need to be peeled, cored and diced into small pieces for this recipe, so to save time, I love using Crunch Pak apples!
These are the fresh sealed packs of pre-sliced apples you can find in the produce section. All you’ll have to do is remove the peels and cut into small pieces and you’re ready to make the best ever Apple Pie Cookies.
Step by Step Instructions
STEP 1. Make the cookie crust
Beat butter and cream cheese together until fully combined, then mix in the flour and powdered sugar. Drop the formed dough into the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap up the dough tightly and place in the freezer for an hour.
STEP 2. Make the filling
Combine the apples with chopped pecans, brown sugar, vanilla extract and an egg in a large bowl.
STEP 3. Form into cups
Scoop the chilled dough into tablespoon sized balls into the cavities of a muffin tin. Use your fingers (or a tart shaper if you have one) to press the dough into the pan.
Scoop about a teaspoon full of filling into the center of each cup.
STEP 4. Bake
Bake the cups for 15 – 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for another 15 minutes, then pop out the cups, garnish with powdered sugar and enjoy!
Recipe FAQS
This is common when making apple pecan cups, especially if you accidentally use too much filling. To prevent spills, place a baking sheet or a sheet of foiil under your muffin pan when baking these.
Yes, if you won’t be eating them all right away, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for about 3 days.
A tart shaper is a hand held tool that helps press dough into tart of muffin pans to form an even, round shape with a cavity to hold fruit filling.
Don’t have a tart shaper? No worries. Use your hands to press the cookie dough into the muffin cavity, doing your best to get it evenly distributed and being careful not to let the dough poke over the tops of the muffin cavity.
I like Granny Smiths in my apple pies and other apple treats. Other tart varieties like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp would be good choices too.
Handheld apples pies filled with pecans and dusted with powdered sugar? Yes, please!
More Easy Apple Desserts
- Apple Cake – delicious and moist with a honey glaze
- Apple Spice Muffins
- Apple Pie Fudge
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Apple Crumble
Best Cookie Recipes
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Apple Pecan Cups
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
For the filling:
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup pecans chopped
- ½ cup apples peeled and diced small
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until fully combined. Beat in flour and powdered sugar and continue mixing until fully incorporated. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and drop dough into center. Wrap up dough and chill in freezer one hour.
- For the filling, combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix together gently using a fork.
- After dough has chilled, use a 1 Tbsp measuring spoon and scoop out a large ball. Roll into a ball and press into a mini muffin pan. I don’t usually spray my pans, but if you want you baking spray. Use a tart shaper (or finger tips) to press dough into pan, trying not to go over the edge of the cup. Repeat for remaining dough.
- Scoop about 1 tsp of filling into each cup of dough. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan about 15-20 minutes.
- After cooled, pop our of pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy.
- Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Filling may bubble out, you may want to place muffin pan on a cookie sheet or piece of foil.
- If you won’t be eating them all right away, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for about 3 days.
- I like Granny Smiths in my apple pies and other apple treats. Other tart varieties like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp would be good choices too.
Nutrition
Apple Pecan Cups make a perfect addition to your holiday menus, bake sales or fall potlucks.
Cupcakes with pecan nuts are my favorite. Not now (as my brother seems to have an allergy) but used to be in my childhood. I notice you used an apple crunchpak here. Want to figure out a bit… Can I use anything else to speed up my cooking? You see I am lover of sweet tasties but I don’t have enough time at all. And your pecan little cups taste great I believe.
This is officially the best week ever. ALL APPLES ALL THE TIME WOO! (sorry I’ve been drinking a lot of Pumpkin spice lattes lately). I love the combo of apples and pecans, like a little perfect pie! 😀
Love the look of these, saving and pinning! I want one or two or maybe double that.
Bite sized goodies are my favorite 🙂 this recipe is wonderful!!
So yummy and perfectly sized!
What a perfect fall dessert! I have never heard of nut cups before but I am loving this!
YUM! Cream cheese crust with apples and nuts nestled inside? I’m very into apples right now, so these couldn’t be in front of me at a better time!
We ate our first fall apples the other day and they tasted so.good. I’ve missed them! These are so cute and I really like the nuts on top. And your pictures! I saw them on Pinterest and was like, those are gorgeous! Thumbs up!
These are adorable! I’d be tempted to pop a few of these in my mouth and then go back and finish the rest of the batch… 🙂
I’ve never heard of nut cups! But I’ll have to try these for sure! Lookin’ good!!!!
Found your blog and subscribed through your “apple week” collaboration with Jocelyn at Inside BruCrew Life.
Saved the recipe. It looks SO good. We have a couple of apple trees in our yard or I’d be all over those pre-cut slices! I love time-savers.
These sound fantastic! Yay for apple week!!
Amazing!!
These look delicious!