Chewy Cinnamon Apple Cookies are full of warm spiced apple flavor, and are chewy inside and crispy outside with crackled tops. And they take less than an hour to whip up, including cleanup time!
These cookies are for the apple lovers! If you’re looking for the perfect autumnal treat, this is it.
They’re chewy on the inside and crispy outside. They have the same texture as Molasses Crinkle Cookies, but with the flavor of warm spiced apple pie. Apple butter is the secret ingredient that lends intense apple flavor here!
These cookies are easy to make and whip up in less than an hour. They’re a fun way to get started with fall baking!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They have amazing texture! Similar to Molasses Crinkle Cookies, these are chewy inside and crispy outside with a crackled top.
- If you love apple with warm spices, these are the cookies for you!
- These are quick and easy to make. In less than an hour from start to finish (including cleanup time!), you’ll have a fresh batch of delicious cookies made.
The Best Chewy Cinnamon Apple Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Egg yolk
- Vanilla extract
- Apple butter
- Flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Cloves
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the butter, brown sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, and apple butter to a large bowl and whisk until well-combined.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, and stir to combine.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes (the dough will stiffen as it chills). Meanwhile, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
- After the dough is chilled, use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough. Roll it into balls, and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar twice.
- Arrange the dough balls on baking trays lined with parchment paper or silpat baking mats.
- Bake at 350F until the cookies are golden along the outside and on the bottom, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through. Note that the cookies will puff up when they’re done baking, but then deflate and have a crackly top when they’re cooled.
Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Cooks Tips
- Don’t skip the chill time for the cookie dough! Otherwise, your cookies are likely to be too flat.
- The cookies will look puffed when you remove them from the oven. They will settle (de-puff) and develop a crackle top as they cool.
- Rolling the cookie dough balls in sugar before baking is what causes the pretty crackled tops! You can skip this step to reduce the sugar a bit if you don’t care about crackled tops.
More Fall Cookies to Try
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Chewy Cinnamon Apple Cookies Recipe
Chewy Cinnamon Apple Cookies are full of warm spiced apple flavor, and are chewy inside and crispy outside with crackled tops. And they take less than an hour to whip up, including cleanup time!
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened slightly (not melted)
- ½ cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons apple butter
- 18 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup + 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper or silpat baking mats.
- Add the butter, brown sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, and apple butter to a large bowl and whisk until well-combined. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes (the dough will stiffen as it chills).
- Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
- After the dough is chilled, use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough. Roll it into balls, and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar twice. Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking trays.
- Bake until the cookies are golden along the outside and on the bottom, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through. Note that the cookies will puff up when they’re done baking, but then deflate and have a crackly top when they’re cooled.
- Let the cookies cool, and then remove from the trays.
Faith's Tips
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 15 cookies; each serving is 1 cookie.
- Storage: Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Chewy Cinnamon Apple Cookies Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)
Calories 112
Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 0.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 23mg8%
Sodium 118mg5%
Potassium 27mg1%
Carbohydrates 17g6%
Fiber 0.4g2%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 135IU3%
Vitamin C 0.03mg0%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
Jo says
Hi! My cookies puffed-up but then didn't deflate during cooling! They're still delicious but more cakey than chewy cookie. Any thoughts? Thanks! Jo 😊
Faith says
Jo, Hmm, that is a good question! Without being in the kitchen with you, it's hard to say, but I can try to help you troubleshoot. Here are a few questions: 1) Did you make any changes to the recipe, either to the ingredients or to the method? 2) How did you measure the flour? (If your cookies are turning out more cakey than chewy, it sounds like there may be a bit too much flour.) 3) Is your oven calibrated? (You can test this with an oven thermometer.) Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope this helps!
Michelle says
These cookies are soft, chewy, and lightly crisp on the outside with the cinnamon sugar coating. They hold they’re structure and shape so well and I’m genuinely impressed. Not flat at all. I added caramel chocolate chips to them and they were incredible! Will definitely be making these again!
Rachel says
I didn't have apple butter, but I used cinnamon butter and added fresh cut apples as well and they turned out amazingly! They tasted like apple pie in a cookie.
Olivia says
I love this recipe, but for some reason the cookies have turned out really flat the past few times I have made them. I did not have trouble the first few times I made them. Any tips?
Faith says
Hi Olivia, Thanks so much, I'm so happy you're enjoying this recipe! Have you made any changes the past few times? Are all your ingredients (especially leavening agents) fresh? Are you sure your oven is calibrated properly? I hope this helps troubleshooting! :)
Cam says
I was attempting to recreate some really good apple/cinnamon cookies I had from my grocery bakery, but these turned out so much better! I threw in some butterscotch chips, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. What a great recipe.
Alyssa B. says
The recipe came out good. I feel like there wasn’t enough apple in the cookie. Next time I would add more :)
Cathy says
These cookies are delicious!! Made a batch yesterday and another one today!