A spiced apple filling tops these buttery cookies, packing all the flavor of an apple pie into a single bite — for a fraction of the work!
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 32 cookies |
Ingredients
- 1 pound baking apples such as Golden Delicious, Gala or Fuji (2 to 3 apples), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2 1/2 cups diced)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Toss together the apples, lemon juice, apple pie spice, vanilla and 1/3 cup of the sugar in a medium bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the apple mixture and stir to coat with the butter. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding about 1/4 cup water if the mixture becomes too dry or begins to brown, until the apples are tender and shiny, about 20 minutes. When the apples are tender, there should be some liquid left in the skillet; if not, add 1/4 cup water and stir. Mix the cornstarch with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl and pour it into the apple mixture. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil to activate the starch. Cook until thick and bubbly, 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Whisk together the flour and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg until just combined. Turn the mixer to low and gradually beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, beating until just incorporated.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Scoop 1-tablespoon portions of dough and roll between your hands to form 1-inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gently press a thumbprint into the center of each ball about 1/2 inch deep, being careful not to crack the edges. Fill each indentation with 1 teaspoon of the filling, then chill the cookies 15 minutes in the freezer.
- Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
- Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through, until the cookies are set, about 30 minutes. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheets. Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 32 servings |
| Calories | 92 |
| Total Fat | 4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg |
| Sodium | 40 mg |
Reviews
My family absolutely loved these! I did not have more than a tbs of leftover filling compared to the ratio of cookie dough. Saving and making these every year!
So easy to make and very tasty.
I love these cookies! This is the second year I have included them in my Christmas cookie baking! I added a little vanilla to the dough, which is perfect! I used honey crisp and Granny Smith apples for the filling. So good! I only bake them for 20 minutes out of the freezer…30 minutes seems like a LONG time to bake a cookie. I did have extra filling that I ate in my oatmeal…next time I’ll do double the dough and single of the filling.
The dough messed everything up,I’m very disappointed my family and I really looked forward to this!
Easy and delicious. Agree, apple pie filling is just as good and saves time.
These cookies are amazing. I cheated and used a can of apple pie filling (added vanilla/cinnamon/allspice/nutmeg) and it reduced the prep time by half! Enjoy