Apple cookies are a wonderful treat any time of the year. The buttery cookies have bits of soft apples all throughout and are absolutely perfect with a warm cup of coffee or cold glass of milk. I love packing them up for a lunch box treat.
Apple cookies are just the thing to make when you need a quick treat. On my parents property, they have numerous apple trees. As I was growing up, we would pick so many apples in the autumn and make all kinds of great things from apples - apple sauce, dried apple chips and Apple Sharlotka. To this day, I still love baking with apples. Whenever the kitchen starts to smell sweet from baked apples, it brings me back to those warm memories of picking apples with my siblings in the crisp and sunny autumn days.
These cookies have such an uncomplicated loveliness - simple and quick to make and taste just as straightforward but enticingly tasty. I found the recipe from a Russian recipe forum and have been making them for years. They aren't too sweet, have a wonderful buttery vanilla flavor and are medium soft. With a dusting of powdered sugar and soft bits of baked apples throughout the cookies, you will find yourself reaching for more than one handful.
Pack them up in your kids' lunchbox, enjoy them both at home and at work and since apples are available all year long, you can enjoy them during the cold and warm seasons.
Ingredients For Apple Cookies:
- eggs - large eggs, make sure they are room temperature
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- butter - melted and slightly cooled
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- apples - any type of apples will work in this recipe
- powdered sugar, to dust the cookies
How To Make Apple Cookies
- Mix the eggs and sugar. In a stand mix with a whisk attachment or using a large bowl and a hand mixer, mix until the eggs are pale yellow and fluffy and the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and butter. The butter should not be too hot. Mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix to combine. The batter will be really thick and stiff.
- Chop the apples into small pieces. (If you chop the apples too big, they will be harder to mix into the dough and won't bake through all the way in the cookies.) Using a large wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, mix the apples into the batter. They will be harder to mix at first, but as the apples get interspersed in the batter, the batter will get softer and you'll be able to mix it all in evenly.
- Drop the cookies by heaping Tablespoon amounts onto a parchment lined baking sheet. A cookie scoop is perfect for this. Flatten them out slightly on top.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes in the preheated (375 degrees Fahrenheit oven). They will still look really pale on top and will be golden on the bottom. Don't over bake the cookies.
Serving and Storing the Cookies
Dust the cookies with powdered sugar when they have cooled off. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days, although they will taste the best and have the best texture the first 1-2 days. You can leave them uncovered the first day and then store in a paper bag or wrapped in a clean kitchen towel or container.
Just like most cookies, you can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Want More Apple Desserts?
- The classic apple pie, with some tart cranberries - Apple Cranberry Pie
- A favorite in the Slavic country - Apple Sharlotka (Russian Apple Cake) (This is my personal favorite.)
- These cookies are dainty bite sized Apple Pies. Super addicting, you will love the juicy filled treats - Apple Pie Cookies
- Homemade Applesauce - super easy to make and such a wonderful treat.
- Yeast bread Russian rolls with an apple filling - Apple Bulochki
Apple Cookies
Simple apple cookies that are such a treat any time of the year. They are wonderful to enjoy with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. Buttery, not too sweet and with bits of soft apple throughout the cookies, these cookies are great to enjoy at home or to pack in a lunchbox.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 55 cookies
- Category: Sweets
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- ¾ - 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 oz. (1 cup) butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 3 cups of finely chopped apples)
- Powdered sugar, to dust the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, mix the eggs and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and butter. Mix to combine.
- Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the dough just until incorporated. The batter will be stiff.
- Cut the apples into very small cubes right before adding to the dough to prevent browning as much as possible. Add the apples and mix with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to combine.
- Place heaping tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. (A cookie scoop is great to use for shaping the cookie batter and dropping onto the baking sheet.)
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until just beginning to brown around the edges. They will still be pale on top.
- Dust with powdered sugar. Store at room temperature for about 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
This is an updated version of the Apple Cookies recipe that was published originally on May 14, 2012. The recipe is the same; I updated the photos and clarified the instructions
I just made these apple cookies and they turned out amazing! The flavors are so comforting and perfect for fall. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe, Olga! Can't wait to try more from your blog!
Hi can you use Granny Smith apples?
Yes, you can use most apples for this recipe.