Apple Pie Bites — Everything You Love About Apple Pie in One Little Bite
Everything You Love About Apple Pie, in One Pretty Little Bite
These apple pie bites started with a dilemma. I was planning a ladies’ luncheon for about 30, I wanted a simple little apple pie dessert bite, and I could not find a recipe that was simple enough or exactly what I wanted. So I came up with my own. Refrigerated pie crust pressed into a mini muffin pan, a can of apple pie filling dressed up with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, and a buttery brown sugar crumble on top. I call them my shortcut apple crumble pie bites, and one batch makes about 36.
🍰 This one will soon find itself in my collection of desserts for a crowd — the big-batch sweets I actually make when there are a lot of people to feed.
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Watch me make these apple pie bites from start to finish — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
Featured Tools & Ingredients
🌾 King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
For baking, King Arthur is the flour I reach for — and you can shop directly from King Arthur’s site. The crumble on these only needs a quarter cup, stirred together with brown sugar and cinnamon and cut in with cold butter.
- Food Grade Mini Muffin Pan: 24-cup cupcake pan, each cup capacity: 0.6 oz. Cup diameter top...
- Easy Baking & Release: Non-stick surface and flexible, just pop out with pressed finger, easy to...
• Perfect for these little bite-sized pies. A light spray of avocado oil and they pop right out once they have cooled a few minutes.
- Self-sharpening Ergonomic curved design Shear measures approximately 8.75" x 2.37" x 0.75" Imported
• I love that these don’t have traditional scissor handles. I snip the apples right in the bowl so they fit in the little crusts. Mine are white!
- 12 PIECES ROUND CUTTER SETS - 12 Pieces different size stainless steel circle cutters,with the...
- QUALITY STAINLESS STEEL MATERIALS - Made of 100% strong stainless steel,strong and keep shape also...
• This is a set like the one my mom gave me years ago. The 2 to 2½ inch circle is the one that comes all the way up the sides of a mini muffin cup.
See the complete shopping list ↓
Apple Pie Bites
Start CookingIngredients
- 2 refrigerated pie crust such as Pillsbury
- 21 ounces apple pie filling one 20–21 oz can
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg just a tiny pinch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Avocado oil spray for the pan
- ¼ cup King Arthur all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter cold, cut into small pieces
Don’t Want to Plan? I Got You.Every Saturday I share a full week of dinners, sides, and a dessert — with the grocery list already done. Come grab this week’s Weekly Meal Plans!Equipment
Method Start Cooking
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray the mini muffin pan with avocado oil spray so the bites don’t stick.
- Unroll the pie crusts. Cut out circles about 2 to 2½ inches across with a round cookie cutter or a small glass, big enough to come up the sides of the mini muffin cups. Cut them as close together as you can, and re-roll the scraps if you need a few more to get to about 36.
- Gently press one circle down into each cup.
- Empty the apple pie filling into a bowl and snip the apples into small pieces with kitchen shears, so they fit neatly into the mini crusts. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling into each crust. Do not overfill.
- Make the crumble: stir the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Add the cold butter and cut it in with a pastry blender until the mixture forms small buttery crumbs.
- Sprinkle a small pinch of crumble over each pie bite, leaving a little of the apple filling showing.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust edges are golden and the filling is bubbling.
- Let the bites cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully pop them out and let them cool completely.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Four Weeks of Family-Friendly FoodWhen people gather, I cook. Four weeks of the dinners my crowd asks for — planned, tested, and shopped for. Come see what’s in the cookbook →Why These Apple Pie Bites Work
When I make apple pie for the holidays, I cut up my own apples and make my own filling, the way my mom always did. That is Mama’s Apple Pie, and it is worth every minute. But for this luncheon I was making 11 other recipes, and a lot of them were make-ahead and prep-ahead. I try to take it easy on myself while still putting a delicious menu on the table. That is why these apple pie bites start with a can of apple pie filling and two refrigerated pie crusts.
