Apple Pie Cookies

You are in for the perfect fall treat with these Apple Pie Cookies. They’re like a little mini pie, but in cookie form! 

This is not your traditional apple pie recipe, but you still get the same delicious tender apple filling and cinnamon flavors you love.

With the holidays coming up, this apple pie cookie recipe is perfect for switching up your dessert menu. Instead of making a whole pie, make these delicious cookies instead to really wow your crowd! 

Rolled in cinnamon sugar for a sweet crunch, topped with sweet apple pie filling, and then drizzled with salted caramel, these apple pie cookies are sure to become a household favorite.

Recipe Ingredients:

Cookies:

• Butter: use unsalted butter that has been softened at room temperature
• Sugar: you will need to use both granulated white sugar and brown sugar for the cookies
• Egg: have eggs at room temperature
• Extract: pure vanilla extract
• Flour: use all-purpose flour that you have on hand
• Leavening agent: the baking powder is what will help these beauties rise to make the little mini apple pies
• Spices: use ground cinnamon, allspice, and sea salt

For rolling: you will need granulated white sugar and ground cinnamon set aside

Apple Filling:

• Apples: use fresh Gala apples (or another variety of sweet apples), that have been peeled and diced 
• Sugar: using brown sugar will give the best flavor to this homemade apple pie filling
• Butter: unsalted butter
• Juice: you can use lemon juice from the container for this recipe
• Spices: both ground cinnamon and flaky sea salt will do both things for the flavor of the chopped apples

Salted Caramel Sauce:

• Sugar: make sure to granulated superfine sugar to get the best texture for this homemade caramel drizzle
• Butter: use unsalted butter for the caramel sauce
• Cream: you will need heavy cream that is at room temperature
• Salt: use flaky sea salt (or fine sea salt) to balance the sweetness of the caramel apple pie cookies
• Extract: use the pure vanilla extract you have on hand

How To Make Apple Pie Cookies:

Make the Cookie Dough

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened unsalted butter, granulated white sugar, and packed brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Use an electric mixer for best results.
2. Add egg and egg yolk (both at room temperature) one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then, mix in pure vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, allspice, and sea salt.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms.
5. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to firm it up and make it easier to roll into balls.

Shape and Roll the Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup granulated white sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon for rolling the cookie dough balls.
3. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough, and form it into a ball.
4. Roll the dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.
5. Place the coated dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes. The edges should be a light golden brown, while the centers will be puffed and slightly underbaked. 
7. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute. Use the back of a tablespoon or press the bottom of a small glass to create an indentation in the centers for the apple filling.

Prepare the Apple Filling

1. Dice the apples into bite-sized chunks. 
2. Melt unsalted butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Heat until it starts to bubble. 
3. Cook and stir for about 5-7 minutes, until the apples soften and the mixture is caramelized.
4. Add lemon juice, stir, and remove the skillet from the heat. 
5. Transfer the apple mixture to a medium bowl to cool, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Make the Salted Caramel Sauce

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat superfine granulated sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar melts and turns into a golden-caramel syrup.
2. Carefully add unsalted butter to the melted sugar and reduce the heat slightly. Stir until the butter is fully incorporated.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually pour in the heavy cream while stirring constantly. Be careful, as the mixture will bubble up vigorously.
4. Return the pot to the heat for an additional 2 minutes, until the caramel thickens.
5. Remove from the heat, then stir in a pinch of flaky sea salt and pure vanilla extract. Let the caramel sauce cool slightly, about 10-15 minutes before using.

Assemble the Cookies

1. Spoon a small amount of the cooled apple filling into the indentation of each cooled cookie.
2. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the apple-filled cookies.

Optional Ingredients: 

1. Add lemon zest to the apple pie filling for a little tart flavor profile
2. Serve them with a side of vanilla ice cream, just like you would with apple pie
3. Use a Dutch crumb topping instead of the caramel for a different texture (like this one from our Dutch Apple Pie)

Expert Tips:

• If your caramel sauce becomes too thick after cooling, warm it up slightly before drizzling. You can also thin it with a splash of cream if necessary.
• When making a large batch, keep any unused dough in the refrigerator until ready to use. This keeps the dough firm and prevents excessive spreading while baking.

Frequently Asked Questions about making Apple Pie Cookies: 

Storage Instructions:

Fridge: Let the apple pie cookies cool completely, and then store them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 4-5 days for the best results.

Other dessert recipes:

• Cream Cheese and Pumpkin Roll Bars
• Cherry Cheesecake Dump Cake (4 Ingredients)
• Pumpkin Dump Cake
• Apple Cider Caramel Cookies Recipe

Apple Pie Cookies

You are in for the perfect fall treat with these Apple Pie Cookies. They're like a little mini pie, but in cookie form!

ServingServing: 24 Cookies

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup granulated white sugar
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 1 egg, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ For rolling: ½ cup granulated white sugar + ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Apple Filling:

• ▢ 3-4 large Gala apples, or another variety of sweet apples, peeled and diced
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• ▢ ⅓ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ Pinch of flaky sea salt

For the Salted Caramel Sauce:

• ▢ 1 cup granulated superfine sugar
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment

• Mixing Bowl (Small)
• Parchment Paper
• Sheet Pan (Quarter)
• Skillet
• Mixing Bowl (Medium)
• Saucepan (Medium)

Instructions

Make the Cookie Dough

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together softened unsalted butter, granulated white sugar, and packed brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Use an electric mixer for best results.
2. Add egg and egg yolk (both at room temperature) one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then, mix in pure vanilla extract.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, allspice, and sea salt.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms.
5. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to firm it up and make it easier to roll into balls.

Shape and Roll the Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup granulated white sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon for rolling the cookie dough balls.
3. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough, and form it into a ball.
4. Roll the dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.
5. Place the coated dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes. The edges should be lightly golden, while the centers will be puffed and slightly underbaked.
7. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 1 minute. Use the back of a tablespoon or press the bottom of a small glass to create an indentation in the centers for the apple filling.

Prepare the Apple Filling

1. Dice the apples into bite-sized chunks.
2. Melt unsalted butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Heat until it starts to bubble.
3. Cook and stir for about 5-7 minutes, until the apples soften and the mixture is caramelized.
4. Add lemon juice, stir, and remove the skillet from the heat.
5. Transfer the apple mixture to a medium bowl to cool, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Make the Salted Caramel Sauce

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat superfine granulated sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar melts and turns into a golden-caramel syrup.
2. Carefully add unsalted butter to the melted sugar and reduce the heat slightly. Stir until the butter is fully incorporated.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually pour in the heavy cream while stirring constantly. Be careful, as the mixture will bubble up vigorously.
4. Return the pot to the heat for an additional 2 minutes, until the caramel thickens.
5. Remove from the heat, then stir in a pinch of flaky sea salt and pure vanilla extract. Let the caramel sauce cool slightly, about 10-15 minutes before using.

Assemble the Cookies

1. Spoon a small amount of the cooled apple filling into the indentation of each cooled cookie.
2. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the apple-filled cookies.

Notes

• Gala apples work well for this recipe due to their sweetness and firmness but feel free to substitute with other varieties like Honeycrisp or Fuji for a different flavor profile.
• If your caramel sauce becomes too thick after cooling, warm it up slightly before drizzling. You can also thin it with a splash of cream if necessary.
• When making a large batch, keep any unused dough in the refrigerator until ready to use. This keeps the dough firm and prevents excessive spreading while baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 300 kcal · Carbohydrates: 38 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 16 g · Saturated Fat: 10 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g · Trans Fat: 0.5 g · Cholesterol: 58 mg · Sodium: 61 mg · Potassium: 67 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 26 g · Vitamin A: 553 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 37 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Cuisine: American

Cost: $10

Author: Steph Loaiza

Course: Dessert

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