These Apple Cinnamon Cookies are a dream come true. Thin crispy edges and soft chewy middles with the apple cinnamon flavor dancing throughout. If that wasn’t enough, they’re drizzled with an apple cider glaze that just accentuates the apple flavor. If that wasn't enough, they’re gluten free, nut free, egg free and easily dairy free (vegan).
These Apple Cinnamon Cookies roll all the best things into one. A sugar cookie, apple, cinnamon and even apple cider.
The first day these cookies are soft and chewy in the middle with crisp edges. Once stored in an airtight container, the cookies are soft throughout.
If you're looking for more sugar cookie recipes try Sprinkle Sugar Cookies, Small Batch Sugar Cookies and Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies.
REASONS TO LOVE THESE COOKIES
- Allergy Friendly- These cookies are gluten free, nut free, egg free and can easily be dairy free (vegan).
- Soft & Chewy- These cookies are the most perfect texture.
- Covered in Cinnamon Sugar- The sugar coating gives a nice woodsy sweetness!
- Autumn Flavors- The apple and the cinnamon combined remind us of fall!
INGREDIENT NOTES
- Gluten Free Flour- If you also have nut allergies, make sure to use a brand that’s made in a nut free facility. I really love to use this one because it’s nut safe but it does contain dairy.
- Unsalted Butter or Vegan Baking Sticks- Don’t use melted; the cookies will spread.
- Cornstarch and Water- These cookies have no egg so this mixture helps bind everything together.
- Applesauce- For this recipe we use applesauce with cinnamon and no added sugar. You can use store bought or find my homemade recipe here.
- Apple Cider/ Apple Juice- We reduce it down to concentrate the flavor so the glaze has that lovely apple taste!
- Cinnamon- There is cinnamon in the applesauce, the batter and then the dough balls are rolled in cinnamon sugar!
Expert Baking Tips
Reduce The Apple Cider/Juice
Stirring occasionally, simmer the apple cider in a small saucepan over low heat until you’re left with about 3-4 tablespoons.
This takes me about 10-15 minutes.
Use Room Temperature Butter
Using butter that’s room temperature is great when making these cookies.
However, make sure you DO NOT melt the butter.
These cookies have no egg in them and already have a tendency to want to spread out when baking.
If you use melted butter, the cookies will be a giant mess.
Chill The Dough
I know this seems like a step you could skip if you’re in a rush but please don’t.
Cookies without eggs spread way more than cookies with eggs.
If you don’t chill the dough for at least 30 minutes in the freezer, the cookies will spread and be flat and thin, especially since this recipe contains applesauce which adds a bunch of moisture.
Reshape The Cookies
If you want your cookies nice and round, reshape them as soon as they comes out of the oven.
Use a spatula to push them back into a circle shape or use a large circle cookie cutter.
If using a cookie cutter, place it over the cookies and rotate quickly in a circle.
Making The Glaze
If the glaze appears too watery, add more confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.
If it appears too thick, add more cider/juice ¼ teaspoon at a time.
Or, if you run out of the reduced cider you can always use a little non reduced. The flavor just won’t be as strong.
You want the glaze thin enough to drizzle but thick enough to solidify on the cookies.
Step By Step Instructions With Pictures
Here are the steps to make these cookies!
Make The Cookies
Step 1: Reduce The Apple Cider/Juice
Over low heat, simmer 1 cup of apple cider for about 10-15 minutes until you have 3-4 tablespoons remaining. Take off heat and let cool.
Step 2: Whisk Together The Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: Make The Cornstarch Water
In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and the water until it is thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first. Set aside.
Step 2 Step 3
Step 4: Cream The Butter And Sugar
In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the room temperature butter or vegan baking stick with the ¾ cup of granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
Step 5: Add In the Cornstarch water and Vanilla
Add in the cornstarch water and vanilla and beat to combine. It will appear chunky and that’s normal.
Step 6: Add In the Applesauce
Add in the applesauce, beat to combine.
Step 4 Step 6
Step 7: Mix In the Dry Ingredients
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the gluten free flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula and combine.
Step 8: Freeze The Dough
The dough will be super sticky, almost like cake batter. Transfer to a bowl and pop the entire bowl uncovered in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Make sure the bowl is freezer safe.
When the dough has 15 minutes left of chilling, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 9: Scoop The Dough
Take the bowl of dough out of the freezer.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough out into 6 scoops. If it is sticking to your hands, get your hands slightly wet.
Step 7 Step 9
Step 10: Make The Cinnamon Sugar
In a small bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup granulated sugar with ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
Step 11: Coat In Cinnamon Sugar
Drop the dough balls one at a time into the cinnamon sugar mixture and coat completely.
Step 12: Bake
Place dough balls about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake the cookies in the center rack of the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 minutes until golden on the bottoms. You can carefully use a cookie spatula to check.
Step 11
Step 13: Cool
Immediately reshape the cookies into a circle with a spatula when they come out of the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack.
If you don't let them cool on the baking sheet, the cookies will break apart into a giant mess.
Make The Glaze
Step 1: Mix The Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons of the apple cider reduction and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of water until combined and smooth.
Step 2: Drizzle The Glaze
Drizzle the apple cider glaze on top of the cool cookies. If you drizzle it on warm cookies, the glaze with melt. Enjoy!
HOW TO MAKE THESE COOKIES VEGAN
Follow these simple steps to make sure these cookies are vegan:
- Use a gluten free flour that’s free from dairy.
- Make sure to use vegan baking sticks instead of butter.
