Description
These Apple Pie Cookies feature soft, buttery cinnamon cookies with a thumbprint center filled with homemade apple pie filling. Made with fresh apples, brown sugar, and warm spices, they bring all the cozy flavors of classic apple pie into an irresistible handheld dessert. Perfect for holidays, gatherings, and fall baking.
Ingredients
- For the Apple Pie Filling:
- 4 large apples, peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 50 g granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 50 g brown sugar (1/4 cup)
- 60 g unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
- For the Cookie Dough:
- 150 g unsalted butter, room temperature (2/3 cup)
- 100 g brown sugar (1/2 cup)
- 70 g granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 g all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the Cookie Dough: Using an electric hand mixer, beat the room-temperature butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving enough space for spreading. Bake about 5 cookies at a time.
- Use your thumb, fingers, or a tablespoon to create a thumbprint indentation in the center of each dough ball.
- Refrigerate the cookie dough for 1 hour while preparing the apple filling.
- Make the Apple Pie Filling: Peel and chop the apples into evenly sized pieces. Toss them with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Melt the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Add the apples and cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until slightly softened.
- Do not overcook the apples. Keep some of the buttery apple sauce in the pan for drizzling over the finished cookies.
- Allow the apple pie filling to cool to room temperature.
- Bake and Assemble: Preheat the oven to 175°C (347°F), without a fan.
- After the chilling time, bake the cookies for 15 minutes.
- Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, reshape the thumbprint indentation using a tablespoon while the cookies are still warm.
- Let the cookies rest for a few minutes, then carefully transfer them from the parchment paper to a cooling rack.
- Fill each cooled cookie with about 1 tablespoon of apple pie filling.
- Drizzle the reserved apple sauce over the filling and serve.
Notes
- Measure accurately: Use a digital kitchen scale for the most reliable baking results.
- Room-temperature ingredients: Use softened butter and a room-temperature egg for a smooth, evenly mixed cookie dough.
- Chill the dough: Do not skip the 1-hour chilling time, or the cookies may spread too much during baking.
- Avoid overbaking: Bake just until done if you prefer soft, fudgy cookies.
- Reshape while warm: Recreate the thumbprint indentation immediately after baking. The cookies will be too firm to reshape once cooled.
- Cook the apples gently: Stop cooking when the apple pieces are slightly softened so they hold their shape in the filling.
- Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American