These delicious apple pie cookies are made with a soft cinnamon cookie and filled with homemade apple pie filling.
These cookies feature a soft, cinnamon-infused cookie base that perfectly complements the rich, homemade apple pie filling nestled within.
Each bite tastes like a traditional apple pie, with tender chunks of spiced apples encased in a buttery, crumbly cookie exterior.
To elevate the cookie, these cookies are generously drizzled with a luscious caramel sauce, adding a sweet and gooey texture that perfectly balances the tartness of the apples.
The result is a portable, handheld version of apple pie that's perfect for snacking, sharing, or serving at gatherings.
If you like apple recipes, check out our apple cinnamon rolls, apple crumble cake, apple fritters, apple crumble muffins, easy apple cake, apple crumble pie, and apple turnovers!
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Why this recipe works
- Texture- the soft cinnamon cookie base is chewy and soft and is topped with a juicy and chunky apple pie filling. This combination creates a perfect balance between tender and slightly chewy, making each bite irresistible.
- Flavor- the blend of warm cinnamon in the cookie and the sweet-tart apples in the filling creates a classic apple pie taste in a compact form.
- Apple Pie Filling- these cookies are filled with homemade apple pie filling that is made with real apples and spices. It captures the essence of a traditional apple pie in every bite, offering a burst of fruity goodness.
- Caramel Sauce Drizzle- each cookie is topped with a generous drizzle of rich, buttery caramel sauce complements the apple filling and adds a luxurious touch to the overall taste experience.
- No chill cookie- these cookies are no chill recipe so they are really quick and easy to make!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious cookies.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Baking powder and baking soda- to allow the cookies to spread. Make sure that your baking powder and baking soda are not expired.
Cornstarch- cornstarch helps to create a tender texture for these cookies, plus, it keeps the cookie thick and soft.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Brown sugar- adds a caramelly flavor and chewy texture to the cookies.
Cinnamon- gives these cookies an amazing taste and compliments the apples perfectly.
Eggs- you will need 2 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your egg is at room temperature.
Vanilla extract- for vanilla flavor. I used vanilla paste, but you can use a whole vanilla bean or pure vanilla extract.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the apple filling
Apples- we like to use green apples for this recipe, they are a little bit less sweet, but any kind of your favorite apples will work!
Brown sugar- we use brown sugar for this recipe. Brown sugar adds a caramelly flavor. You can use dark brown sugar as well.
Butter- you will need unsalted butter for this recipe.
Lemon- helps to balance the sweet flavor.
Cinnamon and nutmeg- give a delicious flavor and compliments the apples perfectly.
Cornstarch- to thicken up the mixture so it will be easy to work with.
Kosher salt and water- you will need water to cook the apples and a pinch of salt to balance the flavors.
Instructions
Make the apple filling
Peel and cut the apples into small cubes. In a medium-sized pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the cinnamon. Mix well.
Add the apples, brown sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, nutmeg, kosher salt, and water, and mix until well combined.
Reduce to medium-low heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the cornstarch mixed with a little bit of water and mix until there are no lumps of cornstarch visible. Set aside to cool.
Make the cookie dough
Into a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Mix with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Don't overmix for moist cookies and not dry cookies.
Scoop 18 cookie dough balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roll each cookie dough into a ball and create a thumbprint pattern using your finger.
Bake the cookies in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10 minutes.
When you take the cookies out of the oven, immediately reshape the cookies using a spoon or your thumb.
Fill each cookie with a tablespoon of the apple pie filling and drizzle with caramel sauce. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- When baking, Granny Smith apples are a great choice because they're tart and firm, which helps them keep their shape and add a nice flavor to baked goods.
- Ensure your butter is at room temperature before making cookies. Remove it from the fridge an hour or two beforehand. The butter should be soft to the touch. Cold butter is harder to mix and may leave lumps in the dough.
- Create a deep well. Use the back of a spoon to make a deep indentation in each cookie to hold plenty of filling.
- Don't overfill. Add just enough filling to each cookie to prevent overflow during baking.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your brown butter chocolate chunk cookies release easily from the pan.
- Use a cookies scoop to scoop out the cookies, that way you will have even-sized cookies, plus it ensures that your cookies bake evenly.
- Be patient! I know it’s incredibly tempting to eat these cookies as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these cookies cool for at least 15 minutes so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up.
- Let these cookies cool for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 more minutes. This step ensures that the bottom of your cookies will not be soggy from the steam.
