Caramelized Apple Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Deliciously spiced Caramelized Apple Oatmeal Cookies filled with buttery caramelized apples, chewy rolled oats, and drizzled with a sweet 2-ingredient glaze.
Servings: 18 cookies
Ingredients
Apples
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 medium apples peeled and diced (I used Pink Lady and Honeycrisp)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 4 teaspoon light brown sugar
Cookies
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter brought to room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅓ cup apple sauce
- 2.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups rolled oats
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon water or milk plus more as needed
Instructions
For the Caramelized Apples
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Stir well to combine.
- Continue to cook, stirring often, until the apples are soft, but not mushy (you want some bite left). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
For the Cookie Dough
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy (at least 3-4 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the apple sauce and vanilla and beat on medium-high for 1 minute.
- Turn mixer to low and carefully add flour. Mix until just combined (no over-mixing here). Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the oats. Fold in the cooled caramelized apples, mixing until just combined. Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a piece of foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop dough onto baking sheet, placing each cookie at least 1-2" apart, as they will flatten out while baking. Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes, or until edges are just starting to brown, but the middle is still a little soft.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven and allow cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat process until all cookies have been baked.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before drizzling with the sugar glaze (see below).
For the Glaze
- In a small bowl whisk together the sugar and water (or milk) until desired consistency is reached. If glaze is too thick add additional water or milk (just a couple drops); if it's too watery, add additional powdered sugar. Drizzle (or dunk) over the tops of each cookie using a spoon.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: You can prepare the cookie dough and keep it chilled, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. All cookie dough to come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before scooping and baking.
- Freezing: To freeze your cookie dough roll it into balls (refrigerate your dough first), transfer to a baking sheet, and freeze before transferring to a large ziplock bag. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. When ready to bake allow an extra minute of bake time- no need to thaw.
- Storage: Your cookies will stay fresh covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Applesauce: Use a thicker applesauce. Anything that has too much liquid may create excess spreading and moisture.
- How to make gluten-free – To make this recipe gluten-free use certified gluten-free all-purpose flour and gluten-free rolled oats.
- Tools & Equipment: Mixing Bowls | Apple Peeler or Paring Knife | Measuring Cups | Cookie Scoop | Baking Sheets | Electric Mixer or Handheld Mixer | Large Skillet
Nutrition
Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 1.4mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1.3mg
