Description
Love handheld desserts? Try these Homemade Apple Cheesecake Tacos: crisp cinnamon-sugar tortilla shells stuffed with a silky cheesecake cream and spooned over with a spiced apple compote. They’re bite-sized, festive, and perfect for autumn (or anytime you want a fun dessert).
Ingredients
Cinnamon-Sugar Shells
- Large flour tortillas (6)
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Neutral oil for frying (or butter for baking)
Cheesecake Filling
- Cream cheese (softened)
- Heavy cream (cold)
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
Apple Compote (Homemade Pie-Style Filling)
- Fresh apples, peeled & diced
- Brown sugar
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
Instructions
Use a round cutter (about 3½–4 inches) or a glass to cut circles from tortillas. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat (or preheat oven to 400°F for a baked version). Fry each tortilla circle for a few seconds per side until it turns lightly golden; fold it in half in the oil to form a taco shape and finish frying until crisp. Drain briefly, then toss immediately in the brown sugar–cinnamon mix so the warm shell picks up the coating. Set each shell over an inverted muffin tin to cool and hold its shape.
Oven method: brush both sides of the circles with melted butter, dredge in the sugar-cinnamon, fold over a muffin tin, and bake 5–7 minutes until golden.
Whisk cornstarch into the water to make a slurry. In a medium saucepan combine the slurry, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and heat until the mixture thickens slightly. Add the diced apples and a splash of vanilla. Simmer until the apples are tender but not mushy, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. This prevents soggy shells when assembling.
Beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, then whip in cold heavy cream until the mixture is light and spreadable (soft peaks). Transfer to a piping bag or spoon for neat filling.
Pipe or spoon the cheesecake mixture into each cooled shell, then top with a spoonful of the apple compote. Garnish as desired — a dusting of powdered sugar, a few toasted pecans, or a caramel drizzle works great. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Pro tips for success
- Coat while hot: Toss shells in sugar-cinnamon right after frying — the heat helps the sugar stick.
- Cool the compote: Let the apple filling come to room temperature so it won’t soften the shells.
- Avoid sogginess: Don’t overfill; a moderate spoonful of compote keeps shells crisp.
- Stabilize the filling if you must prep ahead: fold a small amount of instant pudding mix or melted white chocolate into the cheesecake cream to help it hold up.
- Bold tip: If frying, maintain medium oil temp — too hot = burned shells, too cool = greasy shells.
- Variations & swaps
- Use canned apple pie filling to save time.
- Swap apples for blueberry or cherry compote for seasonal variations.
- Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top for a salty-sweet contrast.
- Make mini versions for parties using smaller cutter circles.
- For a lighter filling, fold part of the heavy cream into Greek yogurt before whipping.
- Storage & make-ahead notes
- Shells: make up to 24 hours in advance; store airtight at room temperature. Re-crisp in a 325°F oven for a few minutes if needed.
- Cheesecake filling: keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days.
- Apple compote: refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- Assemble right before serving for best texture — shells will soften if filled and refrigerated for long periods.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 18mg