Caramel Apple Dessert Cups

Enjoy the delightful combination of tart Granny Smith apples, creamy pudding, and rich caramel sauce in these easy-to-make Caramel Apple Dessert Cups. Perfect and portable for any sweet craving!

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Rest time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: caramel apple dessert cups, Caramel Apple Dessert Cups Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 140kcal

Ingredients

3 cups Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and finely diced)
⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons salted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
¼ cup salted butter, melted and cooled
3.4 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix
1 ¼ cup cold whole milk
¾ cup salted caramel sauce, divided ¼ cup and ½ cup
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Add the diced apples, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon to a 2-3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir the apples frequently, for about 7-9 minutes, until the apples have softened and the brown sugar sauce has thickened to canned apple pie filling consistency. Stir in ¼ cup of salted caramel sauce. Allow the apples to cool completely. (If you are pressed for time, you can chill the apples in the refrigerator. Be aware that condensation may occur on the lid or covering over the apples which may affect the consistency)
Add the crushed vanilla wafers and melted butter to a small mixing bowl. Stir to completely coat the crumbs.
Add 2 teaspoons of the buttered crumbs to the cups. Use either a spoon or an extra cup to tamp down the buttered crumbs.
Add the cold whole milk and instant pudding to a medium size mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer on low, or a hand whisk, to mix until the pudding begins to thicken. This will take about 2-3 minutes
Mix in the remaining ½ cup of the salted caramel sauce to the pudding.
Add in the cold heavy cream and continue mixing until the pudding has thickened. This should take about 3-4 minutes (The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape when piped into the cups)
Add the thickened pudding to a piping bag, or a gallon size ziplock bag with a corner snipped off.
Snip the end of the piping bag off. Use steady even pressure to squeeze the filling on top of the buttered crumb crust about ⅔ of the way full.
Spoon the cooled, cooked apples on top of the pudding. (About 2 teaspoons) Place the lids on the cups and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Notes

You can use a vegetable peeler (like a carrot peeler) to peel the apples. This may be easier for some people than using a knife.
If you’re short on time, set the cooked apples in the fridge to cool instead of waiting for them to come to room temperature. You may want to put a lid on the apples in the fridge so they don’t dry out, however, condensation may form resulting in a slightly different consistency.
To make it easy to move the filled cups around later, you can set the portion cups out on a large baking tray while you build the layers.
If you’re using a Ziploc bag instead of a piping. bag, don’t cut off too much of the bag. Begin with a small hole and make it bigger if needed.

Nutrition