Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cookies Recipe for Fall Baking

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cookies

Fall baking season has a way of pulling me back into the kitchen, and these Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cookies are the reason my cinnamon jar never leaves the counter from September through Thanksgiving.

Picture a soft, chewy cookie spiced exactly like apple pie, then imagine a little hollow in the center filled with tender caramelized apples. On top goes a buttery cinnamon crumble, and over everything drizzles a glossy salted caramel sauce.

The first time I carried a tray of these to a neighborhood potluck, a friend asked which bakery made them. I laughed, because the whole thing starts with one bowl of dough and one saucepan of apples.

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You get all the cozy apple pie flavor in a single handheld bite, and you never have to wrestle with pie dough. If you have been hunting for a fall cookie that feels special but still fits a busy week, start here.

They are, in short, mini apple pies without the fuss of making an actual pie, and that is exactly why they have become my default October bake.

Quick Look: Apple Pie Cookies

These cookies are soft and moist, with a caramelized apple pie filling tucked into the middle, a cinnamon crumble scattered over the top, and a salted caramel drizzle to finish. The three ingredients that carry the whole recipe are apples, all purpose flour, and butter, which is a short list for something that tastes this layered.

Here is the practical snapshot before you tie on an apron:

Serve them with hot coffee on a chilly afternoon, a cold glass of milk if you are feeding a crowd of kids, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream when you want dessert to feel a little more dressed up. One cookie per serving comes in at 603 kcal, so plan accordingly.

Ingredient Overview:

The full recipe with measurements and directions lives at the bottom of this post, so you can jump straight there when you are ready to bake. Before you do, a few ingredient decisions matter more than you might expect.

Apples. Skip soft varieties like McIntosh, because they turn to mush in the pan. Reach for good baking apples instead: honeycrisp, pink lady, golden delicious, or granny smith. My favorite trick is a mix of honeycrisp and granny smith, which balances tart and sweet so the filling never tastes flat.

Flour. Spoon and level your all purpose flour, or weigh it if you keep a scale on the counter. Scooping the measuring cup straight from the bag packs in too much flour and gives you a dry, crumbly dough.

Butter. Salted butter is preferred here for flavor, though unsalted butter works if that is what you have. Just remember that the recipe leans on that salty edge.

Beyond those three, you will need granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and a warm spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ground cloves.

Recipe Substitutions & Variations:

Need a dairy free version? Use your favorite dairy free butter and dairy free heavy cream, and the recipe still works beautifully.

If you love the pie in cookie idea and want to branch out, the same approach shows up in other flavors, including Peach Cobbler Cookies, Key Lime Pie Cookies, and Pecan Pie Cookies for anyone who would rather skip fruit.

One caution: the apple filling and its spices are what make these cookies taste like pie, so keep that part intact even when you swap the dairy.

How to Make Apple Pie Cookies:

This is a project, but a friendly one. Read the recipe all the way through before you start, because you will be working with a few separate components: the cookie dough, the apple filling, the salted caramel sauce, and the crumble. Everything comes together in the end, and none of the individual pieces is difficult.

A quick note on butter weight: you want 254 grams (1 cup + 2 tbsp) before browning and about 206 grams after, so a scale is genuinely helpful here.

