Updated September 2026, cold butter in the crust, the oats and apples specified, and instructions for a standard muffin tin.
Apple Crisp Bites, a little bite of heaven! Crispy baked oatmeal cookie crust on the outside, soft apple pie on the inside! You’ll be enjoying this awesome dessert in about 30 minutes.
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“A friend told me about this recipe in the morning. At the last minute I decided to make these for the company that was arriving at 3:00 p.m. They went together very quickly and I went with the homemade apple filling option. SO GOOD! I followed the recipe exactly except I used some Calvados for part of the water. The little Apple Crisp Bites were excellent. 24 were not nearly enough for 4 people.”
Nancy Frantz
Whenever I ask ‘what can I bring?’ these Apple Crisp Bites top the list! Sweet cinnamon-scented apples held in a buttery crispy oatmeal cup and crunchy sweet topping. So you could bake and take apple crisp to share easily with everyone.
If you are feeding a bigger crowd and would rather make one pan than thirty cups, our Apple Pie Bread Pudding serves sixteen out of a single 9×13 dish, and you can put the whole thing together the night before.
Apple Crisp Bites Ingredients
-
- all-purpose flour
- Old fashioned rolled oats
- Cinnamon, nutmeg
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Cornstarch
- Apples
- Apple pie filling, (optional)
- Caramel topping (optional)
- Mini Muffin Pan 24
Oatmeal Cookie Crust Cups
The cups of these apple crisp bites are made from buttery oatmeal cookie dough and baked to crispy perfection.
GOOD IDEA: I used a pestle (from mortar and pestle set) to press dough neatly to fit a mini tin muffin pan.
BUTTER: Some people have found the crust recipe to work perfectly, while some others found the 12 tablespoons of butter was way too much. You may want to start by using 1 stick of butter or 8Tbsp.
You want a soft dough that sticks together slightly when you try to form a ball, not a wet dough.
You can always add more or save the leftover butter for later.
How do you make Apple Filling?
This recipe is a mix of sliced apples, brown sugar, butter, and spices that are cooked with some cornstarch on the stove to thicken everything up.
It takes just minutes to put together and can be stored in the fridge or freezer for later use.
Apple filling from scratch tastes SO much better than the canned version and can be used in everything from classic pies to danishes.
I know some people prefer making the apple filling without cornstarch, but find it’s the easiest way to make it and you probably have everything already on hand.
Tips
Some apples are juicier than others. If you would like your filling thicker, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Add a little at a time while the mixture is boiling until you reach desired consistency.
If by any chance you have lemon juice at hand, place sliced apples in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice.
★★★★★ 5 Star Review
“Unbelievable. The filling recipe is simple to follow and the ingredients basic enough that I have them all, yet it tastes like I am better at baking than I am. The crust was basic and effective. I used the full 12 tablespoons of butter and had no problem. I am about to make my second batch for the house and then a whole bunch more of the filling to can for gifts. It is just that good.”
Bianca
Why the Butter Has to Go In Cold
Because a pastry cutter only works on cold fat. Cold butter stays in small solid pieces that coat the flour and oats without soaking into them, and those pieces are what turn into a crisp, sandy crust in the oven. Softened butter does the opposite. The cutter slides straight through it, the fat smears into the flour, and what you get is a greasy dough rather than crumbs.
That difference explains almost every problem anyone has had with this recipe. A greasy dough will not pack into a cup, it slumps in the oven, and it comes out soft instead of crisp. Take the butter straight from the refrigerator, cut it into small cubes, and work fast. If your kitchen is warm, put the cubes back in the freezer for ten minutes before you start.
The test is simple. Squeeze a handful of the mixture. It should hold together for a second and then fall apart again. If it is powdery, add a little more cold butter. If it is smooth or sticky, the butter got too warm.
Reader Tip
“I did not have a pastry cutter so I froze my butter and shredded it like cheese.”
Jackie
How Much Butter Does the Crust Actually Need?
Ten tablespoons, with room to move either way. This is the one number readers have argued about, and the answer depends on your kitchen more than on the recipe.
Start at eight tablespoons, one stick, if your kitchen is warm or your oats are finely cut. Go up to twelve if the crumbs stay powdery when you squeeze them. Ten is the middle and it is where most people land. Add it one tablespoon at a time and stop at the squeeze test above, because you can always add more and you cannot take it out.
Old Fashioned Oats or Quick Oats?
Old fashioned rolled oats, the flat whole ones. That is what rolled oats means, and it is what gives the crust its crisp edges and a bit of chew.
Quick cooking oats work perfectly well and several readers have used them. They are cut smaller, so the crust comes out finer and more uniform, more shortbread than crisp. Instant oatmeal from a packet is already sweetened and flavoured, so leave that alone. Steel cut oats never soften and will stay hard in the finished bite.
