Apple Cider Cookies

These soft and chewy Apple Cider Cookies are studded with apples and frosted with a delicious apple cider icing. Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, this recipe makes the perfect easy fall cookie! Plus, they freeze beautifully so you can have a stash on hand for every craving.  

I think one of the reasons I love baking in the fall is because of the sweet memories it brings to mind. This recipe was inspired by one memory in particular. Every Autumn growing up, my family and I would visit a local cider mill. With a warm cinnamon donut in one hand, I would stare in awe as the apples would be pressed into that sweet fall beverage. 

I wanted to make a cookie that brought those childhood memories of fresh apples and fall spices to life. So Apple Cider Cookies were born! These cookies are made with brown sugar and spices to make them soft and flavorful. Then I stirred in fresh apples for yummy texture and that true apple cider taste. It’s the perfect cookie to enjoy the start of fall and kick off the holidays!

Ingredients for Apple Cider Cookies

• All-purpose flour – All-purpose flour lends the right texture and structure to these cookies, plus almost everyone already has it in their pantry. 
• Baking powder – This recipe uses baking powder and baking soda to give the cookies a little lift. They are not interchangeable, though. To learn the differences, check out baking powder vs baking soda. 
• Baking soda – As mentioned above, both baking soda and baking powder are needed in this recipe for the right lift and texture. 
• Cinnamon – Use high-quality ground cinnamon to add that classic fall flavor. 
• Nutmeg – Another spice that instantly makes these cookies taste like fall. Nutmeg adds a warm, slightly nutty flavor. 
• Table salt – Just a bit of salt to draw out all of the other flavors. 
• Unsalted butter – We already added salt to the recipe, so unsalted butter here. 
• Granulated white sugar – By adding some granulated sugar, the cookies will develop slightly golden, crispy edges. 
• Light brown sugar – By using brown sugar, the cookies will stay soft and moist in the middle. 
• Egg – Start with a room temperature egg to help it incorporate into the batter more easily. This helps you avoid overmixing. 
• Apple cider – Apple cider and apple juice are not the same. Make sure to use apple cider for stronger flavor. 
• Apple – You can use any apple that holds up well when baked. Here is a list of my favorite apples for baking. 
• Confectioners sugar – Just simple powdered sugar to make the icing.

How to Make Apple Cider Cookies – Step by Step

Preheat and prepare cookie sheets. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease lightly.

Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars. In a second mixing bowl, with an electric mixer cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add egg and cider. Add egg and mix just until combined. Then add cider and combine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. (If your batter curdles slightly at this point, don’t worry! It will smooth back out when the flour mixture is added.)

Add in dry ingredients. Next, add the flour mixture and mix at low to medium speed until mixture is evenly moistened. 

Stir in chopped apple.

I like to dice mine up small. You can omit the apple if you would like and just create one big soft apple cider cookie. I prefer the fresh chunks of apple!

Pro tip: Stir the apple in by hand with a rubber spatula to avoid over beating the dough. 

Scoop the cookies. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop the cookies into 1 ½-inch balls. Place onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake and cool the cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until edges and centers are set. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling completely.

Make icing. In a small bowl, whisk together icing ingredients. Spread or drizzle over each cooled cookie.

Recipe Tips

• Measure flour carefully. This changes the entire texture of a cookie. Use a kitchen scale for exact measurements, or use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a butter knife. Don’t pack the flour down. You can read more here on How To Measure Flour
• Soften your butter correctly. The butter should be softened to room temperature, which means you can slightly indent your thumb into the butter but shouldn’t easily smoosh all the way through. For a more detailed guide on how to soften butter for cookies, check out this post: What Butter Does in Cookies. 
• Use room temperature eggs. Forgot to take your eggs out beforehand? Place your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes to bring them to room temperature quickly.
• Don’t overmix. As with all baking recipes, overmixing causes tough, dense dough. Mix until just combined, then use a rubber spatula to mix in the apples at the end.
• Use a cookie scoop. For evenly-sized and evenly-baked cookies, your best bet is to use a cookie scoop. Plus it makes the scooping process super fast! 

Cookie Troubleshooting

• Cookies spread too much: If your cookies spread or got very flat, it is likely due to one of these 8 reasons. Try reading through the list to pinpoint the problem. For this recipe in particular, it is important to start with room temperature butter (not too soft! See the notes in the recipe) and to measure the flour correctly to prevent flat cookies. You could also try refrigerating the dough a bit before baking if your cookies usually spread.
• Cookies didn’t spread at all: This probably means you measured your flour wrong. If you add too much flour these cookies won’t spread at all. I recommend measuring your flour by weight using a scale. But if you do measure by volume, then you want to make sure to stir up your flour first, then spoon into your cup and level it off with a knife. Do NOT pack it into the cup or scoop directly from the bag.
• Cookies aren’t soft and chewy: If your cookies got hard instead of soft and chewy, you may have overbaked them. Make sure to bake them until they are set, but not past that. They will continue to cook as they start to cool on the hot pan. Your oven temperature may also be too high. I recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is running at the correct temperature. Click here to read more about using your oven properly when baking. You may have also added too much flour. Using a kitchen scale is best for accuracy!

Recipe FAQs

More Recipes To Try

• Apple Cider Cupcakes
• Cinnamon Apple Scones
• Baked Apple Cider Donut Muffins
• Baked Apple Cider Donuts
• Caramel Apple Crisp

Apple Cider Cookies

These soft and chewy Apple Cider Cookies are studded with apples and frosted with a delicious apple cider icing. Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, this recipe makes the perfect easy fall cookie! Plus, they freeze beautifully so you can have a stash on hand for every craving.

4.84 from 25 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Servings: 28 cookies

Calories: 235kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Equipment

• ▢
  Tools: cookie sheets, parchment paper, mixing bowl, electric mixer

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• ▢ 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ ½ teaspoon table salt
• ▢ 1 cup (2 sticks, 226 grams) unsalted butter softened
• ▢ ½ cup (99 grams) granulated white sugar
• ▢ ¾ cup (160 grams) light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg room temperature
• ▢ ¼ cup (60 mL) apple cider
• ▢ 1 apple peeled and diced

For the icing:

• ▢ 2 cup confectioners sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons apple cider
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat and prepare cookie sheets. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease lightly.
• Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugars. In a second mixing bowl, with an electric mixer cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add egg and cider. Add egg and mix just until combined. Add cider and combine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• Add in dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and mix at low to medium speed until mixture is evenly moistened. Stir in chopped apple.
• Scoop the cookies. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop the cookies into 1 ½-inch balls. Place onto prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
• Bake and cool the cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until edges and centers are set. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling completely.
• Make icing. In a small bowl, whisk together icing ingredients. Spread or drizzle over each cooled cookie.

Notes

• Storage: Store cooled cookies, covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. 
• Freezing: You can freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Cool baked cookies thoroughly, then freeze until solid. Store in an air-tight zipper bag or container. Thaw at room temperature or microwave for a few seconds to re-warm. Make and scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Freeze the cookies on the sheet until solid, then store in an air-tight zipper bag or container. Bake straight from frozen, just add 1-3 minutes of extra baking time. 
• Cookie trouble shooting: 
  • Cookies spread too much: If your cookies spread or got very flat, it is likely due to one of these 8 reasons. Try reading through the list to pinpoint the problem. For this recipe in particular, it is important to start with room temperature butter (not too soft! See the notes in the recipe) and to measure the flour correctly to prevent flat cookies. You could also try refrigerating the dough a bit before baking if your cookies usually spread.
  • Cookies didn’t spread at all: This probably means you measured your flour wrong. If you add too much flour these cookies won’t spread at all. I recommend measuring your flour by weight using a scale. But if you do measure by volume, then you want to make sure to stir up your flour first, then spoon into your cup and level it off with a knife. Do NOT pack it into the cup or scoop directly from the bag.
  • Cookies aren’t soft and chewy: If your cookies got hard instead of soft and chewy, you may have overbaked them. Make sure to bake them until they are set, but not past that. They will continue to cook as they start to cool on the hot pan. Your oven temperature may also be too high. I recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is running at the correct temperature. Click here to read more about using your oven properly when baking. You may have also added too much flour. Using a kitchen scale is best for accuracy!
• Apple cider: There’s really no substitution here! You can try apple juice but it won’t give you the same spiced apple flavor.

Nutrition

Sodium: 58mg | Calcium: 20mg | Vitamin C: 1mg | Vitamin A: 224IU | Sugar: 20g | Fiber: 1g | Potassium: 65mg | Cholesterol: 25mg | Calories: 235kcal | Saturated Fat: 4g | Fat: 7g | Protein: 3g | Carbohydrates: 40g | Iron: 1mg

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