FAQ
The main way is to chill that dough.
Second, make sure you do NOT grease your baking sheet. Only use parchment paper or a silicone mat with no grease.
Yes.
There is no egg in these cookies to hold everything together when they're heated in the oven and applesauce adds another level of moisture.
If you don’t chill the dough, the cookies will spread in the oven into a mess.
If you want your cookies nice and round, reshape them as soon as they come out of the oven.
Use a spatula to push them back into a circle shape or use a large circle cookie cutter.
If using a cookie cutter, place it over the cookies and rotate quickly in a circle.
You can make the dough the night before. Keep it shaped in a disc, wrapped in plastic and place in a zip top bag in the fridge.
If doing this, there is no need to chill it again, prior to baking.
Yes! You can use a small cookie scoop.
Bake the cookies at the same temperature but for 11 minutes. Reshape as needed. Should make around 12 cookies.
Yes you can! Make sure you buy a natural style apple juice that has no added sugar. It's as close to cider as you can find.
As much as I am obsessed with apple cider, the cider is made by local farms where they make other items as well.
None of the ciders local to me have a gluten free label.
I know what you’re thinking, cider doesn’t have gluten. However, the facility could have gluten and I have a zero tolerance policy for cross contamination.
Over time, cross contamination with celiac can lead to horrible things like cancers, organs not functioning properly, heart disease, epilepsy, other autoimmune diseases, etc later in life and that’s not a chance I’m willing to take.
You really do need to reduce the juice/cider to concentrate and draw out that apple flavor.
If you don't, the glaze will still be good but will have hardly any apple flavor.
Yes. I use a 1 to 1 gluten free flour so ideally you can. Sadly I cannot test the recipe due to celiac disease, but:
- Use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed AP flour (168 grams plus 2 tablespoons)
- Eliminate the cornstarch water
Storing and Freezing
Storing
If you have any apple cinnamon cookies left over, once the glaze has hardened, store them in an airtight container or zip top bag at room temperature for up to two days.
If you want them warm and soft, heat the cookie in the microwave for a few seconds prior to serving.
Freezing
You can freeze the dough of these cookies.
Simply wrap the dough in a disc in plastic wrap then pop it in a zip top bag and freeze.
You can keep the dough frozen for up to 30 days.
Thaw the dough in the fridge the night prior to using.
Other Apple Recipes To Try
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Apple Cinnamon Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten free flour (I use a 1:1 gf flour with xanthan gum)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup applesauce with cinnamon
- 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1.5 tablespoons of water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For The Cinnamon Sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider reduction (start with 1 cup apple cider or natural style apple juice)
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Make the apple cider reduction: Over low heat, simmer 1 cup of apple cider for about 10-15 minutes until you have 3-4 tablespoons remaining. Take off heat and let cool.
- While that’s simmering make the cookies. In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and the water until it is thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first. Set aside.
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the room temperature butter or vegan baking stick and the ¾ cup of granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
- Add in the cornstarch water and vanilla and beat to combine. It will appear chunky and that’s normal.
- Add in the applesauce, beat to combine.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the gluten free flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula and combine.
- The dough will be super sticky, almost like cake batter. Transfer to a bowl and pop the entire bowl uncovered in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Make sure the bowl is freezer safe.When the dough has 15 minutes left of chilling, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take the bowl of dough out of the freezer. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough out into 6 scoops. If it is sticking to your hands, get your hands slightly wet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup granulated sugar with the ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Drop the dough balls one at a time into the cinnamon sugar mixture and coat completely.
- Place dough balls about 3-4 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the cookies in the center rack of the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 minutes until golden on the bottoms. You can carefully use a cookie spatula to check.
- When the cookies come out of the oven, reshape. Immediately use a spatula to push the cookies back into a circle shape or use a large circle cookie cutter. If using a cookie cutter, place it over the cookies and rotate quickly in a circle.
- Do not take the cookies off the baking sheet for 5 minutes. If you try, they will fall apart. After 5 minutes, transfer cookies to a cooling rack with a baking sheet or wax paper underneath. The next part is a bit messy.
- Let them cool completely.
Make The Glaze
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons of the apple cider reduction and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of water until combined and smooth.
- Drizzle the apple cider glaze on top of the cool cookies. If you drizzle it on warm cookies, the glaze with melt. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Storing
Keep extra cookies in an airtight container or in a zip top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Heat in microwave a few seconds before serving if you want them warm.Freezing
Wrap raw dough in a disc in plastic wrap and then pop it in a zip top bag. Freeze for up to 30 days. Thaw dough in the fridge the night prior to using.For Smaller Cookies
Use a small cookie scoop and bake at the same temperature for 11 min. Make sure to keep dough in the fridge in between baking the batches.For Vegan
Use non dairy gf flour and vegan baking sticks.For AP Flour
I cannot test this recipe due to celiac disease but these are the changes I would make:- Use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed AP Flour (168 grams plus 2 tablespoons)
- Eliminate the cornstarch water
John
These cookies are a breeze to make and I love the apple cinnamon flavour!
A
These are amazing. The perfect fall addition to any tailgate, shower, etc.
Lee
So glad thanks!
Abbey
Can these be made with all purpose flour?
Lee
Hi Abbey! Yes! I have it listed in the FAQ section of the post. I wrote: I use a 1 to 1 gluten free flour so ideally you can. Sadly I cannot test the recipe due to celiac disease, but:
- Use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed AP flour (168 grams plus 2 tablespoons)
- Eliminate the cornstarch water
Hope this helps!