Applesauce Cookies
These Applesauce Cookies are soft, chewy, cozy and sweet! As if cinnamon sugar cookies combined with apple cookies to make the perfect fall dessert! They're then topped with the most incredible brown sugar frosting which really makes this applesauce cookie recipe stand out! Best yet, these beauties are gluten free, nut free, eggless and can easily be vegan with a few tweaks!
Servings: 6 large cookies
Calories: 473kcal
Ingredients
For the Applesauce 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 applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Brown Sugar Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter or vegan baking stick, room temperature
- 1.5 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar , packed
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
For the Apple 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 applesauce 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 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 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.
For the Brown Sugar Buttercream
- In a small bowl, using a spatula, mix together the ¼ cup of butter, 1.5 cups of confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- Slowly add in the 1 tablespoon of water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. The frosting should be smooth and creamy. You may not need all the water.
Video
Notes
For smaller cookies: Use a small cookie scoop and bake at same temperature for 13 min. Make sure to keep dough in the fridge in-between baking the batches.
Vegan: Use a dairy-free gluten free flour, vegan sugar 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 applesauce. Still chill the dough.
Storing: Store extra cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days in a single layer. Do not stack.
Freezing: Wrap dough in plastic wrap and then pop it in a zip top bag. Freeze for up to 30 days. Defrost in the fridge the night before using.
Nutrition: The info below is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Nutrition
Calories: 473kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 69g | Vitamin A: 477IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg