Caramel Apple Cookie Cups

I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the #FallFlavors recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

These Caramel Apple Cookie Cups are the perfect dessert to kick off fall. Creamy caramel and soft, cinnamon apples tucked into a sugar cookie cup with a hidden twist. You don’t want to miss out on these!

I love, love, love a good caramel apple. Really, I just love caramel, so any excuse to eat it or coo with it, I’m in. Typically I like a tart, Granny Smith apple, but for these cookie cups, I opted to go with a sweeter variety, Gala apple and they were perfect.

I contemplated using a store-bought caramel sauce, but I’m so glad I decided to try making my own. It was so easy that now I’m a little worried. Because, that means I can very easily make it at any given time, just because. I do not need to have homemade caramel sauce that easily accessible. Just sayin’.

When Door County sent us a whole slew of coffee flavors to try and I saw that there was a caramel apple coffee, and I just had to incorporate it into this recipe. I added just a tablespoon to the cookie batter, in place of vanilla, and it added just a nice hint of coffee flavor that paired perfectly with the caramel apple filling.

While there are three components to this recipe, each part has minimal hands-on time, and it’s all super easy to pull together. The cookie cups come out soft, with just a little crisp around the edges, and then you fill them with creamy caramel sauce and soft, cinnamon apples. Fall dessert perfection, my friends. Make sure you add them to your baking to-do list, asap!

Be sure to check out the other posts from today, as well as the prize packages being offered by our sponsors, Millican Pecan and Door County Coffee – and enter the giveaway for your chance to win one!

Caramel Apple Cookie Cups

These Caramel Apple Cookie Cups are the perfect dessert to kick off fall. Creamy caramel and soft, cinnamon apples tucked into a sugar cookie cup with a hidden twist. You don't want to miss out on these!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Caramel Apple, Cookie Cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 18 cookie cups

Author: Jaida

Ingredients

For the Cookie Cups

• 3/4 cups butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp strong brewed caramel apple coffee*
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cornstarch

For the Caramel Sauce

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

For the Cinnamon Apples

• 2 apples, diced
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter

Instructions

To make the cookie cups:

• Coat cupcake pan** with non stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together for 5-7 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and coffee and beat until well combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. (It will be thick.)
• Makes balls of about 2 tbsp of dough. Press cookie dough in bottom and about 1/3-1/2 way up the sides of each cupcake cup, forming a cup shape.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling. Press the centers down with the end of a wooden spoon or the bottom of a tablespoon to create a big enough space for the filling.

To make the caramel sauce:

• Melt butter in a saucepan.
• Add brown sugar and heavy cream and whisk constantly over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
• Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 3 minutes, no more.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then pour or spoon into cookie cups, about two-thirds full, leaving enough space for the apples on top.
• Set cookie cups aside to allow caramel to cool while you make the cinnamon apples.

To make cinnamon apples:

• Combine apples, nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar in a medium pan and stir to coat.
• Add butter and cook apples for about 10-15 minutes, or until at preferred softness.
• Top cookie cups with apples.

Notes

*I used Door County caramel apple coffee. If you don’t have or don’t want to use coffee, use 1 tsp of vanilla extract, instead. 

**I used a full standard cupcake pan and half of another, for the 18 cookie cups. 

 

Source: Life, Love, and Sugar

Tried this recipe?Mention @sweetbeginblog or tag #sweetbeginblog!

Welcome to Flavors of Fall where we celebrate all things associated with fall like squash, apples, pecans, sweaters, football; you get the idea!  Ellen from Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures have gathered 24 bloggers who have over 100 recipes they’re sharing this week in celebration of cool weather and sweatshirts.  We hope you find many must make recipes so get your pinning, tweeting, and sharing fingers ready!

Here’s what we made for Monday:

Breakfast
Cinnamon Glazed Donut French Toast by Daily Dish Recipes
Cranberry Pecan Coffee Cake by Family Around the Table
Ginger Pear Muffins by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Waffles by Tip Garden
Spiced Coffee Toffee Bread by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Savory
Baked Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apples by Simple and Savory
Door County Maple Coffee-Crusted Steak by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Fig and Brie Grilled Cheese by The Redhead Baker
Java Beef Flatbread Pizza by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Pecan Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Pears by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Tuna Pot Pie by Palatable Pastime
Vegan Chili by Red Cottage Chronicles

Dessert
Apple Cheesecake Streusel Bars by Love and Confections
Caramel Apple Cookie Cups by Sweet Beginnings
Caramel Pecan Cookie Sticks by The Freshman Cook
Chocolate Cappuccino Biscotti with Pecans by Blogghetti
Cinnamon Maple Pecan Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Coffee Granita by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Irish Apple Cake by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Pecan Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie by Crumb Top Baking
Pecan Pie Bars by Books n’ Cooks
Pumpkin Bundts with Brown Butter Glaze and Candied Pecans by Our Good Life
Vegan Coffee Layer Cake by The Baking Fairy

Make sure you like Fall Flavors on Facebook and follow the Fall Flavors on Pinterest, too!

Prize 1 – Door County Coffee and Tea Company

Founded in 1993 in Door County, WI, Door County Coffee and Tea Company is a small family owned business. Roasting a variety of flavors for 26 years, one winner will receive three full pot bags of all of their fall flavors. 21 bags in all! Their mission through the years has been to produce high quality, best-tasting coffee using only Specialty Class 1 Arabica coffee beans. Combine that with superior roasting technology and you get a wonderfully even and perfect roast every time and that means the perfect pot of coffee. A $40 value.  

Prize 2 – Millican Pecan Tower of Treats Gift Tins

Originally founded as the West Texas Pecan Nursery in the late 1800’s, Millican Pecan is now in 5th generation ownership. Located in San Saba, TX, the family continues the tradition of pecan farming while also branching the business into the online world. The family also enjoys educating people about pecans. One winner will receive The Tower of Treats Gift Tins. The tower includes 3 decorative gift tins stacked on top of each other. The bottom tin includes our 2 lb. Chocolate Pecan Sampler, the middle tin is our Flavored Pecan Sampler and the top tin is a 8 oz. tin of Milk Chocolate Caramillicans (similar to Turtles). An $80 value.

Two (2) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. Bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners have 24 hours to respond once notified by email, or they forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be chosen. The #FallFlavors bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members living in the household cannot enter or win the giveaway. Entries will be verified. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter giveaway. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #FallFlavors posts or entry. Thank you to our sponsors Millican Pecan and Door County Coffee and Tea for providing prizes.