Apple Pie Cookies
These apple pie cookies are thick, soft thumbprints with golden butter-cookie rims and open centers filled with diced cinnamon apples. The apples are cooked until the juices cling to the pieces, then cooled before they go into the dough. That keeps the filling visible and helps prevent soggy centers. There’s no pastry lid or glaze—just a broad well that holds the apples inside each cookie.
Ingredients for Apple Pie Cookies
Apple filling
- 2 medium firm baking apples, peeled and finely diced (about 2 cups or 300g)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (15g)
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (50g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Cookie dough
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (170g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (about 65g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (270g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
Granny Smith apples give the filling a tarter flavor; Honeycrisp or Gala make it sweeter. Choose apples that hold their shape when cooked. For a little more spice, add a small pinch of nutmeg with the cinnamon.
How to Make Apple Pie Cookies
- Cook the filling: Combine the apples, filling butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the apples are slightly tender but still hold their shape. Stir the cornstarch and water together, then add to the pan. Continue cooking until the juices are thick and glossy and cling to the apple pieces, about 7 to 9 minutes total.
- Cool and preheat: Spread the filling in a shallow bowl and let it cool until no longer warm, about 15 to 20 minutes. While it cools, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Make the dough: Cream the softened dough butter with the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt; mix just until no dry flour remains. The dough should be soft but able to hold an indentation.
- Shape the cookies: Roll about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie into balls and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. With a fingertip or small rounded spoon, press a broad, deep well about 1 to 1 1/4 inches wide into each ball. Leave the base intact and a thick rim around the well.
- Fill and bake: Spoon about 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of cooled filling into each well, keeping it inside the rim. Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes per batch, checking the first batch at 12 minutes. The edges and bottoms should be lightly golden; the tops will remain mostly pale gold.
- Let the cookies set: Leave them on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes so the bases firm up, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes about 20 cookies. Allow extra time if baking in batches.
How Thick Should the Apple Filling Be?
The filling should be spoonable, with glossy sauce coating recognizable apple pieces and no liquid pooling around them. Juicy apples may need a little longer in the pan. Let the filling cool before adding it to the dough; warm or runny filling can soften the wells and spill over their rims.
How to Keep the Thumbprints Open
Press each well wide enough to show the diced apples, but not so deep that you break through the bottom. Keep the filling below the raised rim. If the cookies turn out dry, weigh the flour when possible and check the first batch promptly; waiting for the entire top to brown can overbake them.
Storing and Freezing
Cool the cookies completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Let them come closer to room temperature before serving if preferred. Fully cooled baked cookies can be frozen airtight for up to 3 months; thaw before serving.
For another cinnamon-forward bake, try these cinnamon roll cookies. For a different brown-sugar cookie, try these maple brown sugar cookies.
Nutrition
Approximate per cookie, based on 20 cookies: 170 calories, 2g protein, 8g fat, and 24g carbohydrates. Approximate per 100g of baked cookies: 380 calories, 4g protein, 17g fat, and 52g carbohydrates. Values vary with cookie size, apple size, and moisture lost during baking.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Shallow bowl
- Mixing bowl
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Wire rack
Ingredients
Apple filling
- 2 medium firm baking apples, peeled and finely diced (about 2 cups or 300 g)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (15 g)
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (50 g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Cookie dough
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (170 g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (about 65 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (270 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Combine the diced apples, filling butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan.
- Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the apples are slightly tender but still hold their shape.
- Stir the cornstarch and water together, then add the mixture to the pan. Cook until the juices are thick, glossy, and cling to the apples, about 7 to 9 minutes total.
- Spread the filling in a shallow bowl and cool until no longer warm, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the softened dough butter with the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until no dry flour remains.
- Roll about 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball for each cookie and place the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Press a broad, deep well about 1 to 1 1/4 inches wide into each ball, leaving the base intact and a thick rim.
- Spoon about 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of cooled filling into each well, keeping it inside the rim.
- Bake each batch for about 12 to 15 minutes, checking the first batch at 12 minutes. Bake until the edges and bottoms are lightly golden.
- Let the cookies set on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Tips
- Choose firm apples that hold their shape when cooked.
- Cook the filling until the glossy sauce clings to the apple pieces, with no liquid pooling around them.
- Cool the filling completely before adding it to the cookie dough.
- Make each well broad enough for the diced apples, but keep its base intact and its rim raised.
- Weigh the flour when possible and check the first batch promptly to avoid dry, overbaked cookies.
Variations
- Tart Apple Filling: Use Granny Smith apples for a tarter filling.
- Sweeter Apple Filling: Use Honeycrisp or Gala apples for a sweeter filling.
- Extra-Spiced Filling: Add a small pinch of nutmeg with the cinnamon.