Apple Pie in Cookie Form
These apple pie cookies are gourmet cookies inspired by classic apple pie! They are fun to make (a process, but a worthwhile one!) and would be a truly unique and welcomed addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table.
These apple pie cookies have:
Flavorful cookie base (very similar to what I use for my coffee cake cookies) that is carefully designed to not be too sweet or rich. Authentic apple pie filling! The filling does need to be cooked on the stove first; I talk more about this below. Crumbly, buttery streusel topping made from my easy streusel recipe that requires NO pastry cutter (anyone else absolutely hate that thing?)! Simple vanilla glaze and adorable buttercream ice cream scoops (!!) 🤩
Okay, technically the glaze and “ice cream” are optional, but aren’t they fun? You may expect the “ice cream” to be too sweet to be palatable (especially once you see how much sugar goes into it), but, almost weirdly, it’s not. It’s mostly just for show, but honestly, it actually tastes good, too! If you don’t feel like doing both, I’d recommend at least doing the glaze. YES, there are many parts to this recipe and multiple steps, but these cookies are such a fun project that I really enjoyed making. I hope you love them too!
What You Need
You need quite a few ingredients to make these apple pie cookies (15 to be exact, if you make the glaze and ice cream too!), but most are pantry staples.
Apples. We’re essentially making an apple pie filling (if it looks familiar, it’s because it’s closely adapted from my amazing apple turnovers) for the centers. A firm, tart apple, like Granny Smith, works best here, they hold their shape well without becoming mushy or too weepy and keep the cookie from being too sweet. Precooking the apples works best, since raw apples don’t become soft enough or yield enough flavor (even after being baked in the cookies). Brown sugar. I use light brown sugar in nearly every component of these apple pie cookies! If you don’t have any on hand or run out during baking, read my post on how to make brown sugar. Cornstarch. This thickens our filling. I also use some in the cookie dough to prevent the cookies from spreading too much and to keep them nice and soft. Butter. We’ll use softened unsalted butter for the cookies and melted (yes, melted!) butter for the streusel. Unlike traditional recipes, my streusel recipe comes together in seconds, no pastry cutter required. This is all thanks to melted butter! Vanilla. I use regular vanilla extract in the cookie dough and vanilla bean paste in the glaze and “ice cream” scoops. The paste has little flecks of vanilla beans, which makes the buttercream scoops look even more like real-deal ice cream. If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, regular vanilla extract will work just fine!
SAM’S TIP: If you forget to set your eggs out ahead of time, let them sit in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes. This will bring them to room temperature quickly. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Apple Pie Cookies
Apple Pie Filling
Cookie Dough
Streusel
Assembly
SAM’S TIP: When indenting the cookies, don’t press too far. If the bottom of the indent is too shallow, then the the filling could become too heavy for it and fall through the bottom.
Glaze/Frosting Decoration
So there you have it. Apple pie cookies are the latest, Fall-infused addition to my growing gourmet cookie collection. If you’re enjoying these slightly outrageous cookies, let me know what others you’d like to see (and check out my blueberry muffin cookies and strawberry cheesecake cookies in the meantime!). Enjoy! -Sam Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Related Recipes
