Applesauce Cookie

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: My wholesome Applesauce Cookie is the comforting treat that ticks all the boxes for an ideal fall snack. Bake up a double batch, because everyone will be reaching for another!

• Fresh from the orchard: Bake these, and your kitchen will smell like spiced apples!
• Hands-off: Just a half-hour for prep and baking—most of the time is for chilling the dough in the fridge.
• Cake-like: These soft cookies have the irresistible texture
• No machine required: All you need are mixing bowls and a whisk, so it’s an ideal recipe to make with kids.
• Perfect accompaniment: These versatile cookies are great for fall–enjoy with a cup of tea, a mug of coffee, your favorite pumpkin spice latte, apple cider (spiked or not!), or a glass of milk.

Applesauce is a staple in my kitchen. Whether it’s homemade (try my quick and easy recipe!) or store-bought, it’s great for a snack, to mix with yogurt, and to use in cooking. Try my Moist Applesauce Muffins, Irish Spice Cake Recipe, One-Bowl Applesauce Cake, or Almond Flour Muffins with Applesauce.

These cookies, although simple, are truly delectable. Take care to remove them from the oven when they are still slightly soft in the middle, as they will firm up as they cool. Also, to ensure a tender cookie, remove the cookies from the sheet pan after 5 minutes so they don’t continue to cook. The final result you want is a slightly doughy cookie, not a crisp cookie. Note that the time and temperature in this recipe are for fan-assisted cooking. If you don’t have fan assist, cook one tray at a time.

Table of Contents

• What is an Applesauce Cookie?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Applesauce Cookies
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• More Fruity Cookie Recipes

What is an Applesauce Cookie?

• An Applesauce Cookie is a soft, chewy cookie full of autumn flavor.
  • Flavor: Buttery apple-cinnamon with a toffee note.
  • Main ingredients: All-purpose flour, applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter
  • Texture: Soft, like a snickerdoodle.
  • Great for: Snacks, desserts, back-to-school lunch boxes, team dinners, bake sales, and fall parties.
• Applesauce cookies are the perfect snack to satisfy your craving for a sweet treat, but without heavier ingredients like chocolate or frosting.
• Cookies and other baked goods made with applesauce gained popularity during the Great Depression, when home cooks discovered that applesauce was a tasty and economical substitute for butter and eggs. Bakers love it today for the same reasons, and also because it yields the moist and chewy cookies people love with a wholesome, healthy twist.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Glass measuring jugs
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Whisk
• 2 baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• Cookie scoop (optional)
• Wire cooling rack

Key Ingredients and Why

All-purpose flour

• All-purpose flour has the perfect amount of gluten to form the cookies’ structure, yet still yield a tender crumb.
• Substitute: Use an equal amount of a gluten-free baking mix, such as my Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix or another gluten free flour.

Cinnamon

• Cinnamon is a natural flavor match for applesauce, and it gives the cookies a warmly sweet, homey flavor.
• Substitute: Use the same amount of pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or try my recipe for delicious, seasonal Homemade Mixed Spice.

Baking soda

• Baking soda is a leavener that’s activated when mixed with acidic ingredients, like the dark brown sugar and applesauce in this recipe.
• When activated, it releases gas, creating carbon dioxide, which forms bubbles that help with the rise and puffs up the cookies.
• Learn more about how it works in Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda when Making Cookies.

Salt

• Salt gives these apple cookies depth of flavor.

Egg

• The egg emulsifies the ingredients, helping hold them together in a smooth mixture.
• Make sure your egg is at room temperature, so it blends easily. Here’s how to warm up cold eggs.
• Substitute: Instead of a regular egg, you can use a flaxseed egg: Mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water, and set aside for 5 minutes before mixing with the other ingredients.
• Check out our guide, 12 Best Egg Substitutes for Baking Recipes and How to Use Them, for more ideas.

