Description
These soft and chewy apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies are exploding with sweet apple flavor. Filled with cinnamon and apple spices, loaded with applesauce and apple chunks, and topped with a creamy maple icing, they’re absolutely perfect for the fall season. Do not skip reducing the applesauce on the stove (step 1); it is key to the texture and flavor.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2/3 cup (160g) unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups (170g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) light or dark brown sugar (I use dark)
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (90g) finely diced apples
- 1/2 cup (63g) chopped walnuts (optional)
Maple Icing
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar
- pinch salt, to taste
Instructions
- Reduce the applesauce: Place the applesauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low boil and then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the amount is reduced by half (to 1/3 cup/80g). On my stove, this takes about 10 minutes. Transfer the applesauce to a heat-proof bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until creamed together, about 5 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the reduced applesauce, egg yolk, and vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add in the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Finally, beat in the chopped apples and walnuts (if using). The cookie dough will be thick and sticky.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop mounds of cookie dough (about 1.5 Tbsp/35g of dough each) and arrange 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 14–16 minutes or until lightly browned and set around the edges. The cookies will look very soft in the middle but will continue to set as they cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Make the icing: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Taste. Add a pinch of salt, if desired. Drizzle over cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5. Baked cookies, with or without icing, freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Small Saucepan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Fine Mesh Sieve (for sifting confectioners’ sugar)
- Oats: Use whole rolled oats for the best texture. Quick oats are cut finer, which makes them more powdery. They’ll absorb more moisture, causing the dough to bulk up so the cookies don’t spread properly, and can leave the cookies tasting dry.
- Brown Sugar: I recommend dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor, but you can use light brown sugar instead.
- Apple: Make sure you cut the apple into teeny-tiny chunks. I usually use a Granny Smith apple for this recipe, but you can use any crisp, juicy variety you prefer. (And if you’re interested, here are the best apples for baking.)
- Can I Use Apple Butter Instead of Reduced Applesauce? We haven’t tested it, so are unsure if the cookies will spread too much since apple butter is thinner than the reduced applesauce. If you use it, you may want to refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour before shaping and baking. Apple butter is also sweetened, so expect a sweeter cookie. And if you try it, let us know how it turns out.
- Update in 2025: My team and I made 4 small updates to the recipe to reduce the spreading and improve the texture. The changes are reflected in this recipe. To make the old version, reduce the flour to 1 cup (125g). Reduce the applesauce to 1/2 cup (120g) and skip reducing it on the stove (step 1). Use 1 whole egg instead of 1 egg yolk. Reduce the butter to 1/4 cup (56g) and melt it. Whisk it together with the wet ingredients in step 4, instead of creaming it with the sugars.