1. Brown the butter. Add the butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt it, stirring occasionally. Once it is melted, lower the heat to medium low and keep cooking, stirring frequently. The butter will foam and bubble, then turn a deep golden shade with a nutty, caramely aroma, which takes about 4 to 6 minutes after melting. Pour it into a large bowl, scraping in the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and cool it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
2. Make the cookie dough. Your butter should be warm but not hot. Whisk it with 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar. Add 2 room temperature eggs and 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, then whisk until smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds. Stir in the dry ingredients: 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 and 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, and 1/8 tsp ground cloves. It takes a little elbow grease, but it will come together into a moist dough. A mixer works too.
3. Scoop, roll, and chill. Stir together the cinnamon sugar mixture: 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 and 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp allspice, and 1/8 tsp ground cloves. Scoop the dough into balls that are 70 grams each, or 4 level tablespoons if you are measuring. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar, then chill them in an airtight container in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours.
4. Make the apple filling. Peel and dice 4 large apples into bite size chunks. Add them to a medium pan over medium high heat with 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tbsp cubed salted butter, 2 tbsp apple cider if you have it, 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, and 1/8 tsp ground cloves. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring lazily. Taste around the 15 minute mark and thicken once the apples reach the tenderness you want. Stir 1/2 tsp corn starch with 1/2 tsp water, add it to the hot apples, and cook for 30 to 90 seconds until the juices thicken. Then cool the filling in a bowl, either at room temperature or in the fridge.
5. Make the salted caramel sauce. This component takes about 10 minutes. Melt 1 cup granulated sugar in a saucepan, then whisk in 6 tbsp cubed salted butter, 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Let it cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes until it thickens, and refrigerate any extra for up to 2 weeks.
6. Make the crumble. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 1/4 cup salted butter in a bowl, then stir in 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 and 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. You should have a crumbly mixture. Scatter it onto a parchment lined full size cookie sheet, because a smaller pan lets it melt into one solid sheet. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until deep golden brown, then cool and break it into smaller pieces with a metal spatula.
7. Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 365 degrees F and line your baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Roll the chilled dough balls in the cinnamon sugar again and place about 6 cookies per sheet, leaving room for them to spread. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. The edges should look and feel set when you tap them with a fingertip, and the centers will be puffy. Let them rest on the sheet for 1 to 2 minutes, then press an indent into the center of each cookie with the back of a tablespoon. After a few more minutes, once they feel sturdy enough, move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Why do you indent the cookies after baking?

Indenting after baking gives you far more control over the shape of each cookie, and it creates a larger surface area for the filling. Since the cookies would need a little reshaping after they come out of the oven anyway, pressing the indent once gets the job done.

Step 6 is the fun part. Spoon the cooled apple pie filling into each indent, sprinkle the crumble generously over the top, and finish with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. Serve them right away, while the caramel is still glossy and the crumble is crisp.

Serving + Storing:

These cookies are at their best right after assembly, so if you are feeding a crowd, fill them just before you set the plate down. The contrast of cool filling, crunchy crumble, and sticky caramel is the whole point.

Because of the fresh fruit in the filling, store any assembled cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. Honestly, they are wonderful eaten cold straight from the fridge, and the filling firms up in a way that makes each bite feel even more like a tiny slice of pie.

If you bake the cookies a day ahead and do not fill them yet, they can sit in an airtight container at room temperature. I do not recommend leaving assembled cookies out at room temperature overnight, since the apples are fresh.

Steph’s Make Ahead Tips:

This recipe rewards a little planning, and there are several natural places to pause.

• Dough balls. Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before baking, which means you can prep them the night before and bake fresh in the morning.
• Freezing dough. Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, then move them to a freezer bag once they are frozen solid. They keep for 1 to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before baking.
• Caramel. Make it up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. A quick pass in the microwave loosens it until it is thin enough to drizzle.
• Crumble. Make it 1 to 2 days ahead and keep it in a container at room temperature, or freeze it for 1 to 2 months.
• Apple filling. It can cool at room temperature or in the fridge, so you can cook it earlier in the day and let it wait while you bake the cookies and the crumble.

Stack those steps across a lazy weekend afternoon and the final assembly becomes a five minute job right before dessert hits the table.

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Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cookies

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Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cookies Fall baking season has a way of pulling me back into the kitchen, and these Salted Caramel Apple Pie Cookies are the reason my cinnamon jar never leaves the counter from September through Thanksgiving. Picture a soft, chewy cookie spiced exactly like apple pie, then imagine a little hollow in the center filled with tender caramelized apples.

