Apple Crumb Cupcakes
I wanted to make a dessert for a friend of mine. Since I had a couple of apples, I knew I wanted to use them. I decided to use my apple crumb cake recipe, but turn it into cupcakes instead. That crumb topping is so good. Just thought it would be a fun experiment. It mostly worked out.
The cupcakes worked out very nicely, and my friend was happy to get them. The only problem was that I ended up making 12 cupcakes. I should have made a few more. They were very full and rose more than I had anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, they still tasted great, but smaller cupcakes would have looked better. I would make 15-18 cupcakes the next time.
So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Apple Crumb Cupcakes
For cupcake batter:
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
½ stick (¼ cup) butter, softened
¾ c. sugar
1 egg
½ c. milk
2 c. chopped peeled, cored apples
For topping:
½ c. sugar
¼ c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
½ stick (¼ c. butter, chilled and cut into bits)
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and milk. Add flour mixture gradually until just mixed in. Fold in apples. Grease or line muffin tins with paper liners. You should get 15-18 cupcakes, depending on how full you fill them. I made 12 in my test batch, and they were too full. Divide batter among the prepared pans, filling about 2/3 full. The batter is pretty thick. That is normal. Combine topping ingredients until they resemble coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter in pans. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 20-22 minutes. Use toothpick to test. Makes 15-18.
Apple Pie Tortilla “Blintzes”
Since I posted the recipe for making your own apple pie filling recently, I thought I’d share a fun way to use it- other than in a pie. I made blintzes with the pie filling.
I used flour tortillas for the crepes. Don’t get me wrong, I love making real crepes. But, when you don’t have the time, the tortillas are a fun and tasty substitute.
I soaked the tortillas in milk. By soaking the tortillas in milk, they soften up, and can be used like a crepe. Soak them for at least 10 minutes, or up to 30 minutes. I placed the tortillas in a shallow baking pan and made sure to drizzle each one with milk as I added them to the pan.
Apple Pie Blintzes
10-12 flour tortillas
1/2 c. milk
2 c. apple pie filling
3-4 T. butter
Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, for topping the blintzes
For the filling, I used some of my homemade apple pie filling. If you have fresh apples, you can just peel and slice the apples, then cook them in a little water and sugar until softened. You can make them as sweet as you like. You made need less sugar if the apples are extra sweet. Add some cinnamon and nutmeg, too. If they are too watery- combine a little cornstarch with cold water and drizzle the mixture in until the apples thicken up. Don’t add too quickly or you might them too thick and gummy.
Place tortillas in a shallow pan, drizzling with a little milk as you go. Set aside for a few minutes, so the tortillas will soften.
To assemble the blintzes, place a softened tortilla on your work surface and spoon a little apple filling in the middle. You can do this with hot filling, but cold or room temperature filling is easier to use. Don’t over fill them or you won’t be able to fold them up. I used 8-inch tortillas and used about 1/3 cup of filling for each one. Fold the sides in until they almost meet in the middle and them roll the tortilla up to cover the filling. Place seam side down until ready to fry them.
Heat butter in a skillet, and brown the blintzes over medium heat until lightly toasted on both sides. They will be crispy on the outside, but tender in the middle. Put on a serving plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve while warm. These are fine just as they are, but feel free to add ice cream or whipped cream, too.
My guests really liked them and said they did not realize they were made from tortillas. I have made these before and use different fruit fillings. I’ve even made a cheese filled version a few times. It seems I usually have a package of tortillas, so it is a go-to dessert for me in a pinch.
