These delightful apple cinnamon cookies are a perfect blend of warm spices and sweet apple, offering a comforting treat with a wonderfully soft and chewy texture. They are ideal for an afternoon snack with a cup of tea or as a festive addition to any autumn gathering, bringing the cozy flavors of fall right into your kitchen.
Welcome to a recipe that truly captures the essence of autumn comfort. Imagine biting into a cookie that’s bursting with the sweet, slightly tart flavor of fresh apples, perfectly complemented by the warm embrace of cinnamon and other cozy spices. These apple cinnamon cookies are designed to be wonderfully soft and chewy, making them an irresistible homemade delight.
This recipe delivers a batch of tender, flavorful cookies that are sure to become a favorite. They’re a wonderful way to use up any fresh apples you have on hand, transforming them into a delightful treat that’s both familiar and exciting. Get ready to fill your home with the irresistible aroma of baking apples and cinnamon.
What Are Apple Cinnamon Cookies?
Apple cinnamon cookies are a type of drop cookie that features diced apples and cinnamon as primary flavorings. Often made with a buttery dough, these cookies can range in texture from soft and cake-like to slightly chewy, depending on the ingredients and baking time. They are a popular choice, especially during the fall harvest season, evoking feelings of warmth and homey baking.
Looking for more? Try this delicious Cinnamon Sugar Cookies next.
These cookies are a fantastic way to enjoy the classic pairing of apples and cinnamon in a portable, bite-sized format. They offer a delightful contrast to traditional chocolate chip or sugar cookies, bringing a fruit-forward and spiced dimension to your dessert repertoire. For more inspiration on spiced baked goods, you might find apple cinnamon recipes on Food Network helpful.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional, for extra warmth)
- 1 1/2 cups finely diced fresh apples (about 2 medium apples, peeled or unpeeled)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, for added crunch)
Equipment You’ll Need
- Large mixing bowls
- Electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer)
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Wire cooling rack
- Small bowl for dry ingredients
- Apple peeler/corer/dicer (optional, but helpful)
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Cookies
Cream the Butter and Sugar
Begin by creaming together the softened butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer. Beat them on medium-high speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale yellow, which usually takes about 3-5 minutes. This crucial step incorporates air, which contributes to the cookies’ tender texture and helps them spread evenly during baking; for more on this technique, see How To Cream Butter And Sugar.
Add Wet Ingredients
Next, beat in the two large eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. After the eggs are mixed in, stir in the vanilla extract until just combined. This ensures all the wet ingredients are emulsified, creating a smooth base for the dry ingredients and preventing a greasy dough.
Another favorite of ours is the Apple Cinnamon Muffins.
Combine Dry Ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves (if using). Whisking the dry ingredients ensures that the leavening agents and spices are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which prevents pockets of salt or spice in the finished cookies and promotes uniform rising.
Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures
Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in the large bowl, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this stage; overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough cookies. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of dry flour.
Fold in Apples and Nuts
Gently fold in the finely diced fresh apples and chopped nuts (if using) using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Distribute the apple pieces and nuts evenly throughout the dough to ensure each cookie gets a delightful bite of fruit and crunch. If your apples are very juicy, you can lightly pat them dry with a paper towel before dicing to prevent adding too much moisture to the dough.
If you enjoyed this, you might also love our Apple Cinnamon Bread recipe.
Chill the Dough (Optional but Recommended)
For best results and easier handling, cover the bowl of cookie dough and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days. Chilling the dough allows the flour to hydrate, the fats to firm up, and the flavors to meld, which results in cookies that spread less and have a more concentrated flavor; this step is particularly helpful if your kitchen is warm or your butter was very soft.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent the cookies from sticking and to ensure even browning on the bottoms. This preparation step is essential for easy cookie removal and cleanup, and it helps achieve the perfect golden-brown finish.
Drop Dough onto Baking Sheets
Drop rounded tablespoons of the chilled cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading. You can use a cookie scoop for uniform size, ensuring consistent baking times and appearance for all your baked apple cinnamon cookies.
If you enjoyed this, you might also love our Creaming Method For Cakes And Cookies recipe.
Bake the Cookies
Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers are set but still appear slightly soft. The exact baking time will depend on the size of your cookies and your oven; keep a close eye on them during the last few minutes to prevent overbaking, as these soft apple cinnamon cookies can go from perfect to overdone quickly.
Cool Cookies
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2-3 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. This allows them to firm up slightly after baking, preventing them from breaking when you move them. Once fully cooled, they are ready to be enjoyed.
Tips for the Best Apple Cinnamon Cookies
Choosing and Preparing Apples
Use firm, tart apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji for the best flavor and texture in your cookies. Avoid softer apples like Red Delicious, as they can become mushy when baked. Dice the apples finely, about 1/4 inch, so they distribute evenly throughout the dough and bake through without being overpowering.
Looking for more? Try this delicious How To Make Ice Cream At Home next.
Spice Level and Variations
Feel free to adjust the amount of cinnamon and nutmeg to your preference for a more intensely spiced apple cookie. You can also add a pinch of ground ginger or cardamom for a more complex flavor profile, creating truly unique spiced apple cookies. If you prefer a sweeter cookie, consider adding a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and a splash of milk once they are completely cooled.
Achieving the Right Texture
For soft apple cinnamon cookies, be careful not to overbake; they should look slightly underdone in the center when you remove them from the oven. If you prefer chewy apple cinnamon cookies, you can slightly reduce the flour by a tablespoon or two, or add an extra tablespoon of brown sugar to the dough.
Storage and Make-Ahead
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days, placing a slice of bread in the container can help keep them soft. The cookie dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen in balls for up to 3 months; bake frozen dough balls directly from the freezer, adding a minute or two to the baking time.
Print
apple cinnamon cookies Recipe
- Total Time: PT32M
- Yield: Approximately 3 dozen cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These soft and chewy apple cinnamon cookies are packed with warm spices and sweet apple chunks, making them the perfect autumn treat.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups finely diced peeled apples (about 2 medium apples)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- Granulated sugar, for rolling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Gently fold in the diced apples and chopped nuts (if using).
- Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into balls. If desired, roll the balls in granulated sugar for an extra sparkle and crunch.
- Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are set.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For best results, use firm apples like Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Gala.
- If you prefer a spicier cookie, you can increase the cinnamon and nutmeg slightly.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- These cookies also freeze well. Freeze baked and cooled cookies for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: PT20M
- Cook Time: PT12M
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 60mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
