Apple Cookies
These Apple Cookies are the ultimate fall treat, soft, chewy, and bursting with warm, cozy flavor. Every bite is packed with sweet apple chunks, hearty oats, and topped with a simple cinnamon glaze that ties it all together. Bake up a batch for your autumn gatherings, and don’t be surprised when they vanish in no time!
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A Note from Kim
Your New Favorite Apple Treat
These apple cookies taste just like apple pie! They’re made with simple ingredients, oats, brown sugar, warm seasonal spices, and plenty of fresh apple chunks, that come together so effortlessly. The texture is the perfect mix of soft and chewy with little bursts of apple in every bite. And honestly, one of the best parts? The way they make your kitchen smell while they’re baking! It’s like having a freshly baked apple pie in the oven, filling your whole house with that warm, spiced aroma that feels instantly comforting and inviting. If these don’t instantly put you in the mood for the autumn season, I don’t know what will!
With love (and lots of good eats), 
Made these today and they are just excellent. Probably the best cookie I have ever made. A big hit with the family.
— Amanda
Craving more fall cookie recipes? Give my cranberry oatmeal cookies and chai snickerdoodle cookies a try!
Ingredients needed
The ingredients in this apple cookies recipe are pantry staples that you probably already have on hand. Here’s everything you’ll need to make them:
- Butter. If you only have salted butter, you can omit the 1/4 tsp salt. Be sure your butter is softened, but not melted. It should still be cool to the touch and only indent slightly when you press on it with your finger.
- Sugar. You’ll need both granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. More brown sugar than white sugar ensures a soft and chewy cookie. Dark brown sugar will work, however light brown sugar is recommend to not overwhelm the apple flavor.
- Egg. Helps to bind the ingredients and give structure to the cookies.
- Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla and not imitation extracts for a wonderful depth of flavor.
- Flour. We always recommend all-purpose flour for the best texture in baked goods. Although, whole wheat pastry flour is a good alternative.
- Spices. Add in 2 teaspoons of apple pie spice for a warm comforting taste. If you don’t have this, you can make your own with cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom or allspice. You could also just substitute with ground cinnamon.
- Baking soda. For proper baking and lift.
- Salt. A small amount of salt is important to balance the sweetness.
- Oats. Use old-fashioned rolled oats to give these a deliciously chewy texture just like your fav oatmeal cookie. We do not recommend using steel cut oats or quick oats in this recipe.
- Apple. Cut the apple into very tiny chunks, so you get the perfect amount of apple in every bite and these stay together nicely.
- Glaze. A combination of powdered sugar, milk and a dash of cinnamon make an easy, light cinnamon glaze.
Variations
We wouldn’t change a thing about these apple cinnamon cookies because they are just that good, but feel free to customize them. Here’s some options:
- Nuts. Try adding about 1/2 cup to 1 cup finely chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds for extra texture and a nice crunch.
- Dried fruit. Mix in about 1/2 to 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries for bursts of chewy sweetness.
- Glaze. We like the presentation of icing drizzled over the top, but it is completely optional and these apple oatmeal cookies have enough going on that you won’t even miss it.
- Caramel. Make these taste just like caramel apples! Feel free to add 1/2 cup to 1 cup caramel baking chips into the batter or drizzle these with caramel once they’ve cooled.
Apple Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice, or sub with ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups (175 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup (120 grams) peeled and finely chopped apple, 1 medium apple
For the glaze
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
- 2-4 teaspoons milk
- dash of cinnamon
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg and vanilla; stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, apple pie spice, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Stir in the oats and set aside.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (a little at a time) as the mixer is on low; mix until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped apple; stir by hand until fully incorporated into the dough. Place dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to avoid the cookies spreading too much.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, and place 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven when cookies still look a bit shiny on the top. They will continue to cook on the baking sheet and set nicely once they have cooled.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Make the icing: Whisk all of the ingredients together until no lumps remain. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk, and if the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar until it has reached your desired consistency. Drizzle a small amount over cookies.
Notes
- Storing leftovers. Iced cookies stay fresh stored, covered, at room temperature for up to two days. If you want them to last even longer, you can store them in the fridge or freezer. Place them in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week. The flavor is even better the next day!
- Freezing. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. To freeze the cookie dough balls, place in the fridge for 1 hour. Then, place the solid and cold dough balls into a labeled zipped-top bag. Label the bag with the month and the baking temperature and place the bag in the freezer.
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How to make apple oatmeal cookies
Start this recipe by preheating the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Step 1: Beat together wet ingredients. In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg and vanilla; stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 2: Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, apple pie spice, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Stir in the oats and set aside.
Step 3: Combine wet & dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients (a little at a time) as the mixer is on low; mix until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped apple; stir by hand until fully incorporated into the dough. Place dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to avoid the cookies spreading too much.
Step 4: Scoop dough. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, and place 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
Step 5: Bake. Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven when cookies still look a bit shiny on the top. They will continue to cook on the baking sheet and set nicely once they have cooled. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 6: Make the icing. While the cookies are cooling, whisk all of the ingredients together until no lumps remain. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk, and if the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar until it has reached your desired consistency.
Step 7: Finish with icing. Drizzle a small amount icing over the cookies and enjoy!
Kim’s recipe tips
- Don’t over mix the wet & dry ingredients. If you stir the ingredients too much while making the batter, you may end up with flat cookies that don’t have the optimal tender crumb.
- Don’t over bake. We recommend baking a couple of cookies before baking an entire batch. This will help you establish the perfect baking time in your oven and your preferred level of doneness. Keep in mind that these will set and harden a bit after cooling.
- Bake on parchment or silicone. For even baking and to keep your cookies from spreading too much, bake on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Do NOT grease the pan, as this will create an overly greasy foundation, which will cause too much spreading.
- Make ahead. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If it’s too hard to scoop after being refrigerated, let it sit at room temperature for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Refrigerating the dough allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, your cookies are more likely to spread too much.
We like to use Honeycrisp best because they have the perfect amount of tart flavor that balances out the sweetness from the added brown sugar and granulated sugar. They are also firm enough to hold up to baking. Other great options are: Granny Smith apples, Gala, Fuji, Braeburn and/or Golden Delicious.
We cannot recommend using quick oats, as we have not tested them in this recipe. Quick oats are not always an equal substitution for rolled oats. They are likely to absorb too much liquid and make for a drier cookie. If you try them, please let us know your results.
Storage recommendations
- Storing leftovers. Iced cookies stay fresh stored, covered, at room temperature for up to two days. If you want them to last even longer, you can store them in the fridge or freezer. Place them in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week. The flavor is even better the next day!
- Freezing. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. To freeze the cookie dough balls, place in the fridge for 1 hour. Then, place the solid and cold dough balls into a labeled zipped-top bag. Label the bag with the month and the baking temperature and place the bag in the freezer.
More apple recipes
If you try these apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves them as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. And subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Made these today and they are just excellent. Probably the best cookie I have ever made. A big hit with the family.
Super flavorful and simple to make. My family enjoyed them so much, will make them again!
I made these for my friend and they turned out SO good! I chilled the batter for 24 hours and WOW! The cookies were AMAZING! Absolutely delicious cookies, probably the best I’ve ever made! My friend is still talking about them!