These apple crumble cookies are made in a muffin pan with buttery crumble and tender, spiced apples in the middle. They're unique and easy cookies to make for the Fall season!
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Notes from the baker
These cute little apple crumble cookies are basically mini versions of my Apple Crumble Tart, which I also love. They're made in the exact same way, with the same layers, just shrunken down and baked in a muffin pan.
These cookies are inspired by the raspberry crumble cookies from Costco but with an apple filling instead of raspberry jam. They're a great size for sharing and as little handheld snacks without having to make a whole tart or a whole dish of apple crumble.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Buttery and crunchy crumble. The base of these apple crumble cookies and the crumble topping are made from the same mixture so you have double the amount of crumble in each cookie.
- Tender cinnamon apple filling. Nothing beats the spiced flavour of baked apples. They're like tiny versions of apple pies.
- Easy to make. You only need a few ingredients and this recipe comes together very quickly.
Tools
- Muffin pan - These cookies are made in a muffin pan, preferably a large 12-hole muffin pan. You can also use a jumbo 6-hole muffin pan for larger cookies, just adjust the amount of crumble and apple filling you add to each hole.
Ingredient notes
As always, the fullย recipe cardย with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to theย recipe.
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Unsalted butter - We're using melted butter to make the crumble to make this recipe super easy. No need to work with softened butter.
- Vanilla extract
- Apples - Use any tart apples you would use in an apple pie such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Ambrosia apples. Peel, core, and finely dice them so that they're small enough to fit in the muffin pan without making the cookies too thick.
- Lemon juice - Lemon juice adds a bit more tartness to balance the sweetness and the bit of liquid helps the apples get started cooking.
- Cornstarch - This helps absorb the juices released from the apples as they bake and turns them into a jammy consistency.
- Ground cinnamon
Tips for making the best apple crumble cookies
- Grease the muffin pan for easier removal. Spray the muffin pan well with cooking spray or rub with oil or butter. The cookies should be able to slide right out of the pan.
- Finely dice the apples into very small cubes. Smaller pieces will fit into the muffin pan better with fewer gaps and they'll also cook faster and become more soft and tender.
- Don't overfill the muffin pan. Since these are cookies, they should be relatively flat. Try to arrange the apples and crumble into flat and even layers to fill in any gaps and keep the cookies short and compact.
- Let the cookies cool in the pan completely before releasing them. The crumble will feel very soft when it first comes out of the oven. Let them cool to firm up before touching them otherwise they may fall apart.
Storage
These apple crumble cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
Frequently asked questions
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions.ย To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ยผ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More cookie recipes to try
Recipe
Apple Crumble Cookies
Equipment
Ingredientsย ย
Crumble
- 180 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g brown sugar
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted
- ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
Apple Filling
- 300 g tart apples, about 2-3 small apples, peeled and finely diced
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructionsย
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Grease a 12-hole muffin pan with cooking spray or oil.
- Crumble mixture: In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour and brown sugar. Pour in melted butter and vanilla extract. Mix with a spatula until it becomes a crumbly mixture that holds together when squeezed. Set aside while you prepare the apples.
- Apple filling: In a large mixing bowl, add the diced apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Mix together until the apples are coated.
- Cookie base: To your muffin pan, add about 1 ยฝ tablespoons of crumble into each hole. Use the back of a spoon or the flat end of a rolling pin to firmly press the mixture down into a flat layer for the base of the cookies.
- Apple layer: Add 1 heaping tablespoon of apple filling into each hole on top of the base.
- Crumble topping: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of crumble on top of the apple filling.
- Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crumble is lightly golden brown.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool completely in the pan to allow the crumble to firm up. Remove them from the pan by using a fork to lift each cookie from one side.
Chetna Sangani says
Very nice recipe