I had some apples at home and didn’t know how to use them. Too ripe to eat as they were, but perfect to become the soft heart of these apple heart cookies with oil shortcrust pastry. A simple, genuine and fragrant recipe that makes you want to turn on the oven just to feel the aroma filling the kitchen.
The shortcrust is light, butter-free, sweetened with erythritol, and is ready in a few minutes. The filling is made with apples cooked in a pan with lemon and a thin layer of apricot jam, which gives a fruity and enveloping flavor. These cookies are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but also great as a gift: pretty to look at and delicious to taste.
I like to think that each cookie contains a small moment of home — the smell of apples, the lemon zest, the simplicity of a handmade dough. If you also have apples to use, this is the right recipe: apple heart cookies without butter, light, crumbly and with a sweet heart that wins you over at the first bite.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 18 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
APPLE HEART COOKIES WITH OIL
- 1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil (e.g. seed or sunflower oil)
- 6 1/2 tbsp erythritol
- 1 egg
- grated lemon zest
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 apples
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 tbsp erythritol
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 tbsp apricot jam (for the base of the cookies)
Tools
APPLE HEART COOKIES WITH OIL
- 1 Frying pan nonstick frying pan
- 1 Cutting board cutting board
- 1 Cookie cutter cookie cutter set
Steps
Peel the apples and cut them into small pieces.
In a frying pan, melt the butter and add the apples.
Add the lemon juice and erythritol.
Cook 3–4 minutes, just enough to soften them without falling apart.
Let cool completely.
In a bowl, mix the oil and erythritol.
Add the lemon zest and the egg.
Add the flour and quickly knead until you obtain a soft dough.
Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Roll the dough out to about 1/8 in (3–4 mm).
Cut circles with a cookie cutter.
On each circle spread a thin layer of apricot jam and add a teaspoon of the cooked apples.
Cover with another circle of dough and seal the edges well.
Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 356°F for 18 minutes, until lightly golden.
Let cool before moving them.
✨ Variations
Pear heart: replace the apples with ripe pears.
Filling without jam: just cooked apples and a pinch of cinnamon.
Whole wheat version: 50% whole wheat flour + 50% all-purpose flour.
Vegan: replace the egg with 2 2/3 tbsp (≈40 g) plant-based milk.
FAQ (Questions & Answers)
Can I use sugar instead of erythritol?
Yes, you can substitute it in the same quantities.
Does the oil shortcrust stay tender?
Yes, it’s a lighter, crumbly shortcrust, perfect for filled cookies.
Can I prepare the filling in advance?
Certainly, it keeps in the fridge for 24 hours.
Can they be made without jam?
Yes, but the jam helps bind the filling and adds more flavor.
