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These chewy apple pie cookies are made with a soft brown sugar cookie filled with homemade apple pie filling and topped with a bit of crumble! All the flavors of apple pie in one easy, no-chill cookie!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Servings: 13 cookies
- Calories: ~310 kcal per cookie (estimated based on nutrition panel)
- Technique: Make apple pie filling, prepare soft brown sugar cookie dough, fill centers, top with crumble, and bake.
- Flavor Profile: Warm cinnamon-spiced apples, buttery brown sugar cookie base, and sweet crumble topping.
- Difficulty: For confident beginners, includes multiple easy steps
Why You Will Love These
- Apple pie in cookie form! This cookie has everything you love about an easy apple pie, but with half the work!
- Easy authentic apple pie filling. The Granny Smith apples keep the filling from being overly sweet, and they hold their shape when cooked. Adding cornstarch helps keep the filling from being too liquid, resulting in moist cookies that are not soggy.
- Perfect streusel topping. The brown sugar streusel topping pairs perfectly with the brown sugar cookie base and the filling.
- Scrumptious cookie base! This cookie is perfectly chewy, and melts in your mouth. The combination of butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar creates an amazing texture for a cozy fall dessert.
Table of Contents
These apple pie cookies are the epitome of cozy fall desserts! The chewy and tender brown sugar cookies are filled with a perfectly spiced, yet not too sweet, homemade pie filling. Then it is topped off with a crunchy brown sugar crumble! It’s everything you love about mini apple pies in cookie form!
These cookies are the perfect addition to any holiday gathering: pair them with an easy pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, or perhaps some Linzer cookies for Christmas. You can go all out and make an apple cobbler or this cherry pie recipe for all your party needs!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Granny Smith Apples: You can use a different variety of apple, but the Granny Smith’s tartness and texture lend themselves perfectly to this recipe. If you use a different type of apple, I recommend reducing the sugar.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh is always best when it comes to citrus juice!
- Light Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar adds a slight molasses flavor to the filling, cookies, and crumble topping. You can substitute dark brown sugar if that’s what you have. You can also use granulated sugar for the filling.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is the thickening agent for the apple filling. Ensure you boil it for one minute to activate the starch fully. You can also use tapioca flour.
- Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter helps control the amount of salt added to your baked goods. For the cookie dough, you want it to be soft but pliable.
- Baking Powder & Soda: Using both baking powder and baking soda gives the cookie a strong and even rise.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations for Apple Pie Cookies
- Change the fruit. Pair the brown sugar cookies with this cherry pie filling, or use the filling from this blueberry pie recipe, mixed berry pie, or pre-cook the filling from this cranberry orange pear pie!
- Add a drizzle. Top the cookies with a salted caramel sauce, salted maple caramel sauce, or butterscotch sauce drizzle! They would also pair well with a cream cheese glaze or spiced glaze.
- Make it a cookie bar. Press the cookie dough into a 9×9 or 9×13 lined baking dish and parbake the cookie base for 10-15 minutes until the cookies puff and become matte. Layer the filling onto the cookie base and sprinkle the crumble topping on top. Bake until the filling bubbles in the center. Cool, slice and serve!
- Change the spice. Make the filling with my apple pie spice or speculoos spice mix. Alternatively, you can add spice to the cookie base or the streusel topping.
Professional Tips
- Make a large batch of the apple filling! Grab as many apples as you can carry and make a large batch of this filling! You can store it in your fridge for up to a week or in your freezer for up to two months. Then you can have filling for when you want apple hand pies or maybe a caramel apple tart!
- If making ahead, keep the components separate until the day you want to bake the cookies. These cookies are best the day they are made, but can be kept for up to three days at room temperature. If you would like to make them ahead of time, I suggest storing the cookie dough, filling, and streusel separately and bringing them together to bake the day you want them.
- If using an electric hand mixer. You can mix this cookie dough in a bowl with an electric hand mixer, but the dough is very thick when made with cold butter. I recommend making the dough with softened butter, whether using an electric mixer or mixing by hand, then scooping and freezing the cookie dough before assembling and baking.
How to Make Apple Pie Cookies
Use these instructions to make perfect apple pie cookies every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Prepare the apple pie filling:
Step 1: Peel, core, and cut the apples. They need to be small, about a 1 cm square, to fit the filling into the cookies.
Step 2: Combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Stir to coat evenly. Taste and adjust sugar, lemon juice, or spices as necessary (photo 1).
Step 3: Add the cornstarch and stir to coat evenly. Starting on a low heat, gently cook the apples until they begin to release their juices.
Step 4: Once the apples are cooking in their own sauce, increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Continue to cook over medium-low or medium heat, stirring frequently, until the apples have softened slightly and the sauce has thickened (photo 2).
Step 5: Cool the filling. Pour the mixture onto a large plate or rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until it is cool. This increased surface area will cool the filling more quickly.
Make the cookie dough:
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350°F (conventional, without a fan). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
Step 7: Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside (photo 3).
Step 8: Soften the butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, continue to soften the butter, if necessary.
I find just the heat of my hands outside the bowl is enough to gently warm it, along with the friction of the paddle.
