Soft and chewy, these apple butter cookies are the perfect sweet treat this fall season. Made with wholesome ingredients, these apple butter cookies are Paleo, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free, yet sweet and delicious!
These apple butter cookies are my new favorite fall treat!
They are soft, chewy, slightly gooey, and packed with warm apple pie spices and all the fall flavors.
I love these apple cookies with a cup of coffee for a morning snack, or quick and easy dessert after lunch or dinner (or breakfast – yes, it’s a thing!).
I know pumpkin season is a big part of fall, and by now you probably know how crazy I am about all things pumpkin.
However, fall is also apple picking season!
If you are looking for ways to use up those delicious apples you picked from a local orchard, you might also want to try this Apple Bread With Crumble Topping and this Apple Caramel Crisp With Sea Salt. They are both perfect this time of the year.
And don’t miss out on my homemade Instant Pot Apple Butter. It’s the perfect base for these cookies.
Okay, let’s get to this delicious Apple Butter Cookie Recipe!
.
are Apple Butter Cookies Healthy?
If I told you that these sweet and delicious cookies were healthy, would you believe me?
Well, you better!
These Apple Pie Spiced Cookies are as healthy as it gets!
They are made without any oils, butter, refined sugar, grains, or wheat. That makes these healthy cookies Paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and oil-free.
And no, they are not made out of air!
By removing all those ingredients, I made space for nutritious ingredients that are actually good for you, making these apple butter cookies healthy!
The secret to not using butter or oil is to add apple butter and almond butter!
It will keep the cookies soft and moist, and helping to combine the dry ingredients. All while adding a delicious flavor.
To keep this recipe gluten-free, grain-free, and paleo-friendly, I used almond flour and coconut flour.
They are my favorite flours to bake with for a paleo and low-carb recipe.
To sweeten the cookies, I used coconut sugar.
It’s a sugar that’s less refined than castor sugar and it has a delicious flavor that’s similar to brown sugar
How much sugar you will use depends on how sweet the apple butter that you are using is. You can even omit it altogether.
Ingredients needed to make healthy cookies
These soft and chewy paleo apple butter cookies are made with eight wholesome ingredients.
Egg
Works like a binder and will make the cookie dough pliable. Always bake with room-temperature eggs.
Almond butter
Almond butter is packed with healthy fats, fiber, and protein. It also adds a delicious nutty flavor.
Apple butter
Condensed and concentrated apple flavor that gives these cookies their name. Make your own (try my Instant Pot Apple Butter) or use store-bought.
Coconut sugar
Paleo-friendly sweetener with a caramel flavor. Sub for brown sugar if you prefer.
Almond flour
Gluten-free and paleo-friendly flour with a nutty flavor. Read more about why almond flour is an amazing baking flour here.
Coconut flour
Gluten-free and paleo-friendly flour that’s rich in fibers and has a slightly sweet taste to it.
Baking soda
Will give these apple butter cookies a lift and make them slightly airy.
Apple pie spice
Basically a mix of warm fall spices. It will make your kitchen smell wonderful. See how to make your own apple pie spice below.
Make your own apple pie spice
You can either buy apple pie spice in the store, or you can make your own apple pie spice by mixing together these 5 ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoons ground cardamom
Store in an air-tight container and use it to spice up this fall’s desserts, or spindle some in your oatmeal in the morning.
How to make paleo Apple butter Cookies
These fall-flavored cookies are made in a few easy steps.
Start with whisking together the wet ingredients – egg, almond butter, and apple butter – in a medium mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients for the apple butter cookies – almond flour, coconut flour, coconut sugar, apple pie spice, and baking soda. Wisk until everything is evenly distributed and no clumps remain.
Then, gently combine the wet and dry ingredients with a spatula.
Cover the cookie dough and let it chill in the fridge for at least one hour, or in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Now, preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together coconut sugar and apple pie spice for the sugar coating.
