Enjoy all the cozy flavors of fall in mini form with these Caramel Apple Betty Dessert Shooters! Made with layers of tender cinnamon apples, creamy brown butter cheesecake-yogurt filling, and fluffy maple whipped cream, these no-bake dessert shooters are finished with a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of toffee bits.
These Fall Dessert Shooters are an elegant, bite-sized twist on classic Apple Betty - perfect for Thanksgiving, fall parties, or whenever you're craving a comforting caramel apple dessert in a fun, individual serving!
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If you like dessert shooters, give my Saskatoon Berry (Juneberry) Tiramisu Dessert Shooters and my Shamrock St. Patrick's Day Irish Cream Dessert Shots a try!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
The brown butter in these easy apple dessert shooters lends a rich caramel flavor that blends so perfectly with the cheesecake-like tanginess of the cream cheese/yogurt layer. And the maple whipped cream is light, airy, and oh so dreamy. The caramel sundae sauce and toffee bits crown it all off with the perfect balance of sweetness.
For this caramel apple dessert shooter recipe, you'll need:
- Butter. I prefer to use unsalted butter in my recipes so I can control the salt. The salt content in salted butter varies by brand.
- Apples. I use green Granny Smith apples because they hold their shape better.
- Cream cheese. I use light cream cheese.
- Vanilla Yogurt. You can use Greek or 2%.
- Whipped cream. Make sure you use 33- 36 % fat.
- Toffee bits. I use Skor.
- Caramel sauce. Using store-bought Sundae Sauce is quick and easy! * I use Smuckers brand.
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Apples - You can use another type of apple, but they won't hold their shape as well as Granny Smith Apples.
- Yogurt- If you only have plain yogurt, just mix in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract as a substitute.
- Caramel sauce - You can use a homemade caramel sauce.
- Lady Fingers - Graham cracker crumbs, crushed digestive biscuits, or even shortbread cookie crumbs make great substitutes for ladyfingers.
🔪How to Make Caramel Apple Dessert Shooters
- Step 1: Brown butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until fragrant (you will smell a caramel aroma) and you can see little brown bits in the bottom of your saucepan. (SEE VIDEO: How to make brown butter) *Set aside 2 tablespoons of brown butter for apples.
- Step 2: Sauté apples with 2 Tblsp butter over medium-low heat in a frying pan on the stovetop until they are soft (can easily put a fork through) but still hold their shape (about 5-7 minutes).
- Step 3: Add orange zest to apples. Then toss in a bowl with cinnamon and 2 tablespoon of brown sugar.
- Step 4: Beat yogurt and cream cheese together with 3 tablespoon of brown sugar, then add the remaining brown butter.
- Step 5: Beat whipping cream in a separate bowl, then add sugar to your liking (I used about 3 tsp) and maple flavouring when it reaches soft peaks. Beat to stiff peaks. Set aside.
- Step 6: Layer in a shot glass beginning with broken up lady fingers.
- Step 7: Then add the yogurt mixture.
- Step 8: Then add apples.
- Step 9: Top with whipped cream. You can spoon it on or use a 1 M icing tip and pastry bag and pipe on (see VIDEO: How to pipe whipped cream with 1 M tip)
- Step 10: Drizzle caramel sundae sauce over the whipped cream in a circular fashion. You want it to look whimsical. Sprinkle toffee bits onto each dessert shooter, dividing evenly between them all.
Recipe Tips
- Brown the butter properly: Keep a close eye on your butter while it's browning - it can go from golden and nutty to burnt very quickly. Stir often and remove from heat as soon as you see brown flecks forming on the bottom of the pan.
- Use tart apples for balance: Granny Smith apples add just the right amount of tartness to offset the sweet caramel and whipped cream layers. If you use a sweeter apple, reduce the added sugar slightly.
- Cool the apples before layering: Allow the sautéed apples to cool before assembling the shooters so they don't melt the cream cheese or whipped cream layers.
- Don't overwhip the cream: Beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks just form - overwhipping can cause it to become grainy or start to separate.
- Pipe for a polished look: For a professional finish, use a large open star or 1M piping tip to pipe the whipped cream on top. It creates a pretty swirl and helps hold the caramel drizzle.
- Use thick caramel sauce: Store-bought sundae caramel sauce works best because it's thick and won't sink into the whipped cream. If yours is too thin, chill it briefly before drizzling.
- Layer evenly for presentation: Use a small spoon or piping bag for each layer to keep the sides of the shot glasses clean and achieve those neat, visible layers.
- Chill before serving: Refrigerate the assembled shooters for at least 30 minutes before serving to help the flavors meld and the layers set slightly.
- Make-ahead efficiency: Prepare each component in advance and store them separately. Then assemble just before serving for the freshest taste and texture.
- Add crunch before serving: Sprinkle the toffee bits on just before serving so they stay crisp and don't soften from the whipped cream.
