These Autumn Caramel Apple Cookies are the perfect fall treat! Soft, chewy, and full of warm spices, they’re packed with sweet caramel and fresh apple flavor. Perfect for cozy days or sharing at gatherings!
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These cookies taste delicious, and are a perfect fall treat or for a school bake sale. If you love this recipe be sure to check out these Apple Spice Cookies, Lemon Madeleines and this delicious Brownie Cookies recipe.
Why This Recipe Works
You'll love these Autumn Caramel Apple Cookies because they capture the essence of fall in every bite! The soft, chewy texture combined with sweet caramel and fresh apple flavor makes them irresistible. They’re easy to make, perfect for sharing, and bring cozy, seasonal vibes to any gathering or snack time!
📋 Ingredients
You'll need just a few simple ingredients to make these caramel apple cookies.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens your cookie dough and contributes to a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Apple Pie Spice: Blend of warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice infuses your cookies with the classic flavors of apple pie.
- Flour: Forms the structural base of your cookies, allowing them to hold their shape while baking.
- Baking Powder And Salt: Acts as a leavening agent to help your cookies rise, while salt enhances all the flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and moisture to your dough, creating a tender, flavorful cookie.
- Sugar: Sweetens your cookies, balancing the tartness of the apple flavor and enhancing the warmth of the spices.
- Egg: Acts as a binder in your dough, helping to hold your cookies together as they bake.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavors in your cookies, adding a touch of sweetness and aroma that complements the apple pie spice.
- Homemade Caramel: Adds a decadent, gooey element to your cookies, pairing perfectly with the warm apple pie flavors and making your cookies feel extra special.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
- If you really want some extra apple flavor and deliciousness, you can add some grated Granny Smith apples in addition to a little extra of the apple pie spice into the cookie dough.
- I've used powdered sugar for this recipe, but you can choose to use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar too, if you want some extra caramel flavor.
- To make these cookies healthier, you can also choose to use old fashioned rolled oats (ground into a fine powder) instead of flour.
- For some extra chewy caramel goodness, you can make some homemade caramel sauce using salted butter and granulated sugar, cooked on medium heat until you get that perfect golden brown melted caramel.
- Another idea is to just use caramel frosting in each indent you've made into the caramel apple cookies.
- You could also add some caramel bits into the cookie dough if you want to.
- Flaked sea salt can be a great addition to the cookies, and it can lend them a nice salted caramel flavor that works well along with the base flavor of the apple cookies.
- To bring some more fall flavors into the cookies, you can add a dash of cinnamon powder to the flour mixture.
🔪How To Make Caramel Apple Cookies?
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here's what you'll need to do to make these delicious apple cookies.
Step One: Prepare all ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Step Two: Beat butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla using an electric mixer or a stand mixer until light and fluffy
Step Three: Mix both masses and knead the dough.
Step Four: Mix everything for the topping. Roll the dough into balls and roll in the mixture.
Step Five: Make a small indentation in the center and cool the dough ball well for about 2-3 hours. Bake at 350 F degrees for about 12 minutes.
Step Six: Add caramel to the recess and place in the oven for another 5 minutes. Wait until the caramel hardens.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Making these caramel apple cookies may be super easy, but you've got to keep these little tips and tricks in mind too.
- If you don't have baking powder, you can also make do with baking soda. Just remember that the texture of the cookies will turn out slightly different when you use baking soda.
- Remember not to overmix the flour baking soda mixture with the wet ingredients. You want to mix everything just until it is well combined.
- Also keep in mind to line your baking sheets with parchment paper before you arrange the cookie dough balls on them.
- Allowing the cookie dough ball to chill for a while in the refrigerator helps them firm up and hold their shape even after they have been baked.
- To do this, I like to line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then add the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets.
- To get the perfect soft caramel apple cookies, bake the cookies until they are lightly golden brown and not overdone.
💭 FAQs
The best way to store your leftover caramel apple cookies is to move them to an airtight container after you let the cookies cool completely. These can then stay fresh at room temperature for 2-3 days, or you can choose to refrigerate them if you want them to last longer.
Fresh apples contain high water content, which can make the cookie dough too mushy. Using dried apples adds robust apple flavor without affecting the dough's consistency. Many bakers prefer dried Granny Smith apples to balance the sweetness of the caramel.
To minimize caramel leakage, ensure each caramel piece is fully encased in dough. After placing the caramel in the center of the dough ball, gently roll and press the dough around it, ensuring there are no gaps. This technique helps contain the caramel as the cookies bake.
Yes, you can freeze the dough. After forming the dough balls with the caramel centers, place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag and store for up to three months. When ready to bake, there's no need to thaw; just bake as directed, adding a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. For prolonged freshness, you can refrigerate them, but allow them to come to room temperature before serving to enjoy their optimal texture and flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Try these drinks with your Autumn Caramel Apple Cookies:
- Warm Apple Cider: The sweet, spiced flavor of apple cider perfectly complements the caramel and apple notes in the cookies.
- Hot Chocolate : A rich, creamy hot chocolate pairs beautifully with the chewy sweetness of caramel.
🍜 Related Recipes
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Autumn Caramel Apple Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 Cup Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Apple Pie Spice
- 2.5 Cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 3 1.4 Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1.5 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 12 Cup Caramel
Instructions
- Prep the Dry Ingredients: Prepare all ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Prep the Cream Butter Mixture: Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla using an electric mixer or a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Combine Both: Mix both masses and knead the dough
- Make Dough Balls: Mix everything for the topping. Roll the dough into balls and roll in the mixture.
- Chill and Bake: Make a small indentation in the center and cool the dough ball well for about 2-3 hours. Bake at 350 F degrees for about 12 minutes.
- Add Caramel and Bake Again: Add caramel to the recess and place in the oven for another 5 minutes. Wait until the caramel hardens.
Notes
- If you don't have baking powder, you can also make do with baking soda. Just remember that the texture of the cookies will turn out slightly different when you use baking soda.
- Remember not to overmix the flour baking soda mixture with the wet ingredients. You want to mix everything just until it is well combined.
- Also keep in mind to line your baking sheets with parchment paper before you arrange the cookie dough balls on them.
- Allowing the cookie dough ball to chill for a while in the refrigerator helps them firm up and hold their shape even after they have been baked.
- To do this, I like to line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then add the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets.
- To get the perfect soft caramel apple cookies, bake the cookies until they are lightly golden brown and not overdone.
Nutrition
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