The soft apple cookies are delicious treats that are easy and quick to prepare. Very fragrant, so much so that during baking, the kitchen is filled with a wonderful aroma of butter, apples, and cinnamon!
The apple cookies are a real temptation! They smell delicious, like a hug, and are perfect for both breakfast and snack. In fact, they are so soft that they resemble the texture of a cake and can be enjoyed even after meals with a good coffee!
To prepare these fragrant cookies, you will need simple ingredients like eggs, butter, sugar, flour, yeast, and one apple. Cinnamon for flavoring, or alternatively lemon zest.
The very soft apple cookies are easy and quick to prepare, and you only need a bowl to mix all the ingredients together.
For a LACTOSE-FREE version, we can use lactose-free butter or vegetable margarine. Instead of all-purpose flour, use rice flour for a GLUTEN-FREE version (read the doses at the end).
These very soft apple cookies keep well for days, although it’s hard to resist the temptation to finish them immediately!
We can enrich the apple cookies with dried fruit of your choice. Personally, I have already tried the version with walnuts, and they are amazing!
If you like apple desserts, don’t miss these delicious suggestions!
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: about 15 large cookies
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup brown sugar (or white)
- 2/3 cup butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or lemon zest or vanilla)
- 1 egg (medium whole)
- 1 yolk (from a medium egg)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (or potato starch. If unavailable, use only flour for a total of 1 3/4 cups)
- 1 apple (weight without peel about 6 oz)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (NOT heaped)
Tools
- Bowl
- Hand Whisk
- Spatula
- Baking Pan
- Parchment Paper
Steps
To prepare the soft apple cookies, you will need a simple bowl, no rolling pin, board, or electric mixer!
Let’s start with the main ingredient! Peel and cut an apple into chunks, not too small.
I had a large one that, after cleaning, weighed 6 oz.
Once chopped, set it aside.
In a bowl, add the brown sugar and previously softened butter.
You can leave it at room temperature for a couple of hours (if it’s very hot, even an hour) or put it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Mix with a hand whisk (or a fork) until you get a nice cream.
Add, only if you like, half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, which you can replace with lemon zest.
Then add one medium whole egg + one yolk and mix.
Finally, incorporate all-purpose flour, cornstarch (or potato starch), baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Work for a few moments with a spatula until you obtain a thick and very creamy mixture.
Insert all the apple chunks inside and mix well to blend all the ingredients together.
We’re almost there! Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (it should be large, like the ones used for pizza).
Using two spoons, scoop a bit of the mixture and make small heaps on the baking sheet, spacing them a bit apart.
During baking, the cookies spread just like American cookies, so make sure they have some space between them.
If necessary, bake the cookies in two steps or, if you have two shelves, divide the mixture into two trays and bake them simultaneously.
In this last case, I recommend, at halfway through cooking, moving the tray from the upper shelf to the lower one and vice versa.
This way the cookies will bake optimally.
Once you’ve arranged the dough on the baking sheet, sprinkle each heap with a bit of brown sugar (not essential).
Bake in a preheated static oven at 340°F static mode (or 329°F fan mode) for ABOUT 20-25 minutes.
The baking time varies, so check before removing from the oven. If using an air fryer, bake at 302°F for about 15-20 minutes and always check.
As soon as the surface of the apple cookies starts to brown, remove from the oven and let cool WITHOUT TOUCHING THEM.
Right after baking, the cookies are very delicate and could break, so let them cool peacefully.
Later, you can dust these treats with powdered sugar and then finally enjoy them!
But do you smell that wonderful aroma of butter, apples, and cinnamon in the kitchen? It feels like a magical atmosphere!
Every time I make soft apple cookies, I feel happy! They are truly delicious!
Whether it’s for breakfast, a snack, or after a meal, it will be a pleasure to enjoy one of these cookies, a true treat for our mind!
I hope you’ve got the urge to taste them! Let me know in the comments if you try them! Until next time!
Article protected by copyright © – Gabriella Geroni © All Rights Reserved
👩🍳🥣⚠️ A tip for those who pay attention to aesthetics!
If you prefer that the cookies are all (more or less) the same shape and don’t become too wide and flat, you can do what I often do!
Use muffin molds or simply paper cups to place the dough inside.
In this way, you will get cookies with a more precise and refined shape 🩷😍
Here below, you can see the difference: the ones on the left are placed directly on the tray and have spread, while the ones on the right were placed in paper cups and are taller and more precise.
It’s just a matter of aesthetics because the taste doesn’t change at all 🍎
FAQ
Can I replace butter with vegetable margarine?
Yes, if you prefer, you can use margarine instead of butter in equal weight. Personally, I don’t use margarine for baking, but as an alternative, you can try it; they will still be great cookies 😉
Can I use seed oil instead of butter?
If you want, you can, but having tried these cookies only with butter, I can’t tell you how it will affect the final texture. They certainly won’t be the same, but as an alternative, you can replace the butter with 1/2 cup of seed oil (better to avoid olive oil not to weigh down the final taste). I’ll leave you my butter/oil conversion table that might be useful for other occasions 😉
How long do these cookies stay soft?
They stay soft for several days, in fact, the more days pass, the softer they seem as long as they are stored correctly. They should not be left uncovered because they dry out. Just put them on a tray and cover with a suitable dome. Or in an airtight container.
Can I freeze soft apple cookies?
Absolutely yes! I usually prepare breakfast for the whole week and keep it in the freezer to avoid unnecessary waste. In this case, you can portion the cookies using multiple food bags or put them in a container with a lid.
For practicality, I recommend separating one layer of cookies from the other with a bit of parchment paper, so they don’t stick together and it’s easier to defrost only the quantity needed.Can I add chocolate chips to the dough?
Yes, of course! If you want, you can enrich these cookies in a thousand ways! For example, with chocolate chips or with your preferred dried fruit (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts). The amount to use is 1/3 cup for chocolate chips and 1/4 cup for dried fruit.
Can I enrich apple cookies with raisins?
Definitely! These apple cookies can be enriched with raisins. First, however, it should be soaked for about ten minutes in cold water (or soaked in Rum, which goes perfectly with the other ingredients). Then squeeze well and add to the dough. The amount of raisins to use is 1/3 cup.
What are the flour and starch quantities for the gluten-free version?
The amount of rice flour will be 1 1/4 cups, while the potato starch (or cornstarch) will be 1/2 cup.