Faq's
I use all-purpose flour for these cookies. Cake flour will work great as well.
This usually means that there is too much flour in the dough. It is very important to measure your flour correctly. Check out our expert tips for how to measure flour correctly.
Use your favorite kind of apples! I like using granny smith apples, but any apple kind will work. If you like sweet apples, use Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady.
Storing
Store these cookies in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure that you store them in an airtight container so they won't dry out.
Freezing
To freeze these cookies, start by allowing them to cool completely after baking and adding the caramel drizzle.
Once cooled, place the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for about 2 hours, or until the cookies are frozen solid.
After they're frozen, transfer the cookies to an airtight container or freezer-safe zip-top bag, placing a sheet of parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.
Remove as much air as possible from the container or bag to prevent freezer burn. Label the container with the date and contents, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When ready to enjoy, simply thaw the cookies at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Substitutions
Dairy-free - If you are dairy-free, replace the butter with vegan butter or plant-based butter. Do not use margarine. It will change the flavor of these cookies and leave a weird taste.
Gluten-free- you can swap the flour with gluten-free flour to make these gluten-free. I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it should work.
Equipment
- Baking sheet and rack set (my fave).
- Cookies scoop set of 3 (the best cookie scoop we used)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together.
- Electric hand mixer
- Apple corer and slicer
- Saucepan
More fall recipes
Cinnamon bundt cake- This cinnamon bundt cake is moist, buttery, and has a tender crumb. It is made with a cinnamon swirl and topped with a velvety cream cheese frosting.
Caramel pecan cheesecake- This caramel pecan cheesecake is made with a cinnamon crust, creamy cinnamon cheesecake filling, and a caramel pecan topping.
Mini pumpkin cheesecakes- These mini pumpkin cheesecakes are made with a lotus biscoff cookie crust, filled with an easy pumpkin cheesecake filling, and topped with whipped cream and cinnamon!
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Easy Apple Pie Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter softened, unsalted
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ⅓ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 3 cups Flour
Apple pie filling
- ½ cup Butter unsalted
- 6 Apples peeled and chopped
- ⅔ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 4 tablespoon Water
- ⅓ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 teaspoon Cornstarch mixed with a little bit of water
Instructions
Make the apple filling
- Peel and cut the apples into small cubes. In a medium-sized pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the cinnamon. Mix well.
- Add the apples, brown sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, nutmeg, kosher salt, and water, and mix until well combined.
- Reduce to medium-low heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch mixed with a little bit of water and mix until there are no lumps of cornstarch visible. Set aside to cool.
Make the cookie dough
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Mix with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
- Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix until just combined. Don't overmix for moist cookies and not dry cookies.
- Scoop 18 cookie dough balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roll each cookie dough into a ball and create a thumbprint pattern using your finger.
- Bake the cookies in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- When you take the cookies out of the oven, immediately reshape the cookies using a spoon or your thumb.
- Fill each cookie with a tablespoon of the apple pie filling and drizzle with caramel sauce. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days and enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist cookies and not dense and dry cookies.
- When baking, Granny Smith apples are a great choice because they're tart and firm, which helps them keep their shape and add a nice flavor to baked goods.
- Ensure your butter is at room temperature before making cookies. Remove it from the fridge an hour or two beforehand. The butter should be soft to the touch. Cold butter is harder to mix and may leave lumps in the dough.
- Create a deep well. Use the back of a spoon to make a deep indentation in each cookie to hold plenty of filling.
- Don't overfill. Add just enough filling to each cookie to prevent overflow during baking.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat! This step helps the cookies to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your brown butter chocolate chunk cookies release easily from the pan.
- Use a cookies scoop to scoop out the cookies, that way you will have even-sized cookies, plus it ensures that your cookies bake evenly.
- Be patient! I know it’s incredibly tempting to eat these cookies as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these cookies cool for at least 15 minutes so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up.
- Let these cookies cool for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 more minutes. This step ensures that the bottom of your cookies will not be soggy from the steam.
Patti Burak
This recipe is AMAZING !! Our Culinary students mad these and they were a hit !!
Courtney
The notes above say you'll need 25g of butter. But then the ingredients Say 230g for the cookies and 120g for the filling. Which do I follow?
RichandDelish
Sorry, a typo, fixed it.
CR
The recipe calls for eggs but doesn’t say how many.
RichandDelish
Sorry! And thank you for letting me know. You will need 2 eggs for this recipe. I fixed the recipe card.