Spiced Apple Cookies {Naptime Everyday}
A Spiced Apple Cookie is an apple pie in cookie form. Being that I am in the apple-mood these days, I’ve been baking these a lot lately. Over the weekend I made two batches, one for a friend, and one to eat at home. As what is quickly becoming the norm in my house, I baked these with my daughter for a rainy-afternoon activity. It seems that these days we complete at least two baking projects together each week, a new tradition that I am both encouraging and enjoying. (Though, rest assured all you Naptime Chefs, I have also made these while she naps – which takes about half the time compared to baking with her – and this recipe works well with both scenarios.)
During our weekly trip to the farmer’s market this fall I’ve started picking up bags of apples, instead of just the usual 3 or 4. Over the course of the last six weeks my whole family has become apple fanatics, each of us consuming at least one or two MacIntosh’s each day, toddler included. Hopefully these means we won’t be seeing the doctor for a while. I’ve also been cooking and baking with apples non-stop. As with most of my favorite ingredients, the more I experiment with apples in the kitchen, the more I discover their versatility. Over the years I’ve sauteed them with cinnamon and sugar, made homemade applesauce, and frequently served them with pork. And, of course, I’ve baked with them. A lot.
As I noted above, my favorite part about baking these cookies is that the sweet spices, chopped apple and brown sugar dough truly evoke the flavors of apple pie. When baked they puff up slightly and have a nice cakey texture that is studded with tiny bits of sweet fruit. I often leave nuts out of cookies when I bake, but in this case I really like the addition of walnuts. They lend a subtle crunch and provide a nice balance to the sweet apple flavor.
Whether baking these alone, or with children, I highly recommend you get started on your own batch of Spiced Apple Cookies straight-away. These are perfect for eating with the family, taking to friends or adding to a fall bake sale. After all, fall is here in full-force, and it is time to embrace all of it’s wonderful flavors, in whatever form they may come.
Recipe
Spiced Apple Cookies
a handwritten recipe from my old neighbor, Katie Sanford
Ingredients
| ½ c. | shortening* |
| 1 1/3 c. | dark brown sugar |
| 1 | egg |
| ¼ c. | whole milk |
| 2 ¼ c. | all-purpose flour |
| 1 t. | baking soda |
| 1 t. | ground cinnamon |
| ½ t. | ground cloves |
| ½ t. | ground nutmeg |
| ½ t. | salt |
| 1 c. | chopped walnuts |
| 1 c. | unpeeled apple, finely chopped (I use a juicy, sweet variety like McIntosh) |
*Note: I use trans-fat free shortening only when baking
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat together shortening and brown sugar until full combined. Add egg and milk and mix ingredients well.
3. In a separate bowl combine flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients, scraping down the sides as necessary, until everything is fully combined.
4. Stir chopped apple and walnuts into the batter with a wooden spoon.
5. Drop cookies by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2-inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Press the tops of the cookie down with your top two fingers so they are slightly flattened.
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies hold their shape and are slightly browned on the edges.
Naptime Notes
Naptime Recipe Serving ideas
If you want the flavors of apple pie all packaged up in a cookie this is the recipe for you. One of my friends added raisins to her batch and they were delicious. I encourage people to try that if they are interested.
Naptime Stopwatch
Like all good cookie recipes, this one merely requires assembling the batter and baking it – less than an hour from start to finish.
Naptime Reviews
My husband, always the cookie lover especially enjoyed these. I have only made one apple pie so far this season but once he ate these, he said he would happily forgo pie this season in favor of cookies.
Sounds great, I'm warming up my oven. No school today, rainy and cold outside, perfect weather for baking. Have you read Emily Franklin's book, Too Many Cooks? It is truly delightful. I'm currently enjoying Hungry Monkey.Annie
Sounds great, I'm warming up my oven. No school today, rainy and cold outside, perfect weather for baking. Have you read Emily Franklin's book, Too Many Cooks? It is truly delightful. I'm currently enjoying Hungry Monkey.
Annie
I love Emily Franklin! Am very glad to hear you are enjoying Hungry Monkey – it is a favorite of mine and has great recipes, too!
I love Emily Franklin! Am very glad to hear you are enjoying Hungry Monkey – it is a favorite of mine and has great recipes, too!
