Nothing says Fall more than apple desserts, and especially apple pie...but have you ever tried Apple Pie Cookies? It is one of my new favorite desserts because it is bite size, and also relatively easy to make! If you love Apple Pie than this cookie is definitely for you!
In 2021 I began creating cookie recipes that I personally would love but also to share with all of you. I thought an apple pie cookie would be absolutely fantastic to attempt, and I have no regrets! I was nervous it would be a bit soggy after baking because of the apple pie filling, but nope! It’s warm and oozy and honestly absolutely delicious!
This recipe actually dates back to the Fall of 2021 when I first created it. I then went back the Fall of 2022 and updated it to this current version. Changes in websites now list this as a June 2023 recipe but she is an older one!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
So Delicious. This recipe combines the delicious flavors of homemade Apple Pie into a warm and delicious cookie. Think of it like a mini bite size Apple Pie that doesn't skimp on any of the flavor.
Easier Than Pie. This recipe does not use any ready to use ingredients - it is all made from scratch. It does require some work, but I promise that its easier than making a homemade pie!
If you love these Apple Cinnamon cookies than I highly recommend also trying my Mexican Cinnamon cookies!
Ingredients
Please read through the ingredients list so you can familiarize yourself with each ingredient. The ingredients and supplies can be found in most homes, or purchased at your local grocery store.
Butter. Begin with 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, brown it and are left with about 185g (~¾ cup) of delicious browned butter. Browning butter is basically cooking the milk solids within the butter until they are browned and toasted to help lend a delicious nutty flavor to the cookies.
Apples. We use a combination of freeze dried apples and fresh apples in this recipe. The freeze dried apples you can find at your local Target or Amazon. We use them to amplify the apple flavor in this recipe. In addition we also use fresh apples - preferably Honeycrisp or Granny Smith - for the fresh apple pie flavor. Honeycrisp and Granny Smith hold their shape well when baking which is why they are ideal for pies.
Cinnamon. Apple pie is not complete without the sweetness of cinnamon, and we use this spice in the cookie, within then apple filling, and within the streusel.
Pre-Baking Tips
Brown That Butter! I don't recommend skipping this step because the brown butter truly helps this cookie burst with the flavor. The nutty undertones pair deliciously with the apples and cinnamon.
Chill The Dough. Chilling dough helps bring the flavors together and deepen them, but it also helps re-solidify the butter within the cookie and the filling. Not allowing the cookie to chill will result in a overspread, possibly butter soaked cookie.
Not All Apples Are Created Equal. When it comes to baking them it is very true. I recommend using Honeycrisp or Granny Smith for fresh apples, and sticking with freeze dried apples for within the dough. Do not use frozen apples.
Use an oven thermometer. An oven thermometer will help you ensure that your oven is running at the correct temperature.
Kitchen scale is recommended. While I do share the volume measurements, I always will recommend a kitchen scale. It is a great investment and may help reduce the weighing errors for you.
How To Make Apple Pie Cookies
This recipe uses baking tools and ingredients that can be found in most homes. Please see recipe card for full list of equipment and ingredients.
Browning The Butter
Step 1: Brown the butter in a light colored medium sized pot, place butter inside and cook on low medium heat. No need to stir consistently, just allow the butter to melt and begin cooking.
Step 2: About half way through the butter will begin to foam up a bit, but you only need to take your rubber spatula and give it a stir to bring it back down a bit. Continue to cook on the same heat, and about 6 to 7 minutes in you will begin to see light foaming on the top.
Step 3: You will notice the along the edges browning, and if you stir the butter there will be small browned pieces at the bottom. Begin stirring at this point until the color is a light to medium color and you smell the nutty flavor of the butter.
Step 4: Remove from heat and pour into heat safe bowl.
Step 5: Allow butter to cool for about 1 hour before placing in refrigerator to continue cooling. Allow to sit in fridge between 15 to 30 minutes.
Step 6: The brown butter bits will naturally fall to the bottom of the bowl. Take your rubber spatula and mix the butter together so that the browned bits are distributed evenly throughout. The butter should be soft but not melted. Set aside.
Prepare The Apple Pie Cookie Dough
Step 7: Prepare the apple pie filling by peeling the apples and removing the core. Cut into ¼" cubes and then toss with melted butter, sugars, vanilla, flour, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Step 8: Prepare streusel by combining all ingredients into a small bowl and use a fork to combine the ingredients into one another. You should be looking for a crumbly texture. Set aside.
Step 9: Now to make the cookie dough! In a large bowl, add the browned butter, sugars and vanilla. Whisk ingredients together until well combined.
Step 10: Add eggs and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
Step 11: Place freeze dried apples into blender or food processor, and grind into a powder. Pour all apple powder into the wet ingredients and whisk together.
Step 12: Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to wet ingredients and whisk together until just combined. Use a rubber spatula after to pull together any remaining flour into the dough.
Step 13: Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, and using the 3 tbsp ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and place on sheet.