🥗 What to Serve with Dessert Shooters
This dessert shooter pairs well with a fall meal, such as this Air Fryer Roast Chicken (with lemon, rosemary and garlic), (shown) with Turnip and Apple Casserole, and Healthy Glazed Carrots (with Brown Sugar), or Coconut Pumpkin Chicken!
🍽Equipment
You'll need dessert shot glasses (affiliate link). There are a variety of different types and sizes of shot glasses, so you can just choose the type you like best. I used 1 oz in the photos, but you can use 2 or 3 oz or even 8 oz or 12 oz parfait glasses.
🌡️Storage
Store these mini dessert shooters in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. It's best if the ingredients are stored separately and assembled no more than a couple of hours before serving. Top with caramel sauce and toffee bits just prior to serving.
These ingredients do not stand up to freezing.
👪 Serving Size
This caramel apple betty recipe makes 12 dessert shots (1 oz shot glasses), or 6- 2 oz shot glasses, or make 2 -12 oz parfaits. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
❔ Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can prepare all the components (the sautéed apples, cream cheese/yogurt layer, and maple whipped cream) a day in advance and store them separately in the fridge. Assemble the shooters a few hours before serving for the best texture and presentation.
These dessert shooters can sit out for up to 1 hour before serving. After that, the whipped cream and yogurt layers may start to soften too much.
Fresh apples give the best flavor and texture, but in a pinch, you can use canned apple pie filling. Just drain off any excess syrup so the layers don't get soggy.
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Caramel Apple & Apple Betty are a fine pairing in this no bake dessert shot. Oh, and they are just a little more "grown up" than the typical Halloween party dessert.
If you have a few more minutes to spare, give my Salted Toffee Caramel Apples (with melted caramels) a try!
🍰More Mini Desserts
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📋 Caramel Apple Betty Dessert Shooters Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown butter (unsalted butter, browned -see VIDEO in notes) reserve 2 tablespoon for apples
- 2 green apples cored and peeled and chopped into about small pieces (about ¼ inch)
- ¼ cup light cream cheese room temperature
- 5 tablespoon brown sugar (2 tablespoon reserved for apples)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup 2 % yogurt
- 2 lady fingers cut into very small pieces ( not quite crumbs)
Maple Whipped Cream:
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 1 cup whipping cream
Garnish:
- ½ tablespoon toffee bits
- caramel sundae sauce, drizzled
Instructions
- Brown butter in small saucepan over medium heat (SEE VIDEO in Notes). Set aside 2 tablespoon for apples.
- Saute apples with 2 Tblsp butter over medium- low heat in frying pan on stove top until they are soft (can easily put fork through) but still hold their shape (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add orange zest. Then toss in bowl with cinnamon 2 Tblsp of brown sugar.
- Beat yogurt and cream cheese together with 3 Tblsp of brown sugar, then add remaining brown butter
- Beat whipping cream in separate bowl, then add sugar to your liking (I used about 3 tsp) and maple flavouring when it reaches soft peaks. Beat to stiff peaks. Set aside
- Layer in shot glass beginning with crushed lady fingers, then yogurt mixture, then apples.
Garnish:
- Top with whipped cream. You can spoon it on our use a 1 M icing tip and pastry bag and pipe on (see VIDEO in Notes)
- Drizzle caramel sundae sauce over the whipped cream in a a circular fashion. You want it to look whimsical.
- Sprinkle toffee bits onto each dessert shooters, dividing evenly between them all.
Notes
- Brown the butter properly: Keep a close eye on your butter while it's browning - it can go from golden and nutty to burnt very quickly. Stir often and remove from heat as soon as you see brown flecks forming on the bottom of the pan.
- Use tart apples for balance: Granny Smith apples add just the right amount of tartness to offset the sweet caramel and whipped cream layers. If you use a sweeter apple, reduce the added sugar slightly.
- Cool the apples before layering: Allow the sautéed apples to cool before assembling the shooters so they don't melt the cream cheese or whipped cream layers.
- Don't overwhip the cream: Beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks just form - overwhipping can cause it to become grainy or start to separate.
- Pipe for a polished look: For a professional finish, use a large open star or 1M piping tip to pipe the whipped cream on top. It creates a pretty swirl and helps hold the caramel drizzle.
- Use thick caramel sauce: Store-bought sundae caramel sauce works best because it's thick and won't sink into the whipped cream. If yours is too thin, chill it briefly before drizzling.
- Layer evenly for presentation: Use a small spoon or piping bag for each layer to keep the sides of the shot glasses clean and achieve those neat, visible layers.
- Chill before serving: Refrigerate the assembled shooters for at least 30 minutes before serving to help the flavors meld and the layers set slightly.
- Make-ahead efficiency: Prepare each component in advance and store them separately. Then assemble just before serving for the freshest taste and texture.
- Add crunch before serving: Sprinkle the toffee bits on just before serving so they stay crisp and don't soften from the whipped cream.
Terri Gilson
When I made these for my daughter she loved them so much that the next day she made herself more! 🙂