Caramel Apple Pie Bombs Recipe (With Biscuits)

Name: Caramel Apple Pie Bombs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 7.5 ounces can biscuits (we used Great Value brand from Walmart. They are smaller than the Pillsbury brand and works out better); 21 ounces can apple pie filling; 10 individually wrapped caramels (cut in ½ long ways); 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; Vegetable oil (for frying); Caramel sundae topping ((optional))

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These caramel apple pie bombs are the softest, gooiest apple dessert I make. Each one is a warm biscuit ball with a spiced apple center and a melted caramel middle, all rolled in cinnamon sugar. They are sweet and gooey and best the minute they come out of the oil.

Caramel apple pie bomb sliced open oozing apple filling and caramel with candies nearby.

The first time I set a plate of these out, they were gone before I sat down. Everyone grabs one while the caramel is still warm, so now I always fry a double batch.

Think of these as bite-sized apple pie on steroids. You get the same spiced apple filling wrapped in soft golden dough, plus a gooey caramel center and a cinnamon sugar shell that a slice cannot give you, all in about 25 minutes. The one trick is frying them right, and I will walk you through it below.

If you love easy apple treats, these sit right alongside the rest of my easy apple desserts, and they are a close cousin to my baked apple pie bites.

Fall FAVORITE

The Fall Apple Dessert My Husband Requests Most

Apple desserts always make me think of my husband. He loves apple pie, but I do not always want to spend an afternoon making one from scratch, so these have become our shortcut. They give us those same cozy apple pie flavors in a fraction of the time, and I make them all through football season and every fall get together we host.

Here’s Where Most Go Wrong

The oil temperature is the whole ballgame, and it is the step people rush. Too hot and the outside browns before the biscuit cooks through, so you bite into raw dough. Too cool and they sit there soaking up oil and come out heavy and greasy.

I keep the burner at medium and fry only two at a time. Before the first batch I drop in a tiny piece of dough, and when it bubbles right up the oil is ready.

Adjust the burner up or down between batches to hold it steady. That is the difference between a crisp shell with a fluffy center and a doughy middle.

A Few Notes on the Ingredients

The full amounts are in the recipe card below. These are the ones worth a closer look before you start.

Small refrigerated biscuits: Reach for the small 7.5 ounce cans, not the big Grands. Grands dough is too thick to cook through in the oil, so you end up with a raw dough ball wrapped around the filling. The smaller biscuits fry all the way to the center.
Canned apple pie filling: This is the shortcut that gives you real apple pie flavor with no peeling or chopping. Use about a tablespoon per bomb and no more. Overfill and the seams pull open in the oil and the filling leaks out.
Individually wrapped caramels: Cut each caramel in half lengthwise before it goes in. I learned the hard way that whole caramels never fully melt, so you get a firm lump instead of a gooey center. Halved, they melt right into the warm apples.

How to Make Caramel Apple Pie Bombs

Step 1: Heat the Oil Fill a 2 to 3 quart heavy bottomed saucepan a little over halfway with vegetable oil, deep enough to cover the dough balls. Heat it over medium while you assemble the bombs.

Step 2: Mix the Cinnamon Sugar Stir the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon together in a small heat safe bowl and set it aside. This is what the bombs get rolled in the second they come out of the oil. Cinnamon sugar being whisked in a bowl next to caramel candies and apple pie filling

Step 3: Flatten the Biscuits Open the can and flatten each biscuit with your fingers or a rolling pin into a thin circle. If you use a rolling pin, lightly flour your surface first so the dough does not stick.
flatten the dough

Step 4: Fill and Seal Place about a tablespoon of apple pie filling in the center of each circle, then set a halved caramel on top of the apples. Pinch the edges together tightly so the bomb stays sealed in the oil, then roll the ends underneath into a smooth ball. Add a small sprinkle of cinnamon on the apples first if you want a little more spice.
add apple pie filling and caramel on top of the dough.

Step 5: Fry Two at a Time Once a tiny piece of dough bubbles right up in the oil, lower in the bombs with a slotted metal spoon, no more than two at a time. Roll them around so they do not stick or burn, and fry until they are golden brown on all sides. Fried apple pie bomb lifted from hot oil with a slotted spoon, dough balls and cinnamon sugar nearby

Step 6: Coat and Serve Lift the bombs out with the slotted spoon and roll them in the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm so it sticks. Serve them right away, with a drizzle of caramel sundae topping if you like. The filling and caramel come out molten, so give each one a minute before the first bite. Caramel apple pie bomb being coated in cinnamon sugar next to a plate of finished bombs and caramel sauce

How I Store the Leftovers

Store any leftovers covered at room temperature and enjoy them within a day. They are best warm and fresh, so I do not make them too far ahead. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is how I serve any that make it to the next day.

caramel poured on top of the apple pie bombs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use crescent rolls instead of biscuits?

I make these with biscuits because the dough fries into a soft ball that cooks all the way through. Crescent rolls are thinner and made for baking, so I would not swap them into this fried version.

What is the best oil for frying?

A neutral vegetable oil works best because it can take the heat without adding flavor. Vegetable shortening also works if that is what you have on hand.

Can I bake these instead of frying them?

This recipe is built for frying, which is what gives the bombs that soft, doughnut like outside. I have not tested a baked version of this one, so I can only vouch for the fried method here.

Cinnamon sugar coated caramel apple pie bomb on a plate with apples and caramel candies

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