Our neighbor has an apple tree. My daughter covets that tree. Patiently waiting. Waiting since spring, when I cut down our apricot tree that I don’t think she’s yet forgiven me for.

So now that the apples have finally ripened for harvest, we nonchalantly wandered over to check out the tree, and borrow a few apples. Yes mom, she said we could.

What to do with them apples? My Smudge’s request has been apple pie—again with the pie! When will this girl’s pie obsession be satiated? Um, maybe when I bake her a pie?

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

But with no time to make a full blown crust, I pulled a puff pastry from the freezer and baked up an alternative that put her pleadings on the back burner, for now…

4.27 from 64 votes

Baked Apple Cups

Fun and creative treat that can be whipped up in just 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 1/2 sheets frozen puff pastry
2 T melted butter
2 tsp sugar
3 apples cored and thinly sliced
2 T plus 1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp zested lemon rind

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thaw puff pastry dough and cut into six pieces, discarding remaining two pieces. Brush with melted butter and place into greased 6 X 1 cup muffin tins. Sprinkle pastry with refined sugar. Combine remaining ingredients reserving 1 tsp brown sugar. Divide between tins and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

adapted from Donna Hay's The Instant Cook

How about a few more apples that don’t fall far from the tree? Enjoy.

photo > Inspiring the Every Day

Michael shares his tidy parcels of goodness with his moist (thanks to the buttermilk) caramel-ey (thanks to the cream and sugar) and sinfully salty (thanks to the fleur de sal) Cinnamon Apple Cake, laced with salted caramel in Inspiring the Every Day‘s individual desserts. I’ll take two.

photo > Cookin’ Canuck

Dara, our favorite Cookin’ Canuck, has given her own spin to a recipe originating from Pam Anderson of Three Many Cooks, and created Apple Upside-Down Biscuits with Gala apples and complimentary nutmeg, cinnamon—plus the pièce_de_résistance, ice cream!

photo > From My Lemony Kitchen

Lisa’s secret to a crunchy, but light as air fritter is rice flour, which makes My Lemony Kitchen‘s Apple Fritters with Ice Cream a better than good, gluten-free dessert. And don’t forget the extra sweet topper of a piece of really good chocolate. Just for that extra gooey factor.

photo >Tiny Tea Room

Amy has a secret I too share, save yourself the headache and forget trying to make puff pastry from scratch. Tiny Tea Room‘s nuggets of Apple Almond Snail Pastries combine almond cream and an apple filling for the perfect pop-in-in-your-mouth dessert.

On another note, I am so excited to share with all of you the amazing talents that are contributing to the debut issue of FoodieCrush magazine. When will November 15 get here already? If you’re interested in advertising and partnership opportunities, contact me at heidi at foodiecrush dot com.

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Baked Apple Cups