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    Home » Recipe » Baking » Apple Crumble Tartlets

    Apple Crumble Tartlets

    Published: Feb 16, 2022 · Modified: Feb 16, 2022 by Sabrina Currie · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Individual apple crumble tartlets are a delicious take on the classic . Warm apple cinnamon filling with brown sugar and oat topping is the ultimate comforting dessert. Serve tarts on their own or top them with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Quick, easy and oh so good!

    Closeup photo of apple crumble tart with text overlay that includes website (sabrinacurrie.com) and a blue ribbon icon on the bottom right.

    Apple crumble is delicious any time of year but it is extra special during the colder months of fall and winter. Making it into individual apple crumble tartlets makes it perfect at home or for parties and potlucks.

    I leave the peel on for most of my apple recipes. Leaving the peel on the apples makes prep fast and adds extra fiber and vitamins. I've used Washington organic apples so I'm not worried about pesticides on my apples. (If you prefer the texture of peeled apples in this, you can peel yours.)

    Washington organic apples come in almost every variety so it's easy to find just the right ones for baking or eating raw. They store well in the fridge and are one of my go-to ingredients for my kids lunches, salads and of course baking. (Read on for the best baking apple varieties below.)

    This was inspired by my popular Cinnamon Rolls With Apple Pie Filling and is a perfect fall dessert for an autumn dinner of Rocket and Pear Salad and Mushroom Lentil Stew.

    Jump to:
    • What Other Recipes Can I Make With Apples?
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • Storage
    • FAQs
    • Related Recipes
    • Recipe

    What Other Recipes Can I Make With Apples?

    Apples are so versatile, they can really be used at any time of day in sweet or savory dishes. From apple oatmeal cake with coffee in the morning to apple grilled cheese for lunch and in my salad for dinner, here are some of my favorite apple recipes.

    1. Brie and Apple Grilled Cheese with Hot Honey
    2. Best Apple Oatmeal Cake
    3. Apple Walnut Salad
    4. French Apple Beignets Recipe
    5. Apple Kale Slaw
    6. Apple Cardamom Cake
    7. Crisp Apple Fennel Salad with Grainy Mustard Dressing

    Do you have a favorite apple recipe? Leave your comments below, I'd love to hear what you all are making!

    Recipe Ingredients

    Only 8 ingredients make up these luscious apple crumble tartlets and you probably have almost all of them on hand already!

    Overhead picture of all the ingredients for the tartlets with text labels.
    • Washington Organic Apples - Organic apples are grown using best, pesticide-free practices that grow nutritious and delicious apples. These are the best choice for my family. For apple crumble tartlets, I used the organic Honeycrisp that holds it's shape well during baking. Granny Smith, Cripps Pink, and Jazz are all excellent choices too.
    • Pre Made Tartlet Shells - Using premade tartlet shells makes this recipe fast. Of course you can make your own if you have time. I've used standard 3" tartlet shells for this recipe.
    • Cinnamon - I wanted this recipe to taste like classic apple crumble so cinnamon is a must.
    • Oats - I used large steel cut oats but have made this just as successfully with quick oats too. Just use what you have in your cupboard, either work just fine.

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    Core and chop apples into ½" pieces. I leave the peel on but you can peel the apples first if you prefer.

    Apples cut in quarters with one quarter cut into ½ inch pieces.

    Melt butter over medium heat in a medium sized saucepan.

    Butter in stainless steel pot.

    Once butter is melted, add apples tossing to coat. Cook until they start to soften, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom.

    Chopped apples tossed with melted butter in a stainless steel pot. The apples have their skins left on showing bits of red and green.

    Add in the sugar, cinnamon and flour mixture to cooking apples, stir and bring to a gently boil.

    The cooking apples in the pot have the brown sugar added in a lump on top.

    Let apple mixture boil over medium hear for 5 more minutes stirring occasionally until thick and syrupy.
    Set aside to cool to room temperature.

    Cooked chopped apple crumble filling in a stainless steel pot with a black stirring spoon.

    Meanwhile, make the crumble topping by melting the butter then adding remaining brown sugar. Stir to combine.

    Tip: I like to do this right in a measuring cup that is microwave safe. It saves me an extra dish and is deep enough to contain the topping ingredients.

    Melted butter and brown sugar in a glass pyrex measuring cup.

    Add in oats and remaining flour and stir together until well combined. This will be a crumbly texture.

    A measuring cup with the crumble mixture being mixed with a spoon. There is flour and oats discernable.

    Preheat oven to 375' F
    Lay tart shells evenly on a large thin baking sheet. Scoop apple filling evenly into all 24 shells (approx. 1.5 tablespoons of filling in each) and gently smooth down.
    Top with a heaping teaspoon of crumble topping on each tartlet.

    Closeup of raw tartlet shells with apple cinnamon filling in each. Half of them have the crumble topping on top.

    Bake 25-30 minutes until tarts are lightly browning and pastry shells are cooked through.
    Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. These can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

    Apple tartlets on a baking sheet right out of the oven. They have lightly browned tops and edges.

