These caramel apple cookies are sweet and fruity. The perfect soft and chewy texture, these cookies are great for fall events or everyday snacking.
We were super excited to put together this recipe as it combines our soft and chewy cookie base with the sweet apple and caramel flavors we love to indulge in during the Fall. These cookies are a great fall dessert, but are light enough to be served year round.
Making cookies with fruits added in is super easy. Just like these lemon blueberry cookies or these maraschino cherry cookies.
As a bonus to the awesome flavor of these cookies, they are also super easy to make. In fact, you only need about 20 minutes to bake up a whole batch.
📋Ingredients
- Butter - unsalted + softened
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Cardamom
- Flour
- Apples - peeled + finely diced
- Caramel Bits
See recipe card for quantities.
📖Substitutions & Variations
You can change some of these ingredients up if you prefer. Try some of these variations.
- Different spices - instead of all separate spices, you can use an apple pie spice, chai spice blend or just to cinnamon or nutmeg.
- Apple varieties - we used Granny Smith apples for a crisp and tart flavor. However, many different kinds work such as Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious.
- Add toppings - add even more caramel flavor by drizzling caramel on top. You could also add a light icing, if desired.
Love apple flavor? Try out these apple pie cookies or these mini apple pie tarts also!
⏲️Instructions
Follow these super easy step-by-step instructions to bake up your own batch of caramel apple cookies.
Step one: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. And, line the baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Step two: Add butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to mixing bowl. Cream together for 2 - 3 minutes on medium high speed.
Step three: Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix on medium until combined well.
Step four: Add in baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and flour. Mix on medium, scraping sides as needed until well combined.
Step five: Add in diced apples and caramel bits. Fold in until distributed.
Step six: Using a scoop or tablespoon, scoop out dough and place a few inches apart on the baking sheet.
Step seven: Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 - 12 minutes.
Hint: don't overbake the cookies. Remove from the oven when edges are lightly brown and centers are not completely set. Centers will firm up as cookies cool.
⭐Recipe Tips for Success
- Soft, chewy cookies - to make sure your cookies have a great texture don't overmix your dough. Mix only long and fast enough to combine ingredients.
- Softened butter - having properly softened butter helps decrease mixing time. Let is sit at room temperature for about an hour. Or you can gently microwave for a few seconds.
Storage
These cookies can be stored for around 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Or, you can put them in freezer bags and freeze for up to a year.
Caramel Apple Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Butter softened and unsalted
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon Ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon Cardamom
- 2.5 cups Flour
- 2 Apples peeled and finely diced
- ½ cups Caramel Bits
Instructions
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add ¾ cup softened butter, ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup granulated sugar to mixing bowl. Mix on medium-high for 2 -3 minutes until creamed smooth.
- Add in 1 egg and 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract. Mix on medium until well combined.
- Add in 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt + cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon allspice + nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ginger + cardamon, and 2.5 cups flour.
- Mix on medium, scraping sides down as needed until well combined.
- Gently fold in 2 finely diced apples and ½ cup caramel bits.
- Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop and place dough a few inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12 minutes.
Notes
- Don't overbake - cookies are done when lightly brown on edges and center is not fully set. It will firm up as cookies cool.
- Keep the texture - don't overmix dough or the cookies won't be soft + chewy. Use room temperature eggs, properly softened butter and mix only as much as needed to combine ingredients.
- Change spices - use apple pie spice or just nutmeg or cinnamon.
- Different apples - we used Granny Smith, but you can use your favorite type of apple.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is just an estimate and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
