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+ servings

Apple Pie Cookies

Sharon Alvarenga
Brown butter and cinnamon base cookie with a delicious apple pie filling in the middle, and then topped with a crumb streusel.
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chill Time 12 hours
Total Time 13 hours 12 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 14 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
  • 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.
Keyword apple cookie, apple pie cookie, apple pie cookies recipe, dutch apple pie cookie, easy apple pie cookies
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