    Hint: Apple crumble tartlets are delicious on their own but even better served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

    Substitutions

    There aren't many ingredients in this warm, homemade apple crumble recipe but there are a few substitutions you can make if needed.

    • Vegan - Use vegan tartlet shells and swap margarine for the butter to easily make vegan apple crumble tartlets.
    • Unsalted Butter - I keep salted butter at home and use that in my recipes adjusting the salt accordingly. If you use unsalted butter, add an ⅛ teaspoon salt to the filling and ⅛ teaspoon salt to the crumble topping.
    • Pre Cooked Tartlet Shells - Read the directions on your tartlet shells. This recipe uses shells that bake from frozen with the apple filling. If your shells are precooked, reduce the baking time accordingly, taking them out once the crumble topping is crisp.

    A single apple tartlet on a pink and white patterned plate.

    Variations

    Want to change this up? Rhubarb works really well paired with apples!

    • Apple Rhubarb Crumble Tartlets - Use 4 cups apples and 2 cups rhubarb chopped to the same size as the apple pieces. Cook the rhubarb with the apples, omitting the lemon juice and finish the recipe the same as you would for the apple tartlets.

    Storage

    Apple crumble tartlets will store well for 3 days, covered at room temperature or cooler. Be sure that the tarts are completely cooled before covering.

    You can freeze apple crumble tartlets in a sealed container up to 1 month.

    FAQs

    What is the difference between pie, cobbler and crumble?

    All of these desserts have a cooked fruit filling. The type of topping and whether they have a bottom makes the biggest difference. Pie generally has a top and bottom crust of classic pastry. A cobbler has a biscuit-like topping that can be solid or dolloped on like biscuits. Crumble is a topping of butter, flour and brown sugar that bakes up slightly crisp and crumbly and sometimes includes oats like I have here.

    How do I make my apple crumble topping crispy and not soft and floury?

    This recipe has an ideal ratio of butter and sugar to make the oats crisp. The fat in the butter helps keep the oats crisp and there is only just enough flour to bind the ingredients without creating bulk. Pre cooking the apple crumble filling also helps by reducing extra moisture before baking.

    Closeup of apple crumble tartlets on a white tablecloth. The tarts are light brown with a crispy topping and juicy apple filling.

    Related Recipes

    • Healthy California Chicken Salad Recipe With Grapes
    • Apple Kale Slaw
    • Cinnamon Rolls With Apple Pie Filling
    • Homemade Margaritas

    For more on what I'm cooking up, follow me on Instagram or Facebook and come on into my home and kitchen shop, West Coast Kitchen Garden!

    Enjoy the recipe and have a wonderful day!

    Sabrina

    Recipe

    Apple crumble tartlets on a table with white tablecloth and silver candlesticks in the background.

    Apple Crumble Tartlets

    Sweet, tart, cinnamon scented apple crumble tartlets are easy to make and so delicious.
    5 from 34 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Baking, Dessert
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 24 servings
    Calories: 159kcal
    Author: Sabrina Currie

    Ingredients

    • 6 c Organic Apples (4-6 apples depending on their size)
    • ½ c Salted Butter Divided
    • 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
    • ¾ c Brown Sugar Divided
    • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
    • 3 tablespoon All Purpose Flour Divided
    • 1 c Rolled Oats (Old fashioned or quick oats work equally well)
    • 24 Premade Tartlet Shells (3" size which are the most common tartlet size for premade pastry)

    Instructions

    Apple Filling

    • Core and chop apples into ½" pieces. Melt 4 tablespoons (¼ c) butter over medium heat in a medium sized saucepan and add apples. Toss to coat and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally,
    • Measure ½ cup brown sugar, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon flour in a measuring cup and stir to mix. Add to apples, stir and bring to a gently boil. Let boil over medium hear for 5 more minutes stirring occasionally until thickened and syrupy.
      Set aside to cool to room temperature.

    Crumble Topping

    • In a heat proof bowl, melt butter. Add remaining ¼ cup brown sugar and stir to combine. Add in oats and remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and stir all together until well combined. This will be a crumbly texture.

    Assembly and Baking Tartlets

    • Preheat oven to 375' F
    • Lay tart shells evenly on a large thin baking sheet. Scoop apple filling evenly into all 24 shells (approx. 1.5 tablespoons of filling in each) and gently smooth down.
      Top with a heaping teaspoon of crumble topping on each.
    • Bake 25-30 minutes until tarts are lightly browning and pastry shells are cooked through.
      Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. These can be eaten warm or at room temperature. Apple crumble tartlets are delicious on their own or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or vanilla whipped cream.

    Notes

    If you use unsalted butter, add ⅛ teaspoon salt each to your apple filling and to the crumble topping.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @wckitchengarden or tag #wckitchengarden!
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    About Sabrina Currie

    Classically French trained cook, photographer and food stylist living on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC.

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