Applesauce

• Applesauce gives these cookies a fruity, floral sweetness.
• Additionally, the applesauce adds moisture, making these cookies soft and slightly chewy with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Use homemade applesauce here if you’d like!  It’s easy, inexpensive, and has an amazing taste.
• Substitute: Instead of applesauce, you can use an equal amount of pumpkin purée.

Dark brown sugar

• Dark brown sugar complements the applesauce, and because it contains molasses, it also adds moisture and gives the cookies a toffee note.
• You only need white sugar and molasses to make your own brown sugar at home.

Granulated sugar

• Granulated sugar adds to the sweetness of the cookies.
• Importantly, granulated sugar helps crisp up the cookies’ edges and helps them set.

Butter

• Butter gives the applesauce cookies richness and adds deep flavor to the applesauce cookies recipe.
• Using melted butter here makes the texture chewier and delightfully denser.
• Substitute: You can use the same amount of coconut oil instead of the melted butter.

Cinnamon sugar

• Coating the cookie with cinnamon sugar adds an additional layer of flavor
• The cinnamon sugar also gives these treats crunch and sparkle.
• Substitute: You can use cinnamon with sparkling sugar or raw sugar for a crunchier texture.

How to Make Applesauce Cookies

Make the cookie dough

1. Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
2. Combine the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the egg, applesauce, brown sugar, granulated sugar and melted butter and whisk until smooth.

3. Finish making the dough: Fold in the flour mixture, then chill the dough for at least two hours, until firm enough to scoop.

Scoop and bake

4. Prepare to bake: Set the oven to fan assist and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Portion the dough: Scoop the dough into 24 portions, about 2 heaping tablespoons each.
6. Coat the dough in cinnamon sugar: Roll each portion into a ball, roll in the cinnamon sugar and then place about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.

7. Bake: Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and just barely set in the middle.
8. Finish and cool: Give the cookie sheets a bang to collapse the cookie, then let cool for 5 minutes on the sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

FULL (PRINTABLE) RECIPE BELOW! 

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• Plan ahead: This dough is very soft; be sure to factor in chilling time before scooping and baking.
• Chilling magic: Be sure to chill the cookies for at least two hours. Chilling controls the spread, which creates thicker, chewier cookies. Chilling also allows the flavors to develop and improve.
• Watch the oven: Be careful not to overbake these cookies—they should be just barely set in the middle for the best taste.
• Post-baking trick: Banging the pan when the cookies come out of the oven collapses the doughy centers, giving the cookies chewy, gooier middles.
• Extra crunch: Try adding 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) of finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the dough for texture and flavor.
• DIY: If you don’t have applesauce, it is very easy to make your own. Find out how here!
• Quick coating: To make cinnamon sugar, mix ¼ cup (1.75 oz/50 g) sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. 

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

• Make-ahead tips: This applesauce cookie dough can be scooped and frozen for up to two months.
  • Defrost for 30 minutes at room temperature before rolling in cinnamon sugar and baking.
• How to store leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

FAQs

How can I make these cookies gluten-free?

• To make these cookies gluten-free, use an equal amount of my gluten-free baking mix, like my Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix or another gluten free flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
• Additionally, confirm that all your other ingredients are certified gluten-free.

Can I make these soft apple cookies without egg?

• Yes, you can make these soft apple cookies without egg.
• Use a flaxseed egg instead: Mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water, and let sit for 5 minutes before mixing with the other ingredients.
• Also see my guide, 12 Best Egg Substitutes for Baking Recipes and How to Use Them, for more ideas.

What are some add-ins I can add to these apple cookies?

• Add some chew by mixing in raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dried apples or dates.
• Add some crunch and protein by adding 1 cup (5 oz/142 g) of finely chopped pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds.
• Change up the flavor and add a citrus boost by using cardamom instead of the cinnamon in the dough.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger for a hint of spice and heat.
• Add a handful of oats to the batter to make applesauce oatmeal cookies.

More Fruity Cookie Recipes

• Cranberry and Pistachio Cookies
• Blueberry Pie Cookies
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
• Key Lime Pie Cookies
• Zesty Lemon Cookie Bars

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