Apple Butter Cookies

5 from 2 votes

These Apple Butter Cookies are soft, chewy and cozy with a woodsy spice! As if crinkle top snickerdoodle cookies combined with baked apples to make the perfect fall dessert! My quick and easy apple butter recipe uses pre-made applesauce so you'll have these cookies in no time! Best yet, these beauties are gluten free, nut free, eggless and can easily be vegan with a few tweaks!

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Freeze Time30

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: cookies

Calories: 213kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

For the Easy Apple Butter

1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar , packed
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 pinches kosher salt

For the Apple Butter Cookies

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons multipurpose gluten free flour (I use a gluten free multipurpose flour with xanthan gum already in it)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar , packed
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons apple butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Apple Butter

Combine the 1 cup applesauce, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon and 2 pinches of kosher salt together in a small saucepan set over medium high heat.
Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture is rapidly boiling.
After 5 minutes, lower to medium low heat and stir frequently for an additional 5 minutes.
There will be about ½ cup of the mixture remaining.
Transfer to a heat safe bowl and let cool on the counter while you begin making the cookies. The apple butter will thicken more as it cools.

For the Apple Butter Cookies

In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten free flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand held mixer, beat the ¼ cup room temperature butter or vegan baking stick and the ½ cup of granulated sugar and ¼ cup light brown sugar until smooth and creamy. About 2 minutes.
Add in the ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons apple butter and the 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and beat until combined. It may appear slightly chunky. That's normal.
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 very sticky. Add it to a freezer safe bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap and pop the entire bowl of dough in the freezer for 30 min.
When the dough is almost done chilling, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not grease.
Take the bowl of dough out of the freezer. Using a large cookie scoop (I use a 2 ounce scoop), scoop the dough out into 8 scoops. If it is sticking to your hands, get your hands slightly wet.
In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar with the ⅛ 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 15 minutes until golden on the bottoms. You can carefully use a cookie spatula to check.
Immediately reshape the cookies when they come out of the oven. Use a spatula to push them into a circle and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 min before transferring to a cooling rack.
Gently push them down in the center if they're slightly puffed up.
If you don't let them cool a little on the pan, the cookies will break apart into a giant mess when you try to lift them up.

Video

Notes

For smaller cookies: Use a small cookie scoop and bake at same temperature for 13-15 min. Make sure to keep dough in the fridge in-between baking the batches.

Vegan: Use a dairy-free gluten free flour, vegan sugars and vegan baking sticks.

All Purpose Flour: I cannot test this due to celiac disease, but use 1 packed cup of AP flour (168 grams) plus 2 tablespoons of flour. Only use ¼ cup of apple butter. Still chill the dough.

Storing: Keep extra cookies in an airtight container or zip top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. Heat in microwave a few seconds before serving if you want them warm. Be careful not to burn your mouth.

Freezing: To freeze already baked cookies, place cookies (not stacked) on a parchment lined baking sheet and pop in the freezer uncovered. Freeze for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are completely frozen. Once frozen, you can store them stacked in a freezer safe airtight container or zip top bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. To defrost, take the container out and leave at room temperature until soft. Heat in microwave a few seconds before serving if you want them warm. Be careful not to burn your mouth.

Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate

Nutrition