Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Soft and chewy, these scrumptious apple oatmeal cookies make for a delightful, warmly spiced treat fit for apple season. Made with tender chunks of sweet-tart Granny Smith apples, a touch of brown sugar, a generous sprinkle of cinnamon, a kiss of nutmeg and allspice, plus healthy rolled oats, this cookie recipe is a cozy, fall-inspired treat!

Cozy oatmeal cookies fit for apple season

Each year when September rolls around, my excitement for the autumn season and all things "apple" comes in very strong.

I love this time of year because the light shifts from bold, bright, and summer-intense to more subdued, soft, and glowy-golden.

I also get that wonderful urge to get into my kitchen to bake and make the house smell of sugar and spice and everything nice...to eat, of course!

When I think of baking during the fall season, I think of the aromatic and colorful produce that this time of year makes abundantly available, with apples being at the top of the list starting in early fall.

From Honeycrisp to Gala to Granny Smith apples (just to name a few), each variety offers a unique flavor and texture, bringing its perfect sweetness and even tanginess to so many autumn-inspired recipes.

One of my most beloved cookies for the fall has always been oatmeal cookies, which lend themselves to lots of warm spices. And seeing as apples and spice are such mouthwatering partners, I've come up with this apple oatmeal cookies recipe to bake and share with my loved ones. They are easily one of our favorite cookies, hands down.

Soft, chewy, and buttery, yet light and delicate, my apple oatmeal cookies are brimming with flavor. It's all the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, with loads of sweet-tart Granny Smith apples that makes them the perfect cookie for apple season!

My recipe for apple oatmeal cookies

For these cookies, I use my classic recipe for oatmeal cookies. I simply add a touch more spice and some apples into the dough to create loads of delicious flavor and texture.

On my list of ingredients, you'll find all-purpose flour, a touch of both baking soda and baking powder (for a bit of added lift), a good spoonful of cinnamon, and a touch of both nutmeg and allspice.

Of course, there's also unsalted butter, as well as a combo of brown sugar and a little granulated (or cane) sugar for sweetness.

I also love a nice generous splash of vanilla too, to warm things up. I'm never shy with vanilla!

As for the apples (the stars of this recipe), I ended up landing on Granny Smith apples after first trying out Honeycrisp apples, my usual favorite.

With the Honeycrisp, my hubs and I felt like the cookies were missing some of that strong, tart apple flavor. They needed something to balance out the sweetness and spiciness. So when we taste-tested them, my hubby brilliantly suggested using Granny Smith apples instead—bingo...perfect!

Since I am using fresh, finely diced apples in these apple oatmeal cookies rather than dried apples, I like to lightly sauté them in a touch of butter. Doing that ensures that the apples are tender and not firm and raw in the cookies. It only takes a few minutes, and this way, each bite of the cookie has the perfect texture.

Here's a glance at my apple oatmeal cookies recipe:

(or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I quickly sauté my finely diced Granny Smith apples just until they are become tender. I then allow them to cool to room temp.
2. Next, I whisk together my dry ingredients and set those aside.
3. Then, I mix together my butter and sugar in my stand mixer for a few moments, until light and fluffy.
4. Next, I add in my wet ingredients followed by the dry ingredients and continue to mix, finishing with my cooled, diced apples.
5. I then scoop and then chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour.
6. Once chilled, I bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, until golden.
7. I allow the cookies to cool, then enjoy!

Recipe

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These chewy apple oatmeal cookies taste just like autumn, filled with brown sugar and spice, and lots of tangy apples in every bite!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Yield: 36 cookies

Nutrition Info: 228 calories (per 2 apple oatmeal cookies)

Prep Time: 20 minutes (does not include dough chill time)
Cook time: 22 minutes
Total time: 42 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temp, divided use
• 1 ¼ pounds Granny Smith apples, very finely diced (about 3 cups worth of finely diced apples)
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated (or cane) sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, and add in the 1 tablespoon of butter (keep the rest of the butter for the cookie dough). Once melted, add in the diced apples and sauté those in the butter for about 6 to 7 minutes, or until the apples are softened and a pale golden color. Spoon the apples onto a plate to cool to room temp (can also be placed into the fridge for quicker cooling).
3. Next, in a bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, and whisk to blend well. Set these dry ingredients aside for a moment.
4. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the remaining 1 cup of butter, as well as the brown and granulated sugars, and beat these together, creaming them for about 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
5. Next, add in the eggs one at a time until each is incorporated, followed by the vanilla, and continue to mix to combine for a moment.
6. Then, slowly add in the flour mixture, and once that is mixed in, add in the rolled oats, and continue to gently mix just until those are incorporated (take care to not over mix the dough).
7. Finally, add in the cooled, sautéed diced apples, and mix those in just until combined.
8. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out slightly heaping cookie dough balls (about 1 ½ ounces each) onto a large baking sheet to hold (you should have about 36 cookies), and then place into the fridge to chill the cookie dough balls for 1 hour to 2 hours (or until firm), depending on how warm your kitchen is. (Once chilled, you can reserve some of the cookie dough balls and freeze them if you don't want to bake all the cookies at once.)
9. About 15 minutes before the dough is finished chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two to three baking sheets with parchment paper.
10. Once the cookie dough balls have chilled, roll each quickly between your palms to make them slightly rounder and even, and place them onto your prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart (I usually bake 12 cookies on one baking sheet at a time).
11. Bake the apple oatmeal cookies for 15 minutes, just until golden-brown on the bottom.
12. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before enjoying.

Tips & tidbits for my apple oatmeal cookies recipe:

• Fresh Granny Smith apples for a touch of tang: I'm opting for the green Granny Smith apples for this sweet recipe because they are nice and tart, and offer lots of apple flavor. Other apples are totally fine, but they are missing that slight acidity and apple-y sharpness that's needed to balance out the sweetness and spice of these delicious cookies.
• A combo of brown and cane sugar: I gave this recipe a whirl using all brown sugar, which was very tasty. But the combination of brown and cane (or granulated) sugars balances the flavors a little bit better. There's just a touch too much molasses flavor when using only brown sugar—if you like that, feel free to try it.
• Chill the cookie dough to prevent too much spreading: Taking that step of thoroughly chilling the cookie dough is important if you want to prevent your cookies from spreading too much in the oven. The butter needs that time to re-chill and firm a bit. It actually helps the cookies puff a little bit while baking, rather than melting away and spreading too much in the hot oven. You should chill for at least 1 hour, even overnight if making ahead.
• Freeze cookie dough balls for later enjoyment: This recipe yields a nice platter of roughly 36 medium-size cookies. If you prefer to only bake off a smaller portion, then chill all the dough balls as directed. Then, place any cookie dough balls you'd like to keep for later into a freezer ziplock bag, and keep frozen. When ready to bake and enjoy, allow them to very slightly soften at room temp for about 10 to 15 minutes before baking off as directed.

Craving more delicious cookie recipes? Check out my recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies, Oatmeal Scotchies with Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Chip Cookies with Roasted Hazelnuts, Pancakes 'n' Bacon Cookies, Chubby Hubby Cookies, or even my recipe for Brownie Cookies!