These caramel apple pie cookies feature a soft, chewy butter cookie base with a caramelized apple center, rich caramel drizzle, and crushed cinnamon crunch cereal for a perfect fall treat.
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Apple pie turned into a cookie — exactly what you want when fall arrives. These cookies deliver a soft, buttery base, a warmly spiced apple filling, gooey caramel, and a crunchy cinnamon-cereal finish. They’re ideal when you want the flavors of apple pie without making a whole pie.
These were fine-tuned during recipe development to get the balance of textures and flavors just right — soft cookie edges, tender apple centers, and the right amount of caramel and crunch on top.
These Cookies Feature…
- A soft, chewy cookie base
- A spiced, caramelized apple filling
- Gooey caramel drizzles and crushed cinnamon crunch cereal for texture
Making the Apple Pie Cookies
(Full recipe follows. Read notes and tips for best results.)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Packed brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Large egg, room temperature
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt
- Apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- Maple syrup
- Ground cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg
- Cinnamon crunch cereal, crushed for topping
- Caramel sauce, jarred or homemade
Storing Cookie Dough
You can prepare the dough ahead: refrigerate up to 6 days or freeze up to 2 months. Wrap tightly in plastic or an airtight container. When ready to bake, follow the recipe instructions and allow frozen dough to thaw slightly if needed before forming cookies.
Tips for Perfect Apple Pie Cookies
- Bring butter and egg to room temperature: Softened butter creams more evenly with sugar. Warm the egg quickly by letting it sit at room temperature or submerging the shell in warm water for a couple of minutes.
- Mixing options: Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or mix by hand. Both methods work well for this dough.
- Balance sugars: A mix of brown and granulated sugar keeps the cookies tender and adds structure so they hold their shape.
- Measure flour correctly: Use the spoon-and-level method or weigh flour for best results — this prevents dry, dense cookies.
- Chill the dough: Refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours before baking to reduce spreading and create a thicker, chewier cookie.
- Indent and fill: Press the center of each dough ball with your thumb or a greased tablespoon and add about 1 tablespoon apple filling per cookie.
- Bake until edges are golden: 10–12 minutes at the recommended oven temperature; the edges should be lightly golden while the center remains soft.
Recipe Variations
Ideas to change things up:
- Pear variation: Substitute diced pears for apples for a slightly different, delicate flavor.
- Add dried fruit: Stir in 1/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins into the apple filling for extra chew and sweetness.
- Switch the topping: Try melted white chocolate or butterscotch instead of caramel for a different finish.
- Add nuts: Replace the cereal with toasted, minced pecans or walnuts for a nutty crunch.
- Sweet and salty: Finish with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt after drizzling caramel for a balanced bite.
Storing Cookies
Let the cookies cool completely before storing. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Because of the apple filling, freezing finished cookies is not recommended — textures and filling quality change after thawing.
These cookies are a hit with family and friends — the caramel and crunchy cereal finish bring the flavors together and really highlight the season. Serve warm for the best gooey texture.
Enjoy — it’s officially cookie season!
More fall cookie ideas to try next:
- Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
- Iced oatmeal raisin apple cookies
- Ginger-molasses snickerdoodles
Please save this recipe and if you make it, leave a comment and rating below the recipe card. Your feedback really helps.
Caramel Apple Pie Cookies
This recipe may contain affiliate links in the original post. Ingredients and instructions below are complete without following those links.
15 cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (110g) packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 tablespoon (10g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Apple Pie Filling
- 1 lb apples (about 3 medium), peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons (45g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Crushed cinnamon crunch cereal for topping
- 1/4 cup jarred or homemade caramel sauce
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Place butter and both sugars in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed or by hand until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and fold until just combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for 2 hours.
Apple Pie Filling & Baking
- Combine the diced apples, brown sugar, maple syrup, and spices in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 4–6 minutes until the apples are tender and syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and scoop into 2-inch balls. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Use your thumb or the back of a greased tablespoon to make an indentation in each ball, being careful not to press through the bottom.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the apple filling into each indentation. Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, until the cookie edges are lightly golden.
- If any apple filling remains, add a little more to the centers. Top each cookie with crushed cinnamon cereal and drizzle with caramel sauce. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Because of the moist apple filling, freezing finished cookies is not recommended.
Nutrition
Calories: 181 kcal |
Carbohydrates: 30 g |
Protein: 1 g |
Fat: 7 g |
Sugar: 22 g