Can You Make These in a Regular Muffin Tin?
Yes, and it is the most asked question on this page. A standard 12 cup muffin tin gives you twelve larger bites instead of twenty four small ones.
Use a scant quarter cup of the crumb mixture per cup, pressed up the sides the same way, about two tablespoons of filling, and bake 25 to 30 minutes instead of 15 to 20. Paper liners are fine and make them far easier to lift out. Silicone cups work too and a reader who used them said they came out cleanly.
The one thing that does change is the crust to filling ratio. A larger cup means more filling per bite, so if you like the crisp part best, press the sides a little thicker.
Reader Tip
“I did decrease the butter to 8 tablespoons and it worked out well. I also used gluten free flour and they were delicious with a good texture. I did not have a mini muffin tin so I used a regular muffin tin with silicone cups and baked an extra 10 minutes. We had a few left over and they were just as good the next day, so next time I will make them the day ahead and reheat.”
Shelly
Which Apples Are Best for Mini Apple Crisp?
Granny Smith. The filling gets cooked twice, once on the stove and again in the oven, so a soft apple has no chance. Granny Smith holds its shape through both and the tartness is the only thing standing between this and a very sweet mouthful.
Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Pink Lady are all good. Avoid McIntosh and Red Delicious, which collapse into sauce and make the filling runny enough to soften the crust from the inside. Four medium apples is about a pound and a half, and dicing them small, a quarter inch, matters more than usual here because a whole slice will not fit in a mini cup.
Homemade Filling or a Can?
Both are on the card, and the canned version is not cheating. One 21 ounce can of apple pie filling replaces the entire homemade filling, and you go straight to the crust.
If you use the can, chop the apple pieces smaller with a knife or kitchen shears before they go in, because canned slices are cut for a nine inch pie and will not sit in a mini muffin cup. The homemade version takes about twelve minutes and tastes noticeably brighter, mostly because you control the sugar and the spice. It also keeps in the refrigerator for a week, so it is worth making a double batch.
How to Get Them Out of the Pan in One Piece
Press the crust harder than feels necessary, and wait ten minutes. Those are the two things that decide it.
A loosely packed cup has air pockets in the walls and it breaks along them. Push the crumbs down into the bottom and firmly up the sides, using the back of a teaspoon or the end of a pestle, until the wall feels solid. And then leave them alone when they come out of the oven. They are genuinely fragile hot and completely solid warm, so a full ten minutes in the tin is not optional. Run a thin knife around the edge and lift.
Making Them Ahead and Freezing
They are better the next day, which makes them a good party dessert. Stored airtight, they keep three days at room temperature and about a week in the refrigerator.
To freeze, cool them completely, freeze them in a single layer on a tray so they do not stick together, then bag them for up to three months. Reheat straight from frozen at 325 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, which brings the crisp back into the crust. The caramel goes on after reheating, never before, because it turns to syrup and soaks in.
Reader Tip
“I made these for my daughter’s bridal shower and they were a hit. I did not put the caramel sauce on but had whipped cream available for the ladies to add if they wanted. Keeper recipe.”
Cyndie
Questions People Ask About Apple Crisp Bites
Can I use paper or silicone liners? Yes to both, and they make removal much easier. In mini liners you lose a little of the crisp edge where the crust touches the paper instead of the hot metal.
Can I make them gluten free? Yes. A reader used a cup for cup gluten free flour blend and reported good texture. Check that your oats are certified gluten free as well.
Can I use other fruit? The crust does not care what goes in it. Canned cherry, peach or blueberry filling all work, and a homemade filling made the same way with the same cornstarch slurry works for any of them.
How far ahead can I assemble them unbaked? Do not. The crumb cups soften if they sit with wet filling in them. Make the filling up to a week ahead, keep it in the refrigerator, and assemble and bake on the day.
Can I halve the recipe? Yes, and it works cleanly because everything divides. You get twelve mini bites, and the bake time does not change.
Do I have to cook the apples first? Yes, if you are making the filling from scratch. Fifteen to twenty minutes in a mini muffin cup is not long enough to cook a raw apple through, and you would get a crisp shell with a hard centre.
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe, be sure to give it a review below!
Also don’t forget to follow Cakescottage on Facebook, Pinterest, and Youtube
A Note on This Recipe
Same bites they always were. Same oatmeal cookie cup, same apple filling, same mini muffin tin, same 15 to 20 minutes.
Updated September 2026. The ingredient list said softened butter while the step said to cut it in with a pastry cutter, and those two cannot both be right, because a pastry cutter needs cold butter to work. The card now says cold butter, cut into cubes, and that one word is behind most of what people told us went wrong. The amount has moved from 12 tablespoons to 10, which is where two readers independently landed on their own, with a note covering the range from 8 to 12. The oats are now specified as old fashioned rolled, which six people had to ask about. The line that read 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch is now simply 4 teaspoons, and the ingredient summary in the post no longer lists powdered sugar, which was never in the recipe. The apples have a variety and a weight, the can has a size, and the steps now say what to do in a standard 12 cup muffin tin, which seven people asked and nobody answered.
Thank you to Cheryl Mitchell, who worked out that a pastry blender does not work with soft butter and wrote it down for everyone else, to Shelly and Jackie, who both found the butter number on their own, to Jennifer L Thomas, who caught the powdered sugar and cornstarch contradiction back in 2022, and to Margaret, Kathleen, Debra, Cookie Sue and Shellina, who between them answered the oats question for each other while we said nothing.
Apple Crisp Bites
Equipment
- Mini Muffin Tin
Ingredients
Oatmeal Cookie Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats not quick cooking
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 10 tbsp cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes, see notes on the butter
Homemade Apple Filling
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled, cored and diced into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water to mix with the cornstarch
Canned Filling Shortcut
- 1 can apple pie filling 21 ounces
- caramel topping optional
Instructions
- Make the filling first so it has time to cool. In a medium pan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter, then add the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Cook over medium high heat 4 to 6 minutes, until the apples are just slightly softened.
- Stir the cornstarch into the 2 tablespoons water until smooth, pour it into the pan while stirring, and cook 4 to 5 minutes more until the apples are tender and the filling is thick. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely. Warm filling melts the crust.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 24 cup mini muffin tin.
- Combine the flour, oats and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter, two forks or your fingertips, until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. The butter has to be cold and stay cold. A pastry cutter slides straight through softened butter and you end up with a greasy paste instead of crumbs, which is what makes the cups collapse.
- Squeeze a handful. It should just hold together and then break apart again. If it stays powdery, add a tablespoon of cold butter at a time until it does.
- Drop a heaping tablespoon of the crumb mixture into each mini muffin cup and press it firmly along the bottom and up the sides to make a cup. Press harder than feels necessary, because a loosely packed crust is the one that falls apart. Keep the leftover crumbs.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cooled filling into each crust and sprinkle roughly 1 teaspoon of the reserved crumbs over the top.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. In a standard 12 cup muffin tin, use a scant 1/4 cup of crumbs per cup and bake 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool in the pan a full 10 minutes before you touch them. They are soft straight out of the oven and firm up as they cool. Run a thin knife around each one and lift it out. Drizzle with caramel topping if you like.
Looks delicious !!
Delicious. I used CrackerBarrel Copy cat filling, and added a little cinnamon to the crust. A little tricky to make in the mini cup cake pans but still good.
Can’t wait to try these fun recipes!
votre recette a l air si délicieuse merci
Thank you, I hope you enjoy them. If you make the filling from scratch, let it cool completely before it goes into the crusts, that is the step that matters most.
Sounds perfect for a party next week! However is the rolled oats the 5 minute one or the quick?
Rolled oats are Old Fashioned Oats
Exactly right, thank you for answering it. Rolled oats and old fashioned oats are the same thing. The card now says old fashioned rolled oats so nobody else has to wonder. Quick cooking oats do work, they just give a finer, softer crust.
I found out these turned out pretty good as well using diabetic sugars
I really like this Apple Crisp Bites recipe, for options on toppings are Endless; crumb, whipped cream, etc.
Thank you for sharing your awesome and yummy recipes!
A friend told me about this recipe in the morning. At the last minute, I decided to make these for the company that was arriving at 3:00 p.m. They went together very quickly – the Homemade Apple Filling Option was the way I went. SO GOOD! It went together easily and cooked while I made the oatmeal cookie crust dough. (I cheated – I made it in my food processor.) I followed the recipe exactly except I used some Calvados for part of the water. The little Apple Crisp Bites were excellent. 24 were not nearly enough for 4 people.
I haven’t made it yet but it sounds fantastic! I have made apple crisp but it comes out so dry so I don’t make but this sounds good
Could I use a regular muffin pain if necessary?
This looks really good please send me the website thank you
Looks so delicious. Nice fall dessert and apples are plentiful now. I’d drizzle a little Caramel Sauce over
Do you use Old Fashion Oats or Quick Cooking Oats?
She has rolled oats in the recipe, so that mean Old Fashion Oats (the full oat).
This looks good AMF is like to try it. The tip to have eggs, cream cheese and sour cream at room temp is confusing though. I don’t see sour cream listed as an ingredient. Should there be sour cream in the cheese?
Yummy
Thank you
How much butter goes in with the apples versus how much butter in the crust?
These are just delicious!