Step 14: Take a tbsp or spoon and push into the middle of the cookie to create a well, and spoon about 1 tsp of apple filling into each well.
Step 15: Then spoon about 2 tsp of streusel on top of the apple filling.
Step 16: Cover cookies with shrink wrap and place baking sheet in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or up to 12 hours.
Baking The Apple Pie Cookies
Step 17: Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove cookies from refrigerator and place 6 cookies per baking sheet, and bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until golden brown along bottom edges.
Step 18: Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool before enjoying.
Variations And Substitutions
If you prefer to have a cookie that just tastes like apples you can exclude the apple pie filling and streusel from the recipe - but don't leave out the freeze dried apples! The freeze dried apples are what help give the base of the cookie a boost of apple flavor.
If you are in a rush and don't have time to fully prepare the cookies as the recipe dictates, you can save some time by using apple pie filling from the can. Not the preferred flavor or method, but if you are strapped on time this can definitely help you. The cans generally do not dice the apples as small as this recipe instructs however so you will need to try and cut them down to size so they can fit within the cookie well.
Storage
You can keep these room temp in a sealed container or ziplock bag for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate for up to one week. Freezing is also a great option in a freezer safe container or ziplock bag for up to 3 months. I do recommend eating them slightly warm, so if you plan to warm from room temperature than pop in the microwave for only about 5 – 10 seconds. If frozen, allow the cookie to thaw within the container at room temperature. Once thawed, follow the steps to warm for the room temperature cookie.
More Recipes To Enjoy
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Apple Pie Cookies
Equipment
- heat safe mixing bowls
- silicone spatulas
- high speed blender or food processor
- whisk
- 3 tbsp ice cream scoop
Ingredients
Apple Pie Cookie
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour 320g
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed 226g
- 2 cup whole freeze dried apples 35g
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed 106g
- ½ cup sugar 100 g
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Apple Pie Cookie Filling
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled and cubed or Granny Smith
- 3 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Apple Pie Cookie Streusel
- ¼ cup all purpose flour 60g
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed 23g
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed 23g
- 2 tbsp sugar 25g
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Browning Butter
- Prepare the kitchen scale and have a small heat proof bowl close by because once the butter is ready you will want to remove from heat immediately.
- In a light colored medium sized pot, place butter inside and cook on low medium heat. No need to stir consistently, just allow the butter to melt and begin cooking.
- About half way through the butter will begin to foam up a bit, but you only need to take your rubber spatula and give it a stir to bring it back down a bit. Continue to cook on the same heat, and about 6 to 7 minutes in you will begin to see light foaming on the top.
- You will notice the along the edges browning, and if you stir the butter there will be small browned pieces at the bottom. Begin stirring at this point until the color is a light to medium color and you smell the nutty flavor of the butter.
- Remove from heat and pour into heat safe bowl making sure the kitchen scale is on so you can measure the amount of butter.
- Allow butter to cool for about 1 hour before placing in refrigerator to continue cooling. Allow to sit in fridge between 15 to 30 minutes. You are looking to slightly solidify the butter where it is still palpable and easy to smooth.
- The brown butter bits will naturally fall to the bottom of the bowl. Take your rubber spatula and mix the butter together so that the browned bits are distributed evenly throughout. The butter should be soft but not melted. Set aside.
Apple Pie Filling Prep
- Peel apples and remove core. Cut into ¼" cubes and then toss with melted butter, sugars, vanilla, flour, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Apple Pie Streusel Prep
- Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and use a fork to combine the ingredients into one another. You should be looking for a crumbly texture. Set aside.
Apple Pie Cookies
- In a large bowl, add the browned butter, sugars and vanilla. Whisk ingredients together until well combined.
- Add eggs and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Place freeze dried apples into blender or food processor, and grind into a powder. Pour all apple powder into the wet ingredients and whisk together.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to wet ingredients and whisk together until just combined. Use a rubber spatula after to pull together any remaining flour into the dough.
- Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, and using the 3 tbsp ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and place on sheet. Repeat until all dough is done.
- Take a tbsp or spoon and push into the middle of the cookie to create a well, and spoon about 1 tsp of apple filling into each well.
- Then spoon about 2 tsp of streusel on top of the apple filling.
- Cover cookies with shrink wrap and place baking sheet in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or up to 12 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove cookies from refrigerator and place 6 cookies per baking sheet, and bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until golden brown along bottom edges.
- Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool before enjoying.
Notes
- Chilling dough helps bring the flavors together and deepen them, but it also helps re-solidify the butter within the cookie and the filling. Not allowing the cookie to chill will result in a overspread, possibly butter soaked cookie.
- I recommend using Honeycrisp or Granny Smith for fresh apples, and sticking with freeze dried apples for within the dough.
- Use an oven thermometer. An oven thermometer will help you ensure that your oven is running at the correct temperature.
- Kitchen scale is recommended. While I do share the volume measurements, I always will recommend a kitchen scale. It drastically eliminates errors in measuring and will get you closest to how the recipe was intended.
Julian
Best cookies ever!