These Apple Cider Cookies capture the essence of fall in every bite. With sweet apple cider and a blend of warm spices, they offer a soft, chewy texture reminiscent of your favorite autumn treats. Whether you're cozying up with a cup of coffee or sharing with friends, these cookies are a delightful addition to your seasonal cookie baking collection.
Why You'll Love This Cookie
Apples are a great source of vitamins, and I was curious if apple cider had similar benefits. Livestrong has a helpful article on the topic.
To create that classic apple cider cookie flavor, you’ll need a few key fall spices: cinnamon, ground cloves, and allspice (also known as Jamaican pepper). If you’re curious about baking spices, check out Spice Advice — it’s a fun read.
If you enjoy warm, spiced cookies, don’t miss my All About Pumpkin Cookies or So Good Ginger Cookies. Both are packed with cozy fall flavors and perfect for chilly baking days.
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Ingredients You will Need
COOKIE DOUGH
- Butter unsalted
- Light brown sugar
- Sugar white
- Apple cider
- Vanilla Extract
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
- All spice
- Kosher Salt
- Granny Smith apple - These apples have a firm flesh that holds up to baking. They also are a little tart to offset the sugars.
- Raisins
- Chopped walnuts
- Lemon juice To squeeze onto diced apple pieces
APPLE CIDER GLAZE
- Powdered sugar
- Apple cider
- Cinnamon
- All spice
Baking Tips!
- Apple Cider: Use store-bought or fresh cider, no reduction needed.
- Chilling the Dough: Helps prevent spreading and enhances flavor.
- Avoid Over-mixing: Mix just until ingredients are combined to maintain tenderness.
- If weighing your ingredients into a bowl don't forget to use the Tare button between ingredients.
Making Apple Cider Cookies
If you are looking for a homemade apple cookie for fall you'll love the spices and mix-ins in this cookie. There's not too much prep work in this recipe so let's get started!
Prep Work
Weigh or measure the sugars into a bowl and set it aside. In another bowl weigh or measure the flour. Add to the flour the baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt. Run a whisk through to blend it all altogether.
I buy my walnuts already chopped but if you can't find them at your store just chop half walnut pieces into a smaller chunks.
How to Dice an Apple for Cookies
1. Cut the apple into quarters. Remove the core and peel the skin. Dice the apple into small pieces.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze a little of the juice over the dices apple pieces. This helps the apple pieces from turning brown.
Set the apples aside and get out your mixer. Time to make the dough!
Mix and Chill the Dough
2. Cube the butter into the mixer bowl. Depending on how cold the butter is, it will affect how long it takes to cream.
3. Start on a low mixer speed and increase to a medium speed until the butter forms soft peaks. This takes a minute or two.
4. Add the sugars to the creamed butter and mix on a medium mixer speed for 3 minutes.
5. Next, add the apple cider and the vanilla extract and blend. Scrape down the bowl and add about a third of the flour mixture at a time. Mix just until incorporated. Try not to overmix.
6. Scrape down the sides and across the bottom of the bowl to try and mix any stray flour before adding the raisins, chopped walnuts, and the diced apple. Mix for about 15 seconds.
7. Using a strong spatula, fold the dough gently to evenly distribute the mix-ins.
Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Scoop and Bake
8. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175º–180°C) and line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I use a medium cookie scooper, and place 12 mounds of dough onto one of the prepared sheet pan.
Bake for 14-16 minutes. Move to a cooling rack after removing them from the oven.
Tip!
Because there’s light brown sugar in the dough, the bottoms of the cookies will bake to a nice medium-brown color. This is great since the fresh apple can soften cookies — the browned bottom helps keep the bottom from absorbing the apple juices.
Apple Cider Glaze
9. Add the powdered sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, and allspice to a bowl.
10. Whisk for about a minute — it doesn’t take long to bring the glaze together.
11. Using a teaspoon, drizzle the glaze in a back-and-forth motion across the tops of each cookie.
Let the glaze harden for about an hour before storing.
Enjoy!
My Inspiration
In the fall we always had a container of apple cider in our refrigerator. Down the road was a peach and apple orchard that would make fresh apple cider. It was so sweet and refreshing. It reminds me of my Apple Pie Cookies with Walnuts and Raisins, which uses a similar warm spice blend.
I was telling my husband about it and I thought that it would be great to create an apple cider cookie recipe. I wanted I hope you like it!
FAQ's
This cookie contains fresh apple, so I recommend loosely covering the container — not sealing it airtight. Stored this way, the cookies will last 5 to 6 days.
Yes, but the flavor will be different. I prefer cider because it stands up well to the spices. Apple juice is milder and can be overpowered by cloves or allspice. Try half the amount first, taste the dough, and adjust as needed.
Nope — I use it straight from the store-bought container, no reduction needed.
Want to Try and Make Apple Cider Yourself?
Here are a few recipes I found:
Other Great Apple Cookies
Love baking with apples? Don’t miss these other fall-favorite apple cookies full of cinnamon, spice, and seasonal goodness. They’re perfect for chilly days, lunch treats, or weekends at home.
Recipe
Apple Cider Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
COOKIE DOUGH
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- ½ cup (110 g) Light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar white
- 3 Tablespoons Apple cider
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 ¾ cups (343.75 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 (1) Granny Smith apples diced
- ½ cup (72.5 g) Raisins
- ½ cup (58.5 g) Chopped walnuts
- Lemon juice To squeeze onto diced apple pieces
APPLE CIDER GLAZE
- 1 cup (120 g) Powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Apple cider
- ⅛ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
Instructions
COOKIE DOUGH
- In a bowl, weigh or measure both sugars and set aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Run a whisk through to blend. Quarter, core, peel, and dice the Granny Smith apple, then squeeze a little lemon juice on top to prevent browning.
- Cream the butter on medium mixer speed for a minute or two. Add the sugars and mix for 3 minutes on medium speed. Pour in the apple cider and vanilla extract, then mix until combined. Reduce the mixer speed and add the flour mixture about a third at a time. Once all the flour is incorporated, turn off the mixer. Scrape down the sides and across the bottom of the bowl to catch any stray flour.
- Add the diced apple, raisins, and walnuts, then mix on low speed for about 15 seconds. Use a spatula to evenly distribute the mix-ins. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C–180°C). Using a medium cookie scoop, place 12 scoops of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 14–16 minutes. Leave the cookies on the pan for 1 minute before transferring them to a cooling rack.
APPLE CIDER GLAZE
- After the cookies have cooled, combine the powdered sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, and allspice in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Using a ½ teaspoon, drizzle the glaze back and forth over each cookie.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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