Chewy Apple Pie Cookies
These Chewy Apple Pie Cookies are basically little apple pies you can hold in your hand—sweet, spiced, and wrapped up in a buttery, flaky crust. Each bite is loaded with diced apples that have been simmered with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a splash of lemon, giving you all those cozy, warm flavors. The best part? They’re finished off with a simple cinnamon glaze that adds just the right touch of sweetness. These cookies are perfect for fall, and while they look like you spent hours on them, they’re actually super easy to whip up. Perfect for sharing... or just keeping all to yourself, no judgment!
24 Servings
Ingredients
- ¼ c butter
- 4 apples peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes
- ½ c brown sugar
- ¼ c white sugar
- 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 sheets pie crust pastries
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour
Cinnamon Glaze:
- ¾ c confectioners' sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tbsp milk
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C) so it’s ready to go when you are. In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, toss in the diced apples and give them a stir so they’re nicely coated. Now, add in the brown sugar, white sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Stir everything together, letting the apples soften and the sugars melt into a delicious sauce—this should take about 5 minutes. Bring it to a gentle boil.
- In a small bowl, mix the water and cornstarch together until smooth, then stir that into the apple mixture. Keep cooking and stirring for another 5 minutes until the mixture thickens up nicely. Once it’s done, take it off the heat and let it cool completely, which should take about 20 minutes.
- While the apple mixture is cooling, roll out one sheet of pie crust on your work surface. Spread half of the cooled apple filling evenly on top. Then, roll out the second sheet of pie crust and cut it into ½-inch wide strips. Lay the strips over the filling in a crisscross pattern to create a lattice top.
- Next, grab a round cookie cutter (or even a drinking glass works!) and press it through the dough to cut out 12 little pie rounds. Transfer them to a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and cooked through. Once done, move the pies to a wire rack and let them cool for about 10 minutes.
- Now, repeat the process with the remaining pie crusts and apple filling. Bake those for another 20 minutes, until golden brown, and let them cool as well.
- For the finishing touch, mix the confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk together in a bowl. Drizzle this cinnamon glaze over the cooled pies, and you’re all set!
Notes
Want to make these cookies gluten-free? It’s super easy! Just swap out the regular pie crust for a good gluten-free pie crust—store-bought works perfectly, or if you’re up for it, you can make your own. And instead of all-purpose flour for dusting, use a gluten-free flour blend or cornstarch. Everything else in the recipe is naturally gluten-free, so you’re good to go! You’ll get the same delicious flavors without worrying about the gluten, and I promise, no one will even notice the difference!