Apple Pie Cookies

Apple Pie in cookie form. What more could anybody want in the fall?

Apple Fritter Cookies
yield: about 12 - 16 large cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tbsp apple liqueur (optional)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp each, cloves and nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups dehydrated apple slices, lightly packed

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Increase the heat to medium high and stir with a silicone spatula. Keeping the butter constantly moving promotes even browning of the milk solids for a more consistent final product. Additionally, the stirring prevents the milk solids from sticking to the bottom of your pan. From melting to browning takes about 5-10 minutes, based on heat. The butter can go from brown to burnt easily, so stir constantly.

Pour the browned butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and let it cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together dry ingredients to combine. Additionally, pulse dehydrated apple slices in food processor or chop them by hand so that you're left with tiny and medium-sized bits of dried apple (dime-sized or smaller).

Add the sugars to the cooled browned butter, mixing at medium speed until a homogenous, sandy mixture forms. Add eggs and liqueur, if using. Mix until creamy and smooth, about half a minute on medium speed.

With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients gradually, scraping down the bowl as needed. Finally, mix in the chopped apple. Chill dough for at least an hour (though it can stay refrigerated for up to 2 days).

Before baking, set the dough out of the refrigerator so it's easier to scoop (about an hour should do). Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Portion the dough into balls (it's too stiff to "drop" onto a baking sheet). Roll and flatten the dough between your hands. Press one side of the cookie into the cinnamon sugar mixture, ensuring that it adheres. Roll the sides of the cookie in the mixture as well. Place the dough on a baking sheet and bake at 325 for 13-15 minutes. The edges should just barely  brown and the center slightly puffed. Under-baking is better than over-baking these cookies. Cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy the taste of fall.

















These cookies are fantastic. That is the wholesale truth. They are like an apple pie or apple fritter but in cookie form. The final step, rolling the cookies in cinnamon-sugar, isn't necessary, but the results are definitely pleasing. I could not be happier with these cookies. The only secret behind them is that they started out as Apple Sage Cookies. That flavor combination was tasty, but it wasn't at home in the form of a cookie. Apple Pie, on the other hand, has worked wonderfully.