Apple Crisp Tartelettes

I received a reminder from Word Press today that Sweet Precision is turning five years old! Sure enough, I took a trip down memory lane and discovered that I made my first post on October 4th, 2012. It’s hard to believe that five whole years have gone by since I worked up the courage to start my blog. In the beginning it was an intimidating process. I didn’t know if anyone would care what I had to say, or let alone take the time to look at my pictures or try the recipes. Now five years later, I’ve joined a wonderful community of bloggers and enjoy the release that comes with baking, photographing, and writing. Although the frequency of my posts ebb and flow, I’ve made a total of 143 posts… that’s hard to believe!

As many of you know, fall is my absolute favorite season. With the 80 degree weather we’ve had recently in Ann Arbor, it’s hard to believe that we’ve transitioned from summer. But the subtle signs of fall are there if you look closely. The air is crisp in the mornings, football season is underway, apples adorn the trees in our local orchards, and who could miss pumpkin spice EVERYTHING?!

My recipe today is a miniaturized version of one of my favorite apple recipes—apple crisp. From a young age, I’ve loved to make apple crisp. I got the original recipe from a Betty Crocker Cookbook and I’ve continually adapted the recipe over the years. It’s one of the few desserts that I don’t need a recipe to make! These miniature apple crisp tartelettes, are a breeze to pull together and will leave you wanting another… and another… and, well you get the idea!

Miniature Apple Crisp Tartelettes

Ingredients
3 large apples, peeled and chopped
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
¾ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup cold butter
15 Mini Phyllo Shells

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and place rack in center of the oven.

Mix apples, water, white sugar, and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon together in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer until apples are partially cooked, about 5 minutes; remove from heat.

Mix brown sugar, oats, flour, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a separate bowl. Use a pastry cutter or 2 forks to mash cold butter into the oats mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place about 1 teaspoon of apple filling in each mini phyllo shell. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the topping over the filling.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let them cool before serving.

Heather’s Helpful Hints
This recipe will make way more than you need to fill your 15 mini phyllo shells. With the leftovers, I recommend using ramekins to make individual-sized apple crisps. They are perfect to warm up in the microwave for dessert or just because!