Apple Pie Cookies

These irresistible apple pie cookies will be the talk of the table this holiday season! Made with fresh apples and a sweet, delicious apple pie filling, you will feel like you are eating mini apple pies (without all the hassle)! Its warm, comforting flavor makes the perfect dessert for your November and December gatherings, especially alongside a bowl of ice cream!

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why this is the best Apple Pie Cookies recipe
• 📝  Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 🍫 Flavor Variations & Substitutions
• 🎓 Expert tips
• 🥣 Equipment notes
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🍪 More Cookie Recipes
• Apple Pie Cookies

🌟 Why this is the best Apple Pie Cookies recipe

1. It is easy to make - This detailed, easy-to-follow recipe is simple enough for even the non-experienced bakers. It requires 90 minutes total time from start to finish, most of which is waiting for the dough to chill and bake!
2. No fancy ingredients are required - All of the components of this apple pie cookies recipe are basic kitchen and pantry staples that you likely already have at home!
3. It is versatile - This apple pie cookie recipe starts with a base cookie dough that you can easily customize with different add-ins, flavors, and fillings.
4. It is the most delicious - I use the highest quality ingredients and the best combination of flavors to make the cookie dough and its finger-licking apple filling. Unlike other apple pie cookies recipes that call for store bought pie crust, this recipe is 100% homemade!

📝  Ingredient notes

For the cookie dough

1. Butter - Use unsalted butter so you do not alter the salt levels in the recipe. I recommend using a high-fat content butter (I use 82% in this recipe) for the best results. You can also make homemade butter. To properly blend into the batter, you must bring the butter to room temperature.
2. Brown sugar - The brown sugar will give the filling a sweet, absolutely delicious molasses flavor! Use dark brown sugar for a deeper, rich flavor or light brown sugar for a milder flavor.
3. Granulated sugar - Plain white sugar will help balance out the flavor of the brown sugar. See my sugar guide for more about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking.
4. Egg - You will need one whole room-temperature egg.
5. Vanilla extract - For the best results and flavor, always use pure vanilla extract.
6. Flour - I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. However, you can also use a flour blend or gluten-free flour. Check out my flour guide to read about the different types of flour and which work best for baking cookies.
7. Salt - Salt is a must-have ingredient to balance the sweetness and the flavors. Do not skip it!
8. Baking soda - The baking soda will help give the cookies their rise.
9. Cinnamon - Cinnamon is the perfect complement to baked goods with apples and helps to give these cookies its irresistible flavor. Feel free to use even apple pie spice!

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the apple pie filling

1. Apples - You can use any variety of apples for the filling, but sweeter apples, such as Honeycrisp and Pink Lady, provide the best-tasting filling! You will need to peel and chop the apples into chunks before measuring them for the recipe.
2. Lemon juice - You will need the juice from freshly squeezed lemons to sprinkle over the apples right after you cut them. The acid will help prevent them from turning brown and also balances the flavor.
3. Brown sugar - The brown sugar will give the filling its rich, molasses flavor. Use dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor or light brown sugar for a milder flavor.
4. Granulated sugar - The combination of white and brown sugar will help balance out the molasses flavor.
5. Butter - Like the cookie dough, you will want to use unsalted butter to not change the salt levels in the recipe. Since you will melt the butter, you do not need to bring it to room temperature first.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. Make the Cookie dough

1. Using an electric hand mixer, whip together the room-temperature butter and the brown and white sugar.
2. Add in the egg room temperature egg, then the vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda), then add to the wet ingredients. Then, use a rubber spatula to fold the two together until just combined.
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
5. With the help of a digital scale or ice cream/cookie scoop, divide the cookie dough into ten equal portions. Place them on the lined baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches between each so that they have space to spread. I recommend only baking five cookies per baking sheet. Once placed, press your thumb into the top of the dough or use a tablespoon to make an imprint.
6. Move the baking sheet(s) to the refrigerator to chill for an hour while preparing the apple pie filling.

💡 Top Tip: Using a rubber spatula to combine the ingredients is best. Otherwise, you risk overmixing. Overmixing can cause gluten to develop in the cookie dough, resulting in dry, cake-like cookies.

2. Make the Apple Pie filling

1. Once the apples are peeled and cut into equally-sized pieces, sprinkle them with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
2. Next, melt the brown and white sugar, any added spices, and butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the apples to the mixture and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes. Once cooked, save the sauce (a/k/a apple butter) for filling the cookies.
3.  Let the mixture cool to room temperature.

💡 Top Tip: Be careful not to overcook the apples. You only need to cook them until they are slightly soft and the juice thickens a bit into an apple butter / apple caramel texture.

3. Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 175 C / 347°F. Do not use a fan. Once the cookies have chilled in the refrigerator for an hour, move the sheets to the oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.
2. Remove the cookies from the oven and reshape the pre-baked thumbprint with a tablespoon.
3. After letting the cookies rest for a few minutes, carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
4. Once cooled, fill each “thumbprint” with a tablespoon of the apple pie filling. Finish them off with a drizzle of apple butter sauce, and enjoy!

💡 Top Tip: It is important to reshape the cookies with the thumbprint pattern while they are still hot and soft. Once the cookies cool and harden, you cannot reshape them.

🍫 Flavor Variations & Substitutions

With nuts - Add some extra crunch to your cookies by adding crushed walnuts, pecans, or almonds to the batter. 

With different fillings and toppings - Not in the mood for apples? Try this recipe with various fillings, such as my delicious strawberry compote, lemon curd, chocolate cremeux, or pastry cream. Or, drizzle them with my creamy homemade caramel sauce to make caramel apple pie cookies!

With different flavors - Swap out the vanilla extract for almond, lemon, or orange extract to give the cookies a different flavor profile. Or, add cocoa powder to the batter for chocolate apple pie cookies!

With additional spices - Add nutmeg, or use allspice or pumpkin pie spice to enhance the sweet and warm flavor even more!

Egg-free or dairy-free cookies - There are several egg substitutes that you can use in place of eggs. You can also make the base dough without butter, as in my chocolate chip cookies without butter recipe.

Different flour - Instead of all-purpose flour, you can use gluten-free flour or a flour blend. Refer to my flour guide to learn more about the other options and how to use them in baking.

🎓 Expert tips

1. Remove the egg and butter from the refrigerator at least an hour before using to ensure they reach room temperature. Room temperature ingredients are a must to emulsify correctly.
2. Use a sifter for the flour and baking soda before using to prevent lumps from getting into the batter.
3. For soft and gooey cookies, it is crucial to use the proper ratio of high-fat-content butter to flour. Do not attempt to adjust the proportions in the recipe, or it can significantly change the texture.
4. If you want perfect, evenly-sized cookies, use a cookie or ice cream scoop to scoop the dough. Keep in mind that the number of cookies you get can vary depending on the size of the scoop.
5. Letting the cookie dough chill is a must if you want thick, voluminous cookies. Otherwise, the batter will spread and result in flat cookies.

🥣 Equipment notes

When it comes to baking, accuracy and precision are key. For the most consistent, high-quality results, always use a digital scale to measure the ingredients and a digital oven thermometer to ensure the right temperature.

An electric hand mixer is a useful tool that makes combining the ingredients for these apple pie cookies easy. Meanwhile, a rubber spatula is handy for folding the ingredients together without overmixing. A wire cooling rack will help the cookies cool quickly without developing a soggy bottom.

❓Recipe FAQs

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