Name: Mini Apple Crumble Tarts
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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Mini apple crumble tarts are the perfect treat to add to your holiday menu. These adorable desserts have a caramel apple filling and a delicious crumble topping for all the classic apple pie flavor with half the work.

A small cooling rack with a handle holds six mini apple crumble tarts, next to 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, so these mini apple tarts will be front and center.

Made with crisp apples in a perfect flaky pie crust, topped with buttery caramel sauce and cinnamon brown sugar crumble, these mini apple tarts have all the flavor of classic apple crumble pie. The best part is that they bake up in individual servings in a muffin tin 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 easy and delicious dessert recipes, try my air fryer cinnamon apples or bakery style chocolate chip muffins.

Ingredients

For these mini apple pies, you will need the following simple ingredients (exact measurements are in the recipe card below):

Apples: Any firm and tart cooking apples will work in this recipe. My personal preference is for granny smith apples, but I have also used pink lady apples. You need about two cups of diced apples, which amounts to 2-3 large apples.
Mini pie crusts: You can use homemade pie crust or store bought. This recipe uses approximately two crusts, with a little dough left over. I recently saw a store-bought package of mini pie crusts, specifically for using in a muffin tin (awesome!). Feel free to buy those, or follow the instructions below to cut a regular size pie crust into mini crusts.
Unsalted butter, divided
Flour, divided: You want all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Brown sugar, divided
White sugar
Rolled oats: I used Old Fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats will also work, but instant oats and steel cut oats will not.
Ground cinnamon
Kosher salt

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 large pie crust on a grey background with a cookie cutter cutting out small mini pie dough circles. Three apples are to the side.

A pie tin with mini pie crusts 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 grey cutting board on a grey background with small diced apples and another full apple being peeled.

A pie tin with a mini pie crust and mound of 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 small saucepan on a grey background containing golden caramel sauce.

A pie tin with apples in each cup covered in 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 white bowl containing crumble topping on a grey background.

A pie tin with mini apple crumble tarts showing crumble topping sprinkled into each cup.

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 pie tin with mini apple crumble tarts showing golden brown crumble topping.

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 side view of a mini apple crumble tart, sitting on two white plates, with a cooling rack of more tarts in the background.

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.