Step 9: Cream the butter and sugars. Add the granulated sugar and light brown sugar to the butter in the stand mixer and mix on medium-low until a smooth paste forms. Scrape down the sides and the paddle, then mix again (photo 4).
Step 10: Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix on medium until lightened (photo 5).
Due to the cold butter and (typically) a cold egg, I recommend scraping down the bowl several times during this step to encourage an even incorporation.
Step 11: Mix in the flour. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, one large scoop at a time. I typically use my spatula to do this. I add the next scoop as the last one has almost incorporated (photo 6).
It is best not to overwhelm the batter, as cold butter doughs, such as my thick chocolate chip cookies, do not incorporate flour as readily as those made with softened or room-temperature butter.
Step 12: Scoop and indent. Scoop using a ¼ cup cookie scoop and place directly onto parchment-lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Roll into balls (photo 7) and use the back of a round tablespoon measure or a smaller cookie scoop or melon baller (a flashback to the 1970s) to press an indentation into the top of each ball.
Be sure to leave at least ¼ inch of dough on the bottom, or the filling will fall through after baking!
Step 13: Chill the dough. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the cookies.
Make the Crumble:
Step 14: Combine the crumble ingredients. Combine the flour, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and melted butter in a small bowl, and stir with a fork until all the ingredients are equally moistened. They should hold together and then break into crumbles when squeezed in your hand (photo 8).
If it is still too dry, you can add melted butter one teaspoon at a time, but be careful not to make it too moist, as this can cause it to become greasy and spread too much.
Assemble & bake the cookies:
Step 15: Fill each cookie. Scoop the filling into the center of each cookie dough ball. Scoop mostly apples, adding just enough sauce to moisten (photo 9).
Step 16: Top with some of the crumble, try to press it in a little. The cookie dough should still be soft, which will make that easier (photo 10).
Step 17: Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown. The warmer the cookie dough is when baked, the more the cookies will spread (photo 11).
Step 18: Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely (photo 12).
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
Pliable but cold butter makes this a no-chill cookie dough. The butter should be soft enough that you can press your finger in it, but still feel cold to the touch. I usually cut it up, scale it, then let it soften while I measure everything else. I finish softening it in the mixer with the paddle. You can hold your hands outside the bowl to gently warm faster. Too soft, and you’ll need to chill for thick cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature or for up to two months in the freezer. The cookies will become soft and hard to serve when stored in the fridge. You can freeze the cookie dough for up to three months. The apple filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.
Granny Smiths are the best for this cookie. The texture and tartness lend themselves well, keeping the cookie from being overly sweet. If you choose to use a different baking apple like Honey crisp, or Fiji, I recommend reducing the sugar in the filling.
If you would like to use store-bought pie filling, be sure to slice it! Canned filling would be too sweet for the application. You can also use this apple pie filling recipe or this easy apple compote, reducing the sugar and cutting the apples into small pieces so they fit into the cookies.
Serve the cookies at room temperature or slightly warmed, accompanied by a side of crème anglaise or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I also think they would pair beautifully with my caramel pudding!
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If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Apple Pie Cookies
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 1 ¼ cups apple peeled & diced into small pieces, ~1 granny smith apple
- ¼ cup light brown sugar not packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the cookies:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped & leveled
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cold but pliable
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crumble:
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Prepare the apple pie filling:
- Peel, core, and cut the apples. They need to be small, about a 1 cm square, to fit the filling into the cookies.
- Combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Stir to coat evenly. Taste and adjust sugar, lemon juice, or spices as necessary.
- Add the cornstarch and stir to coat evenly. Starting on a low heat, gently cook the apples until they begin to release their juices.
- Once the apples are cooking in their own sauce, increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Continue to cook over medium-low or medium heat, stirring frequently, until the apples have softened slightly and the sauce has thickened.
- Pour the mixture onto a large plate or rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until it is cool. This increased surface area will cool the filling more quickly.
Make the cookie dough:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (conventional, without a fan). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, continue to soften the butter, if necessary.
- Add the granulated sugar and light brown sugar to the butter in the stand mixer and mix on medium-low until a smooth paste forms. Scrape down the sides and the paddle, then mix again.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix on medium until lightened.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, one large scoop at a time. I typically use my spatula to do this. I add the next scoop as the last one has almost incorporated.
- Scoop using a ¼ cup cookie scoop and place directly onto parchment-lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Roll into balls and use the back of a round tablespoon measure or a smaller cookie scoop or melon baller (a flashback to the 1970s) to press an indentation into the top of each ball.
- Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the cookies.
Make the Crumble:
- Combine the flour, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and melted butter in a small bowl, and stir with a fork until all the ingredients are equally moistened. They should hold together and then break into crumbles when squeezed in your hand.
Assemble & bake the cookies:
- Scoop the filling into the center of each cookie dough ball. Scoop mostly apples, adding just enough sauce to moisten.
- Top with some of the crumble, try to press it in a little. The cookie dough should still be soft, which will make that easier.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the edges are a golden brown. The warmer the cookie dough is when baked, the more the cookies will spread.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this fun variation on an apple pie recipe! Check out our other delicious cookie recipes, including these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies or these chewy molasses cookies!
