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Apple Cider Doughnut Cookies, all the flavors we love most in apple cider, but in a yummy cookie instead! Homemade chocolate chip cookies made with browned butter, a mix of warming autumn spices, sweet brown sugar, apple butter, and oats. A classic cookie made better with the addition of apples, spices, and, of course, plenty of melty chocolate. These cookies are finished off with a light dusting of cinnamon-sugar for a sweet cinnamony bite. The perfect fall apple cider cookie.
If there’s one cookie you need to make this fall, I do think it’s these. They’re kind of like fall, baked up into a super sweet cookie. Such a delicious treat as the weather begins to cool off.
Ever since September first hit, I’ve wanted to make my favorite apple cider doughnuts. I’ve been craving the warm, sweet fall apple flavor for a while now. Since I’ve already shared my go-to baked apple cider doughnut recipe with you all, I wanted to share something new.
I was stumped for a while. Other than a muffin, which was just not exciting me, I was not sure what to create. But when I had the idea for chewy apple cider cookies, it sounded so fun, and, of course, really good.
I love to use apple butter in cookies, I swear it’s the secret to a great fall cookie.
To make these I used my homemade apple butter and added a mix of warm spices. Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and even some all-spice. These are the spices commonly found in chai and what I often use when making homemade cider.
Adding them to these cookies makes them perfectly spiced!
Here are the steps for the perfect fall cookie
Step 1: brown the butter
As with a lot of my cookie recipes, start with browning the butter. I like to use a medium skillet or small saucepan and brown both sticks of butter over medium heat. Then simply let the butter cook until it bubbles up and foams on top. This is when I turn the heat off and continue to allow the butter to cook in the pan.
Little brown bits will form on the bottom of the pan. Those are the nutty little bits that will make your recipes extra delicious. Especially with the oats. I found the pairing to be really special.
Step 2: mix in the wet ingredients
When the butter has browned, the rest goes pretty much as you would think. You can use the bowl of a stand mixer, but a good old-fashioned spatula will do the trick too. Mix the butter with brown sugar, apple butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla.
While I love using my recipe for apple butter, I understand that time does not always allow for that. So store-bought is great too!
Step 3: mix in the dry ingredients
Add flour, oats, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all-spice, and a pinch of salt to the bowl with all of the wet ingredients.
Then mix, mix, mix, and fold in chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or a combination! I like to use both!
Step 4: let the dough sit, then bake
Next, let the dough sit and hang out for 10 minutes. As dough sits, it will stiffen up and be easier to form into cookies.
Once the dough has chilled out, use a cookie scoop to roll it into dough balls and bake away!
Step 5: cinnamon sugar
While the cookies bake, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Then when the cookies come out of the oven, you can sprinkle each with cinnamon-sugar to make these just like a cinnamon-sugar coated doughnut.
So heavenly. I’m telling you all, you will love every bite of this dessert! So simple, and so delicious. It’s hard to beat a great fall flavored chocolate chip cookie – these are pretty special!
Looking for more sweet fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Chai Spiced Maple Sugar Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Baked Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cider Doughnut Holes
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Cinnamon Maple Glaze
Lastly, if you make these Apple Cider Doughnut Cookies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Apple Cider Doughnut Cookies
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 224 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/3 cup apple butter
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon all-spice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups chocolate chunks or chips
Cinnamon Sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool 5 minutes or so.3. To the brown butter, mix in the brown sugar, maple syrup, apple butter, eggs, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Add the flour, oats, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Gently fold in the chocolate. Let the dough sit and set up, about 10 minutes. 4. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon-size balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten the dough down. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, rotate, and tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times to flatten. Bake another 2-3 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges.5. Mix the cinnamon and sugar. Brush each cookie very lightly with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Eat warm (highly recommended) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
This post was originally published on September 12, 2023
Has anyone tried cinnamon chips instead of chocolate chips?
That would be super yummy! xT
These were delicious and made the whole house smell like fall!
Amazing!! Love to hear that! xT
I had great hopes for this recipe but I unfortunately it didn’t do it for me. The only tweak I did was that I eliminated the chocolate chips. ( I left it would take away from the apple spice notes )
The consistency is more of a oatmeal cookie than a chocolate chip one.
The first batch I cooked , I did the butter cinnamon sugar topping and again I feel it. The recipe improved when I did a maple icing glaze.
But is has potential
Xx
Hey Norma! I’m so sorry this didn’t turn out for you! Thank you for letting me know!
I adore oat biscuits, I really want to try to make them!
Miki x
https://www.littletasteofbeauty.com/
Hey Miki! Hope you enjoy the recipes!
Does nutmeg have to be fresh? What if I use the kind found in supermarket baking aisles?
Nope, it definitely does not need to be fresh! You can use ground nutmeg!
These sound absolutely amazing! Are there modifications I can make to cut the butter amount in half? (Unfortunate dietary restrictions…) Normally I swap out some of it for applesauce, but not sure that would work here.
Miyokos vegan butter acts exactly like butter in baking and even in flavor. It can even be browned. I am pretty confident it would be a perfect one-for-one swap for all the butter in the recipe. (It’s made of cashews, coconut oil, and salt.)
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried this with a different amount of butter, so I can’t say for sure. You could maybe try coconut oil! xT
Saw this recipe this morning and thought it was perfect with the fall weather I woke up to. Absolutely incredible cookie with just enough spice to match the subtle sweetness of the apple butter and choco chips! YUM! Thanks for another great recipe😋
How perfect! So glad you enjoyed these recipes! xT
I’m in the UK and we don’t have Apple Butter. Can I leave it out or replace it with something else? Or am I going to have to make some? Thanks
Luisa… I haven’t tried the recipe; however I do make apple butter. It’s really just apple sauce that has been spiced and cooked down to be very condensed and rich. You could easily get apple sauce from your stores, add in some spices you like to taste (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, etc) then simmer and reduce for about 15-20 minutes until it’s thick and brownish. Bonus is to make some extra and enjoy on scones! :). Good luck!
Hi there! You can use applesauce! xT
I was excited to try this recipe but have a few comments:
1. Too many chocolate chips overwhelm the apple cider doughnut concept.
2. You need to refrigerate prior to rolling into balls. The dough is too soft to form balls & press down.
Otherwise…a good recipe!
Thank you so much for letting me know! xT
They look super-yummy, Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much! xT
Can these cookies be frozen?
Yes!
This recipe sounds amazing, can’t wait to try!! Is it 4 sticks of butter all together, 2 brown and 2 non, or just 2 sticks and you can brown them if you wish? Just want to make sure before I make them.
Hi there! Yes, it calls for 2 sticks of butter that will turn into browned butter!
Ohhh how silly, I misread the recipe! They’re baking now!!
Could you leave out the chocolate chips?
I haven’t ever tried these without the chocolate chips, but I would imagine that should be fine! xT
Would rolled oats work for this?
Yes! xT
These look so yummy. I can’t wait to try the recipe. Thank you!
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT
I haven’t made them yet but I’m curious if they are a soft or a crunchy cookie?
Hi Candy! These should turn out to be fairly soft cookies! xT