A dessert in less than 45 minutes? These little tartles take almost no time to put together and their bite-sized size is perfect finger food for your holiday get-togethers.

Puff pastry apple cups sitting in a muffin form, with a small bowl of egg wash next to it and a pastry brush. In the background there is a wooden cutting board and a pink gingham cloth. — Puff pastry apple cups before egg wash

Flaky, buttery, sweet and fragrant, these puff pastry apple cups are so delicious and when using store bought puff pastry, it makes them quick and easy to make. I even leave the peel on the apples to make them quicker and using red apples it leaves a bit of festivity to these lovely cups.

Sweet caramel with a hint of cinnamon, the combination of white and brown sugar in the cinnamon mix gives the mix a further depth. The sweetness of the sugars, works so well with the fragrance of the cinnamon.

Cinnamon and sugar mixed on a blue plate, with cut up red apples being coated by the mixture. Sitting next to more cut up red apples in a bowl — Cinnamon sugar mix for puff pastry apple cups

The trick to keep the bite in the apples is to cut them in quite large chunks. Too small pieces and once they are in the oven the apple pieces will simply go to mush. If you cut the pieces larger they will keep their structure better, which will give a better overall experience to bite in to.

Puff pastry apple cups in the oven ready to bake. The cups are sitting in a 12 cup muffin tin. Two of the cups have a puff pastry lid. — Puff pastry apple cups in the oven ready to bake

Dust the apple cups with a bit of powdered sugar to give the appearance of a dust of snow. Eat them with a lovely cup of coffee or a cup of hot cocoa, but don’t eat them all at once, try to leave some for the guests!

Make it a proper desert even more luxurious and serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Store bought or making your own?

What makes the difference? I used store bought puff pastry for my apple cups, I find it easier and I like a quick and easy recipe. But if you have the time and the knowledge you can of course make your own puff pastry and I am sure it will turn out just as good. It is quite an art to make good pastry and I am not quite there with my skills yet.

Puff pastry apple cup ingredients laid out on a background of a beige table cloth, a wooden cutting board and a muffin tin; egg wash, cinnamon, white and brown sugar, puff pastry sheet, three red apples — Puff pastry apple cup ingredients laid out

The puff pastry I used was a generic brand from the store, to me it is the apples and the cinnamon mix that is the star of this recipe.

Substitutes

I used gala apple when I did these, I like the sweetness of a gala apple that still keeps most of its texture when cooked, but you can use whichever apple variety you have at hand or that you like the best.

Freezable

These cups are perfectly fine to freeze. I put the cups in a freezer bag and left them frozen flat until they are frozen through. Once they are frozen through you can move the bag around and that will stop them from sticking together and you can defrost as many as you want at the time. I leave them to defrost in the fridge or on the counter. They will get a little bit soggy, but tastes just as good. If you want to crisp them up, you can put them in the oven on low for a few minutes. Just make sure that they don’t get burned. Take them out and plate them with a dusting of powdered sugar, ready to serve at your next holiday gathering.

Print Recipe

Puff pastry apple cups

Flaky, buttery, sweet and fragrant, these puff pastry apple cups are so delicious and using store bought puff pastry, makes them quick and easy to make.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Keyword: apples, puff pastry

Servings: 12 cups

Equipment

1 Muffin tin

Ingredients

1 sheet Puff pastry
1-2 Apples
1 tbsp White sugar
1 tbsp Brown sugar
½ tbsp Cinnamon
1 Egg

Instructions

Set the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 F)
Slice the apples and then cut each slice in half.
Mix the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl or plastic bag.
Add the apples and whisk around to coat it in the sugar and cinnamon mix.
Use a piece of parchment paper to butter the muffin tin.
Cut the puff pastry in to squares and push into muffin tins.
Add the coated apple pieces into the tin, about 3-4 pieces in each, depending on the size of your tin.
Brush the apple cups with the egg wash.
Put the muffin thin in the oven for 15 minutes. Check on your tartlets and add another few minutes if have not puffed and browned.
Remove from the oven and pop them out of your muffin tin.
Let them rest on a wire rack, and give them a dusting of powdered sugar before serving.

Notes

I always save small pieces of parchment paper if I cut a sheet to fit a specific cake tin, I can then use them when I need to butter a tin.

Variations

Do you want to try another puff pastry recipe? These cinnamon rolls are just as easy and delicious to make.

Looking for another sweet treat for Christmas? Try these lovely Candied Saffron Oranges and make your whole house smell like a Christmas fairy tale.

What other fruit can you fill these cups with? Only your imagination can set the limits. Let me know in the comments below how it goes.

Agile in the kitchen

Easy puff pastry apple cups