Could I use butter instead of shortening?
Could I use butter instead of shortening?
Hi Katherine! Yes, you could use butter instead. The cookies might not be as cakey but as long as you use good unsalted butter they should taste delicious!
Hi Katherine! Yes, you could use butter instead. The cookies might not be as cakey but as long as you use good unsalted butter they should taste delicious!
oh I love the spices in this happy Columbus day
oh I love the spices in this happy Columbus day
They look really yummy, I love the chunkyness! Maybe that's what I should do with all this apples I have, as I'm in an apple mood these days too. (Can't make pies or cakes every day…)
They look really yummy, I love the chunkyness! Maybe that's what I should do with all this apples I have, as I'm in an apple mood these days too. (Can't make pies or cakes every day…)
I have never really thought of apple cookies…I am not sure why, I love everything apple! I am definitely going to give these a try!
I have never really thought of apple cookies…I am not sure why, I love everything apple! I am definitely going to give these a try!
The cookies turned out great! The house smells wonderful and my children and I had a fantastic afternoon snack. I used a honeycrisp apple, butter and pecans as that was what I had on hand. We are still housebound with colds. It's your Tomato Totellini soup for dinner tonight. I feel like the apprentice to the Naptime Chef! Let the fall feasting continue…Annie
The cookies turned out great! The house smells wonderful and my children and I had a fantastic afternoon snack. I used a honeycrisp apple, butter and pecans as that was what I had on hand. We are still housebound with colds. It's your Tomato Totellini soup for dinner tonight. I feel like the apprentice to the Naptime Chef! Let the fall feasting continue…
Annie
These look delish!! I love how shortening makes cookies soft and chewy!!! Can't wait to bake up a batch! Thanks for sharing.
These look delish!! I love how shortening makes cookies soft and chewy!!! Can't wait to bake up a batch! Thanks for sharing.
I know exactly what you mean by nonstop apples! I've peeled more apples in the past two weeks than I think I have in the previous two years. So many good apple recipes, so little time! The idea of apple pie in cookie form is highly appealing to me!
I know exactly what you mean by nonstop apples! I've peeled more apples in the past two weeks than I think I have in the previous two years. So many good apple recipes, so little time! The idea of apple pie in cookie form is highly appealing to me!
I definitely need some more recipes to choose from since I have pounds of apples from apple picking. These look yummy!
I definitely need some more recipes to choose from since I have pounds of apples from apple picking. These look yummy!
I had apple bread but not yet apple cookies. They are awesome.
I had apple bread but not yet apple cookies. They are awesome.
Love this recipe… It looks amazing! I have a bunch of apples that I need to use in the next few days, and I'm thinking this recipe is a good contender!
Love this recipe… It looks amazing! I have a bunch of apples that I need to use in the next few days, and I'm thinking this recipe is a good contender!
When I was still on mat leave we baked a lot. It was not good for my behind, but so worth it for the time together. I miss it and this recipe might bring me back. My three year old is learning her knife skills and apples are not a bad thing to work on – supervised of course!
When I was still on mat leave we baked a lot. It was not good for my behind, but so worth it for the time together. I miss it and this recipe might bring me back. My three year old is learning her knife skills and apples are not a bad thing to work on – supervised of course!
I am absolutely trying these out this weekend. With the weather finally getting nice and cool they will be a perfect treat! Thanks!
I am absolutely trying these out this weekend. With the weather finally getting nice and cool they will be a perfect treat! Thanks!
Girlfriend, your first statement says it all: baked apple pie in a cookie form! Bring it on
Girlfriend, your first statement says it all: baked apple pie in a cookie form! Bring it on
I have been on an apple and pumpkin baking cake recently! I just love the flavors of fall. Looks like now I have to add another one to my list. They look great 🙂
I have been on an apple and pumpkin baking cake recently! I just love the flavors of fall. Looks like now I have to add another one to my list. They look great 🙂
These look and sound amazing! I was wondering if you thought they would ship well? I want to send some cookies home and wanted to know if these would survive the trip across the country.
These look and sound amazing! I was wondering if you thought they would ship well? I want to send some cookies home and wanted to know if these would survive the trip across the country.