The canned filling just needs a little help. I chop the apples smaller, since the big chunks will not fit in a tiny crust, and then I stir in half a teaspoon of cinnamon, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and half a teaspoon of vanilla. That little something, something gives you more of a homemade apple pie filling taste without the homemade apple pie filling work. It smelled so good in the bowl.
Then the crumble goes on top: flour, brown sugar, a little more cinnamon, and cold butter cut in with my pastry blender until it looks like buttery crumbs. A pinch on each one, and they look like tiny Dutch apple pies. If you want to see the full-size version of that idea, King Arthur has a lovely Dutch apple pie recipe with the same crumb-on-top finish. No caramel or icing is needed on these, especially sitting next to richer fall desserts.
A Few Things That Make Apple Pie Bites Even Easier
- Snip the apples right in the bowl. I use my kitchen shears and cut the apple slices into tiny bites before anything else goes in. Go back through once more. There is always a slice or two that did not get cut up enough.
- Cut your circles as close together as you can. A 2 to 2½ inch circle comes all the way up the sides of a mini muffin cup. I used one from a set of round cookie cutters , but a small glass about that size works just as well. Re-roll the scraps if you need a few more.
- Spray the pan before the crust goes in. I test my circle in the pan first, then take it out, spray, and press them all in. You do not want these to stick.
- About a teaspoon of filling is plenty. A tiny spoon is all you need, or a small scoop if you have one. Do not overfill, or the filling bubbles over the crust.
- Keep the butter cold. I live in Florida, y’all, and cold butter in a recipe is difficult here because it warms up so fast. Measure the flour and brown sugar with my measuring cups first, then cut the butter in last and work quickly.
Apple Pie Bites FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
What temperature and how long do I bake apple pie bites?
Bake apple pie bites at 375°F for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust edges are golden and the filling is bubbling. Let them cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully pop them out and let them cool completely. Start to finish, with about 25 minutes of prep, they take about 43 minutes.
Can I make apple pie bites ahead of time?
Yes, and that is exactly how I made mine for the luncheon. Bake them 1 to 2 days ahead, cool them completely, and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before serving, set them on a baking sheet and warm them at 300°F for about 5 to 7 minutes to freshen up the crust and the crumble.
What size circle do I cut for mini apple pie bites?
About 2 to 2½ inches across. You want the circle big enough to come all the way up the sides of the mini muffin cup, so it is not too short. If you do not have a cookie cutter that size, a small glass works just fine.
Do I have to chop the apples in canned apple pie filling?
For apple pie bites, yes. Canned filling comes with big apple slices, and they will not fit neatly into a tiny crust. Snip them into small pieces right in the bowl with kitchen shears, and then stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.
How many apple pie bites does one batch make?
Two refrigerated pie crusts and one can of apple pie filling make about 36 apple pie bites. You may need to re-roll your scraps to get there. I was expecting about 30 ladies with 11 or 12 things on the menu, so 36 bites was plenty.
Can I use homemade apple pie filling instead?
Of course. If you would rather make your own, the filling from Mama’s Apple Pie works. Just chop the apples small enough to fit the mini crusts. The canned filling is what makes these the shortcut version, and with the extra cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla it tastes more homemade than you would expect.
🛒 Complete Shopping List
Everything you need to make these Apple Pie Bites — click any item to shop.
Ingredients
🌾 All-Purpose Flour: Premium baking calls for premium flour — shop King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour direct →
Equipment
More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
- Mama’s Apple Pie — the from-scratch filling I make for the holidays, in a full-size pie.
- Caramel Brookie Cups — another little muffin-pan dessert, the one I threw together for a whole volleyball team.
- Pecan Pie Bars — pecan pie in a pan you can cut into squares for a crowd.
- Pumpkin Caramel Sheet Cake — my favorite, favorite, favorite fall dessert, and one pan cuts into 40 squares.
- Apple Cinnamon Pound Cake — all the apple-and-cinnamon flavor in a Bundt cake, my favorite Sunday lunch dessert
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Apple Pie Bites — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.
Mmm that’s look and sounds delicious