Apple Pie Cookies with Walnuts and Raisins

Fall is my favorite time of the year, and apple pies are just a significant part of the fall season. So I wanted a portable slice of apple pie for on the go and decided to make a hand-held apple pie cookie. Plus, the filling jam is just out of this world!

Apple Pie Cookies is a cookie I have been kicking around for about a year. So many possibilities and directions for flavors, add-ins, and cookie dough.

The ingredient image contains both the chunky apple jam and the cookie dough. I was not sure I would have room for both, but it worked fine.

Ingredients You Will Need

Chunky Apple Jam

• Granny Smith apples diced
• Sugar white
• Apple pie spice
• Water
• Lemon Juice
• Lemon zest

Cookie dough

• Cream cheese 
• Butter unsalted 
• All-purpose flour
• Egg white 
• Chunky Apple Jam

Making the Apple Jam

Take the skins off two Granny Smith apples and dice them into small pieces. Next, add the diced apples, sugar, and water and bring them to a boil. Finally, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and apple pie spice and continue a slow boil, stirring continuously.

You want the liquid to reduce and the apples to soften. Reducing took me about 35-to 40 minutes. Pour into small canning jars and screw on the lids. Allow to cool for an hour, then place into the refrigerator.

I made the jam the day before and left it in the refrigerator overnight. You can find the full recipe at Chunky Apple Jam.

How to Create Apple Pie Cookies

Mix cream cheese and butter for about 3 minutes on medium speed. Turn down the mixer and add the flour. Place the cookie dough on a pastry mat and press it into a flat oval shape.

Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut the oval shape into quarters. It is easier to work with ¼ at a time.

Now the fun begins.

Flour the pastry mat and roll out a quarter section of the cookie dough. I have rings around the ends of my rolling pin, so I get a uniform thickness of 1/16 of an inch.

Using a round cookie cutter around 2-⅝", cut out as many round cookies as you can. I use the same size for the bottom and the top.

Taking around a teaspoon of the chunky apple jam, add it to the middle of the circle. I put a couple of walnuts and raisins on top of the jam. Next, take a pastry brush or your finger and brush the egg wash around the outside edge.

Take the top cookie part, and I stretch it out just a little, so it fits over the hump of the jam. Then I use a fork to go around the edges. It not only crimps the edges, but it looks so cute.

Finally, I used the egg wash over the whole top to give it a golden brown color. Don't forget to poke a hole in the top to let the steam out. I hope you enjoy my Apple Pie Cookie with Walnuts and Raisins!

Variety of Topping for Cookies

Egg Wash:

For the egg wash, I take a fork and just fork whip it for a couple of minutes. Adding this to the top gives the top of the cookie a shine and a lovely golden hue.

Powdered Sugar:

The cookie dough does not contain sugar. There is sugar in the chunky apple jam, but that does not run through the whole cookie. The powdered sugar will add some sweetness to the cookie. I still use the egg wash, and when the cookies are cooled, I sprinkle the powdered sugar on top.

Icing:

Instead of the egg wash on top, you can bake the cookies and make a milk-based glaze. Then, using three to four tablespoons of milk to two cups of powdered sugar, you can brush a glaze on top after the cookies have cooled.

Sugar and Cinnamon:

You can use a ratio of 1:4. So one teaspoon of cinnamon mixed with four teaspoons of sugar and then sprinkle on top of each cookie before you bake them.