Hi! These are very cakey and soft so they would do well traveling. I would just make sure they go quickly so they don't get stale. Perhaps wrap them well and separate the layers with basic parchment paper and put them in a tin and/or tupperware if you have that. Good luck!
Hi! These are very cakey and soft so they would do well traveling. I would just make sure they go quickly so they don't get stale. Perhaps wrap them well and separate the layers with basic parchment paper and put them in a tin and/or tupperware if you have that. Good luck!
Wow, these look wonderful. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
made these today with my children. easy and gorgeous. i added raisins as had no nuts; scrummy! by far the most successful cookie recipe from internet!
Hi Clevyline – I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe. I love the idea of the raisins. Thanks!
[…] the part you have been waiting for! The recipe of course! I found this recipe at the naptime chef and modified it to suit the ingredients I had on […]
With 200 pounds of “roadside” apples on my porch, this recipe may be used a lot! Hope I can get them to look like your picture. They sound perfect, and easier to serve than pie. Thanks for sharing.
I just made this, wonderful on a chilly (32 degrees) fall morning! They are SO good! Even without walnuts! Thank you!!!!
  ~Heidi
[…] ::Black-Bottom Maple Pumpkin Pie | Simple Bites ::Caramel-Roasted Pears | White on Rice Couple ::Spiced Apple Cookies | The Naptime Chef ::Pumpkin Pie Cookies | Bakers Royale ::Pumpkin Bread | Food for My Family […]
Hi! I’ve made an adaptation of this recipe and I’d love to post it on my blog with a link back to your recipe if that’s okay? Let me know. I really love them!
Will these cookies hold for a few days or a week? Do apples go bad?
Hi! No, apples don’t really go bad. The cookies are cakey so they’ll stay fresh for about 3 days in a sealed container.
[…] adapted this recipe from one I found at a blog called The Naptime Chef. As the name of the blog suggests, these cookies whip up quite quickly! You can easily make them […]
Does the lowercase t stand for tablespoon or teaspoon? Thanks!
Lowercase is teaspoon. Uppercase is Tablespoon. Thanks!
[…] great and showed me a recipe for some cookies! Â I found a recipe from The Naptime Chef for some spiced apple cookies. Â I kept the recipe pretty much the same, though I did veganize it and make them […]
Hi, I live overseas and fell in love with Trader Joe’s Druid Circles on recent visit home. Have been looking for a similar recipe and wondered if yours might fill the bill. Do you have any experience with those cookies and if so, how would you say they compare? I’ll make these sooner or later, just need to know whether to put them on the fast track :>)
Hi Lisa,
I’ve never tried the Trader Joe’s cookies so I don’t want to promise anything! These are great cookies though. Enjoy!
[…] adapted this recipe from one I found at a blog called The Naptime Chef. As the name of the blog suggests, these cookies whip up quite quickly! You can easily make them […]
[…] These cookies were absolutely delicious! First, they make the house smell so good, and second, they taste wonderful. They are soft and chewy, with just enough hint of spice and apple! The hubs didn’t eat them (he’s not much of a baked/cooked apple fan–he doesn’t even like apple pie!! Who doesn’t like apple pie! I swear he might not be American!!), so I handed them off to some friends. It’s legit, this recipe has been friend approved. My girlfriends husband ate almost the entire bag, which means she might have had a bite from one cookie! So it looks like these will be on the list of cookies to always make! Enjoy this delicious recipe!! Spiced Apple Cookies: 1/2 cup shortening 1-1/3 cup dark brown sugar 1 egg 1/4 cup whole milk 2-1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans) 1 cup peeled appled, finely chopped (I use a juicy, sweet variety, like Gala) Preheat oven to 350 Beat together shortening and brown sugar until fully combined. Add egg and milk and mix ingredients well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. With mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients, scraping down the sides as necessary, until everything is fully combined Stir chopped walnuts (in my case pecans) into the batter with a wooden spoon. Drop cookies by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2-inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Press the tops of the cookies down with your top two fingers so they are slightly flattened. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies hold their shape and are slightly browned on the edges. Recipe: The Naptime Chef […]
[…] adapted this recipe from one I found at a blog called The Naptime Chef. As the name of the blog suggests, these cookies whip up quite quickly! You can easily make them […]
[…] we made Spiced Apple Cookies […]