1. Make the Apple Filling

Throw those apples, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in your skillet over medium heat. It’s gonna smell like fall threw a party in your kitchen – you’re welcome.

Let them hang out uncovered for 2-3 minutes, giving them a stir so nobody burns. They’ll start getting shiny and releasing their juices like little apple tears of joy.

Slap that lid on, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let them steam for about 10 minutes. This is when the magic happens – they get tender without turning to baby food.

Take the lid off (watch the steam!) and cook another 2-3 minutes until that syrup thickens up and hugs the apples. Set it aside to cool while you pretend you’re not eating spoonfuls straight from the pan.

2. Prepare the Pastry

Crank that oven to 425°F – we need it hot for maximum puff action.

Grease 9 cups of your muffin tin. I use cooking spray because who has time for buttering individual cups? Not this girl.

Roll out your puff pastry just enough to smooth it out (we’re not making a pizza here). Cut it into 9 squares – I eyeball it because perfect squares are overrated.

Press each square into a muffin cup, letting the corners stick up all willy-nilly. They look like little pastry flowers, and honestly? Adorable.

3. Fill and Fold

Drop about 2½-3 tablespoons of filling into each cup. Don’t get greedy – overfilling leads to apple explosions (ask me how I know).

Here’s the fun part: fold those corners over the filling, overlapping them in the middle. Give ’em a little pinch to stick together, but leave gaps for steam. They’ll look like wonky little packages, and that’s exactly right.

4. Bake

Brush with egg wash if you’re feeling fancy. Sometimes I do, sometimes I’m already washing dishes and can’t be bothered.

Into the oven for 20-25 minutes until they’re golden brown and puffed up like little pastry peacocks. Your house will smell so good, neighbors might mysteriously appear.

5. Cool and Serve

This is the hardest part – waiting. Let them chill in the pan for 5-8 minutes or they’ll fall apart faster than my New Year’s resolutions.

Carefully pop them out onto a cooling rack. Hit them with powdered sugar if you’re serving to impress, or just eat them straight up if it’s a Tuesday night.