Apple Cookies with Streusel Topping
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Apple cookies with streusel topping are a pretty addition to any bake sale or dessert table. Make these for a sweet treat in under an hour!
Recipes like Apple Cookies with Streusel Topping
Each bite of these caramel apple cookies is bursting with gooey sweetness, and the crisp topping adds a delicious texture as well.
Pumpkin Spice Crinkle Cookies capture another popular fall flavor. The secret to the intense flavor is pumpkin spice coffee creamer!
For another delicious apple cookie recipe, try these Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies instead. They’re chewy and moist with little bits of apple and walnut throughout. You should also try our chocolate covered apple slices, you will thank me!
Or, make Brown Sugar Cookies with brown butter drizzle for a treat that tastes as good as it looks!
Helpful Tips For Making Apple Cookies
- Dry Your Apples: Pat the pieces with a paper towel before adding them to the dough. Otherwise, the added moisture will cause the cookies to fall flat.
- Chill The Dough: This is an important step, so don’t skip it! Doing so will keep your cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
- Use A Cookie Scoop: Not only will it give you perfectly round cookies, but you won’t have messy hands from the sticky dough.
- Don’t Overbake: Pull the cookies out of the oven just when the center is set and the oats are lightly browned. They will continue to cook on the baking sheet as they cool, so leaving them in longer will cause them to harden and dry out.
How to make oat crumble topping
All you need to do is combine the ingredients until they form a crumbly texture. However, there are a few important steps to guarantee your success.
- Use Cold Butter – Unsalted is preferred, and it should be used straight out of the refrigerator so the topping holds its shape. Cut it into small cubes so it blends quickly and doesn’t soften too much.
- Cut-In Instead of Mixing – A fork or pastry cutter is the easiest way to do this, but your fingers will work too. Don’t press or twist too much, or you’ll end up with a more solid, creamed mixture.
Kitchen Tools You Will Need
- Vegetable Peeler – Makes quick work of peeling apples too!
- Mixing Bowls – I like a variety of mixing bowls and prep bowls and this set has them all.
- Electric Hand Mixer – Use this to cream the butter and sugar if you don’t want to do it by hand.
- Baking Sheet (with sides) – Used for anything from cookies to roasting, a good baking pan will last for years.
Apple Cookie Recipe Notes + FAQ
Best Apples For Baking
For cookies, you’ll want to choose a sweeter variety that will also hold its shape in the oven heat. Feel free to use your favorite or mix two different kinds for more complex flavor.
- Honeycrisp
- Fuji
- Gala
- Jonagold
- Granny Smith
Do these caramel apple cookies need to be refrigerated?
These will be just fine at room temperature in a sealed container or storage bag. Enjoy within 3 for best results, though they are perfectly safe to eat after that.
Can I make the streusel topping ahead of time?
Absolutely! In fact, you could make a big batch and freeze it in storage bags for up to a year!
If you’ll just be making the amount needed for this recipe, store the oat crumble topping in a sealed container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use.
What are caramel baking pieces?
They are simply small, bite-sized chunks of caramel that come unwrapped so you can add them straight to your baking.
You may find them labeled as “caramel bits” as well. If you can’t find them, cut up baking caramels into smaller pieces or use caramel chips instead.
Enjoy!
With love from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Apple Cookies with Streusel Topping
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced (About 2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup butter, 2 sticks – softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup caramel baking pieces
Crisp Topping
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Peel, core, and dice apples and toss in lemon juice and put in the refrigerator until needed.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar (you can use a fork or a hand mixer).
- Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well until smooth.
- Slowly stir in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until combined.
- Use a paper towel to pat the apples dry and fold apples and caramel pieces into cookie batter.
- Chill dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- While your dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and make the crisp topping.
- Using a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands, combine the butter, brown sugar, unbleached flour, and oats until crumbly. Set aside.
- Using a cookie scoop, create 1” cookie balls with your dough (dough will be sticky).
- Roll the cookie balls in the crumb topping before placing them 2” apart on baking sheets that have been lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes until the center of the cookie is set. Do not over bake.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, combine powdered sugar and water until a smooth glaze forms. You can add more/less powdered sugar or water to get the consistency you want.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published November 2020
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is there anything else I could use besides the options given for the caramel chips? I live outside the U.S.
I love apple, and having it in cookies was amazing. The streusel topping was so sweet.