• Total Time: 230 min
• Yield: 14 cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Cookies
1 cup + 2 tbsp salted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves

For the Apple Filling
4 large apples, peeled and diced
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp salted butter, cubed
2 tbsp apple cider
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp water

For the Salted Caramel Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp salted butter, cubed
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream
pinch flaky sea salt

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 and 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves

For the Crumble
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 and 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt

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Instructions

1-Before You Begin: Before You Begin: Read the recipe through! It’s not hard, but there are a few different components to make, and you will be much better prepared if you read the recipe all the way through first. Also, please note that you should have 254 grams of butter (1 cup + 2 tbsp) before you brown it, and 206 grams after you brown it. Weighing this will lead to the best success!
2-Brown the Butter: Brown the Butter: Add butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter, stirring occasionally. Once it’s melted, turn the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking the butter, stirring frequently. The butter will get foamy and bubbly, then turn a deep golden shade with a nutty, caramely aroma. (This will take about 4-6 minutes once the butter has melted.) Pour into a large bowl, making sure to scrape in the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and allow this to cool in the fridge (it’ll need at least 30 minutes – or up to 1 hour) while you gather the other ingredients. (See note below if you want to skip this step.)
3-Make the Cookie Dough: Make the Cookie Dough: Make sure your butter is warm but not hot before beginning. Add the room temp/warm brown butter and sugars to a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk until smooth and combined, about 30-45 seconds. Stir in the dry ingredients, using a little elbow grease to get all the dry bits incorporated (yes, it will come together into a nice moist dough – you can also use a mixer!).
4-Scoop, Roll, & Chill Cookie Dough: Scoop, Roll, & Chill Cookie Dough: Stir together the sugar and spices in a small bowl. Scoop dough into balls that are 70 grams (or 4 tablespoons) in size. Make sure your tablespoons are leveled off, not over-filled if you measure this way! A scale is best. Roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Then, chill dough balls in an airtight container in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, or chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.
5-Make the Apple Filling: Make the Apple Filling: Rinse & peel your apples. Dice into bite size chunks. Add all the apple filling ingredients, except the corn starch and water, to a medium pan over medium high heat. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring lazily the whole time. Taste around 15 minutes and thicken once desired tenderness is reached. While the apples are still over the heat, stir together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, and add to the apple mixture. Cook for 30-90 seconds, until the small amount of juices are thickened. (See note below.) Transfer apple mixture to a medium bowl to cool (this can be done at room temp or in the fridge).
6-Make the Salted Caramel Sauce: Make the Salted Caramel Sauce: Make the 10-Minute Salted Caramel Sauce according to my easy recipe (linked above). Let cool at room temp for 20-30 minutes or so, until thickened.
7-Make the Crumble: Make the Crumble: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Melt the butter in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining streusel ingredients. You should have a crumbly mixture. Crumble into small pieces on a full-size cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper. If you use a smaller pan, the crumble will all melt together as it spreads. Bake for 8-12 minutes, until deep golden brown. Set aside to cool. Break up the pieces further, as desired, while it cools, with a metal spatula.
8-Bake the Cookies: Bake the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 365° F. Line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place about 6 cookies on each sheet, with room for them to spread. Bake for 10-13 minutes. The edges should look and feel set when tapped with a fingertip, and the centers will be puffy. Let rest on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes, then press an indent into the centers with the back of a tablespoon. Let cool a few more minutes on the cookie sheet, then, once they feel sturdy enough, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9-Assemble Cookies: Assemble Cookies: Spoon apple pie filling into the cooled cookies, sprinkle on the crumble, and drizzle over the salted caramel sauce.
10-Serve & Store: Serve & Store: Enjoy immediately once assembled! Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. I don’t recommend leaving them at room temp overnight because of the fresh fruit.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 60 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 603
• Sugar: 61g
• Sodium: 394mg
• Fat: 27g
• Saturated Fat: 17g
• Carbohydrates: 88g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 5g
• Cholesterol: 97mg