I made these last night for thanksgiving. They were so good. Based on other reviews, I did decrease the butter to 8 tbsp abd it worked out well (I did use vegan butter). I also used gluten free flour and they were delicious with a good texture. I did not have a mini muffin tin so used a regular muffin tin with silicone cups and baked an extra 10 minutes. I will definitely make again!! The crisps fell apart when I removed them from the cups but still so good. We had a few left over and they were just as good the next day so next time I will make them the day ahead abd reheat
The Betty Crocker recipe for homemade apple crisp uses quick cooking rolled oats. That is what I will use when I make this recipe as the type of oats is not specified in the recipe.
The recipe calls for powdered sugar but when it comes to the instructions it says cornstarch. Which one is it?
You were right, and it took us far too long to fix it. It is cornstarch. There is no powdered sugar anywhere in this recipe, that was a leftover line in the ingredient summary at the top of the post and it has been removed. The card now reads 4 teaspoons cornstarch on one line instead of the old 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, which was the other half of the confusion.
Can I use regular size muffin tin?would cook time be different?
Yes. A standard 12 cup tin gives you twelve larger bites. Use a scant 1/4 cup of the crumb mixture per cup, about 2 tablespoons of filling, and bake 25 to 30 minutes instead of 15 to 20. Paper liners make them much easier to lift out. This is now written into the recipe steps.
Can you freeze the Apple Crisp Bites and long will they last in the fridge & freezer.
Thanks in advance.
They freeze well. Cool them completely, freeze in a single layer on a tray so they do not stick, then bag them for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 325 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes and the crust comes back crisp. In the refrigerator they keep about a week, and at room temperature in an airtight container about three days. Add the caramel after reheating, never before.
Does anyone know if I can make these in regular muffin tins instead of mini? I want to bring them for a work pot luck!
Did you end up doing the regular size muffin tin? I gave my mini muffin tin away because I never use it!
Can I use muffin liners?
Yes, paper or silicone, both work and both make them much easier to lift out. The only trade is a little less crisp along the sides, where the crust sits against the liner instead of the hot metal.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year and they turned out amazing! I will do about 10 tablespoons of butter next time so it’s just a little more moist than the 8 tablespoons. I also didn’t have a pastry cutter so I froze my butter and shredded it like cheese . I put caramel syrup on half and powdered sugar on the other half
Unbelievable.
The filling recipe is simple to follow and put together and the ingredients basic enough that I have them all, yet taste like I’m better at baking than I am! I thought I saw somewhere in the recipe to add lemon juice to avoid browning so I did (about 3 tbsp?) And I added vanilla extract because I can’t think of a time that I haven’t. I didn’t the nutmeg because I don’t use it often. And the crust was basic and effective. I used the full 12 tbsp of butter and had no problem. Also since I saw people asking about the oats, I used Quick Cook oats.
So the “ammendments” I used are negligible in my opinion, this recipe is delicious and perfect and I’m about to make my second batch for the house and then a whole bunch more of the filling to can for gifts, it’s just that good!
I’ve made these twice now and I love them! I add a little more nutmeg and cinnamon to give it that extra pazaz but it’s amazing! I made them for my family/boyfriend and I’m now making them for my coworkers!!! ❤️
I’ll have to find an alternative to oats, since folks in my house are allergic to oats( I know, it’s a nightmare, oats are in so much stuff), but the rest looks easy peasy
Tried it & now it’s one of my favorite desserts!
This looks so good! What a great fall dessert to make for the family!
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Wondering if these could be made ahead & frozen for couple of days before Thanksgiving???
What kind of apples?
Granny Smith. The filling gets cooked twice, once on the stove and again in the oven, so a soft apple turns to sauce. Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Pink Lady also hold up. Four medium ones is about a pound and a half, and dice them small, a quarter inch, so they sit properly in a mini cup.
Can you use a 12 muffin pan? I do not have a 24. How would that change the recipe and cooking time?
Has anyone tried to freeze these? How were they afterwards? Thank you
Love these! I made everything as directed and topped mine with caramel. Will definitely make again and again!
Very good, no way the prep time is 25 minutes.
Fair, and you are right. The prep time on the card now says 30 minutes, and the total says 65, because the filling has to cool before it goes into the crusts and that waiting was never counted. Thank you for saying it plainly.
Yummy recipe! I made these for my daughter’s Bridal shower and they were a hit! I didn’t put the caramel sauce on it but had whipped cream available for the ladies to add if they wanted. Keeper recipe
I absolutely love this recipe! My grands ate them like hot cakes. The only thing I did different was put them in mini cupcake cups not directly in the pan.
Adorable dessert,these can be made in larger .muffin tins/what would bake difference between, the time, also can you use other fruit.-like peach.cherries ,even bluebrries(all cherries in pie fillings).
Both yes. In a standard 12 cup tin, use a scant 1/4 cup of crumbs per cup and bake 25 to 30 minutes instead of 15 to 20. And the crust does not care what goes in it, so canned cherry, peach or blueberry filling all work, as does a homemade filling made the same way with the same cornstarch slurry.