Salted Caramel Apple Dessert Cups
Deliciously layered dessert cups featuring tart apples, creamy vanilla pudding, and rich salted caramel.
Equipment
- 2-3 quart saucepan For cooking apples.
- Mixing bowls For mixing ingredients.
- piping bag or ziplock bag For filling dessert cups.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 3 cup Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
- 1 3/4 cup salted caramel sauce, divided (1/4 cup and 1/2 cup)
- 1 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons salted butter (for cooking apples)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cup crushed vanilla wafers
- 1 4 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 1 1/4 cup cold whole milk
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a 2-3 quart saucepan over medium heat, combine diced apples, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of salted butter, and ground cinnamon. Stir frequently for 7-9 minutes until apples are softened and the sauce thickens to a canned apple pie filling consistency. Stir in 1/4 cup of salted caramel sauce. Let the apples cool completely.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix crushed vanilla wafers and 1/4 cup of melted butter until crumbs are coated.
- Add 2 teaspoons of the buttered crumbs to each cup, pressing them down with a spoon or cup.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine cold whole milk and instant pudding mix. Mix with a handheld mixer or hand whisk until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of salted caramel sauce into the pudding.
- Add cold heavy cream and continue mixing until the pudding thickens, about 3-4 minutes. The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape when piped.
- Transfer the thickened pudding into a piping bag or a ziplock bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe the filling into the cups, filling them about 2/3 full.
- Spoon the cooled, cooked apples on top of the pudding (about 2 teaspoons). Cover the cups and refrigerate until ready to serve. The dessert cups can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
Notes
Enjoy these dessert cups chilled for a delightful treat!