These soft and delicious apple cookiesare the perfect fall treat! The small batch of cookies are made with fresh apples, pumpkin pie spice, and topped with a rich and creamy caramel icing. You’ll love the combination of sweet and tart flavors in these tasty cookies!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time14 minutesmins
Total Time29 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Apple, Cakey Cookie, Caramel Icing, Fall Dessert, Fall Spices, Small Batch
Preheat oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
Chop your apple into small 1/4-inch size cubes. It is your preference to peel the apple. I leave the skin on for a little more texture.
½ cup apple, chopped in small cubes
In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar. Use a hand held mixer on medium speed and cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla extra. Continue to beat until all of the ingredients are smooth and thoroughly mixed.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 4 tablespoons full fat sour cream, room temperature, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkle or sift, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice over the top of the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until no dry streaks remain. Add in the chopped apples and mix into the dough with a spatula or spoon. Tip- To sift the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients, I set a fine mesh strainer over the bowl, add all of the dry ingredients into the strainer, then sift into the bowl.
1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ½ cup apple, chopped in small cubes
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out 8 equally sized cookies, placing them at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. I use a 2 tablespoon (#40) cookie scoop.
Bake the cookies for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the bottom edges of the cookies start to turn light golden brown. Do not over bake. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet set on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to the wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Caramel Icing
While the cookies are cooling, make the icing.
In a small saucepan, boil the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is foamy - about 2 to 3 minutes.
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
Carefully whisk in the milk and return to a brief boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir the icing with a wooden spoon until it is smooth. Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies, and Enjoy!
4 ½ teaspoons whole milk, ¼ cup powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Notes
Serving Size - This is a small batch recipe. I have not tested doubling the recipe to make a larger batch.
Yield - With a #40 cookie scoop, you will get 8 cookies. However, the number of cookies will depend on how big you make the cookies.
Apple - Use an apple you like to eat. I like Honeycrisp because they are sweet and slightly tart, and they stay firm when baked.
Storing - The cookies can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Beyond that, and they may start to get crumbly.
Freeze Baked Cookies - Baked and iced cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature.