Our cinnamon glazed apple pie bites are made with brown sugar, warm fall spices, and chopped apples wrapped inside a soft and flakey crescent roll that’s baked and on the table in less than 25 minutes!
Why this recipe works
The aroma of these apple pie bites baking in the oven is enough to win you over. Plus, they’re really easy to make and topped with a sweet cinnamon glaze, how could you not try one?
These little pocket-sized pies are made with fresh apples (some have dried cranberries!), and crescent rolls. Perfect for a quick after-dinner treat, as a sweet appetizer, or served alongside a cup of coffee on a chilly fall morning.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
DOUGH – Crescent rolls change the game when it comes to sweet and savory foods like our turkey pepper jack roll-ups or candy cane danish. They make appetizers and desserts much easier to whip up compared to prepping your own dough.
FILLING – Some of our apple pie bites have all apple filling, while some have cranberry and apple. It’s up to you whether or not you’d like to include the cranberries, but they make a delicious addition to the sweet apples! You can also mix in some chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds if desired.
How to Make Apple Pie Bites
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line insulated baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Toss diced apple with ONE tablespoon of the melted butter. Set remaining butter aside.
- Combine the buttered apples with the brown sugar mixture. Toss until apples are coated well.
EXPERT TIP – If you would like to include cranberries in your pies, add them during this step. We chose to do half of our hand pies with cranberries and apples and half with just apples. Use 2 Tablespoons to do half the recipe with cranberries OR 1/4 cup cranberries for all of the pies. You can also simply sprinkle the cranberries on top of the scooped apple mixture if only doing half with cranberries. - Working on the baking sheet, separate crescents into triangles. Place one heaping tablespoon of apple mixture at the wide end of each triangle.
- Starting at the wide end, roll the crescent up. Tuck in any filling that may have fallen out and seal the edges at both ends. Brush each pocket with the remaining butter.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until pockets are golden brown.
- Combine glaze ingredients until smooth. Remove pies from oven and cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Drizzle with cinnamon glaze, if desired. Serve warm.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
You can use whatever your favorite type of apple is for this recipe. Some prefer to use Granny Smith for tartness, while others prefer a sweeter apple like Honeycrisp, Gala, Golden Delicious, or Red Delicious.
Store leftovers in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, air fryer, or oven.
Serving Suggestions
Serve apple pie bites warm as is or with our simple cinnamon glaze drizzled on top. These little hand pies are the perfect size to enjoy with tea or coffee in the morning but are sweet enough to enjoy for dessert as well. If serving with dessert, try a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side!
More Related Recipes
- Apple Hand Pies
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
- Blueberry Hand Pies
- Crescent Danish Wreath
- Cranberry Cream Cheese Pastries
- Apple Bread
- Air Fryer Baked Apples
- Apple Crumble
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Apple Pie Bites
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- ¼ cup light brown brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 apple small-medium apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, divided
- 2 Tablespoons dried cranberries optional, see notes below
- 8 ounces Pillsbury crescent rolls 1 can
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar gently packed
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon milk or more if needed
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- As stated above, we chose to do half of our hand pies with cranberries and apples and half with just apples. Use 2 Tablespoons to do half the recipe with cranberries OR 1/4 cup cranberries for all of the pies. You can also simply sprinkle the cranberries on top of the scooped apple mixture if only doing half with cranberries.
- You can use whatever your favorite type of apple is for this recipe. Some prefer to use Granny Smith for tartness, while others prefer a sweeter apple like Honeycrisp, Gala, Golden Delicious, or Red Delicious.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line insulated baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Toss diced apple with ONE tablespoon of the melted butter. Set remaining butter aside.
- Combine the buttered apples with the brown sugar mixture. Toss until apples are coated well. TIP – If you would like to include cranberries in your pies, add them during this step. We chose to do half of our hand pies with cranberries and apples and half with just apples. Use 2 Tablespoons to do half the recipe with cranberries OR 1/4 cup cranberries for all of the pies.
- Working on the baking sheet, separate crescents into triangles. Place one heaping tablespoon of apple mixture at the wide end of each triangle. Starting at the wide end, roll the crescent up. Tuck in any filling that may have fallen out and seal the edges at both ends. Brush each pocket with remaining butter.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until pockets are golden brown.
- Combine glaze ingredients until smooth. Remove pockets from oven and cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Drizzle with cinnamon glaze, if desired. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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Sondra Greer says
Excellent apple/cranberry bites. So easy to make. I cut each triangle in half and double the turnout. They were little miniatures, but absolutely delicious. Thank you Amanda.
Nicole says
I love your blog! It’s my new favorite happy place on the internet!
This recipe looks absolutely delicious and I think I will be taking these to our family Christmas dinner! Oh yeah!
Amanda Formaro says
Hope you like them Nicole, we loved them here :)
Maxene says
These will be perfect for my Grandchildren as well as Seniors in our family that can’t eat too much (even of a good thing) Also for the ones that are allergic to nuts, the cranberries (or raisins) are perfect)! We will be trying these for Thanksgiving this year and anytime you need to put out a dessert. Thank You
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Maxene! Hope you love them as much as we did :)
Dina says
they look yummy!
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you Dina :)
Karen @ The Food Charlatan says
These look awesome! They should sell these at McDonald’s. I mean that as a compliment, don’t hate me. They just look so portable and cute. Love the addition of cranberries, I am OBSESSED with them this year!
Amanda Formaro says
I’ll take it as a compliment Karen, thank you!
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
Warm fruit desserts have always been my favorite, even as a child! Needless to say, these are right up my alley. I’d have one right now with my morning coffee :-)
Amanda Formaro says
Oh yes, good stuff with coffee!
Jenny from Australia says
I just love all things sweet, but we dont have cool things like canned pastry :( I’m going to try these today1
Amanda Formaro says
i hope you like them Jenny!
Angie | Big Bears Wife says
I don’t know why but these totally screamed christmas to me!
Amanda Formaro says
They do, don’t they Angie? :)
Mique says
Yum!! These look right up my alley- simple but delicious. I love making things with Pillsbury rolls!
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Mique, they were delicious!