Then, use a cookie scoop to roll the cookie dough into balls.
Roll the cookie dough balls around in the apple pie spice and sugar mix.
Lastly, place the cookie dough balls on the parchment paper and flatten them with your hands and make them into round-shaped cookies.
Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the top of the cookies cracks a little bit. But do not overbake them!
Let them cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes and enjoy!
Tips on makeing the best apple butter cookies
There are a few tips and tricks on how to make the best cookies possible.
- Use my Instant Pot Apple Butter in these Apple Butter Cookies for best flavor posible.
- These cookies don’t spread out a ton, so make sure you press them down to flatten a little bit before baking.
- Make sure your oven temperature is accurate. Most ovens don’t reach the targeted temperature until at least 10 minutes after the “beep” sound. I like using an oven thermometer to be certain the oven is ready.
- Pack the coconut flour and almond flour when measuring to ensure it measures correctly.
- The sweetness level may vary depending on the type of apple butter you choose. This is easily adjusted by adding more or less coconut sugar. Same goes if you in general prefer a sweeter cookie, go ahead and a little bit more coconut sugar.
- If you are trying ton plan ahead, you can make the do for the apple butter cookies a day in advance. Just store the dough in the fridge overnight.
How to store Homemade Apple Cookies
These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. They can also be stored in the refrigerator.
And YES, you can freeze the cookies! They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
The spiced sugar coating might resolve into the cookies after a couple of days. However, that’s completely normal and nothing to worry about.
.
What’s your favorite apple recipe? Leave me a comment below so we can inspire each other!
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR CREATIONS! YOU CAN USE “TRIED IT” ON PINTEREST OR SHARE ON INSTAGRAM BY TAGGING #SHUANGYSEATS
Other Fall cookie recipes to make this season:
1. Pumpkin oatmeal cookies
2. Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
3. Banana Bread Cookies
Apple Butter Cookies
Ingredients
Apple Butter Cookie dough
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup smooth almond butter
- 1/2 cup apple butter
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp apple pie spice
Spiced sugar coating
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg, almond butter, and apple butter.
- In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, coconut sugar, apple pie spice, and baking soda. Wisk until everything is evenly distributed and no clumps remain.
- Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients with a spatula.
- Cover the cookie dough and let it chill in the fridge for at least one hour or in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together coconut sugar and apple pie spice for the sugar coating.
- Use a cookie scoop to roll the cookie dough into balls.
- Roll the cookie dough balls around in the apple pie spice and sugar mix.
- Place the cookie dough balls on the parchment paper and flatten them with your hands and make them into round-shaped cookies.
- Bake for about 9-11 minutes or until the top of the cookies crack a little bit. Do not overbake.
- Let them cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- This homemade Instant Pot Apple Butter it’s perfect in this recipe.
- These cookies don’t spread out a ton, so make sure you press them down to flatten a little bit before baking.
- Make sure your oven temperature is accurate. Most ovens don’t reach the targeted temperature until at least 10 minutes after the “beep” sound. I like using an oven thermometer to be certain the oven is ready.
- I like to use smooth and drizzly almond butter and my homemade apple butter. The cookie texture may vary slightly depending on the brands you choose to use.
- Pack the coconut flour and almond flour when measuring to ensure it measures correctly.
- See more tips and tricks in the blog post.
Recommended Products
Nutrition
The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This does not result in any extra cost for you, but it does mean that I make a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
As much as I love smearing our apple butter on everything I’ve been looking for a good recipe to use it in and ohmygoodnight! This is amazingly simple; everything on the list are things you have in your pantry and the kids loved helping squish them! Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Stephanie!
Awh yay!! We love that you found this recipe both simple and delicious! Added bonus that the kiddos got to help!
Happy Baking 🙂
Constance
How do you make apple butter
Hi Paige, here is the link to Shuang’s Apple Butter https://shuangyskitchensink.com/instant-pot-apple-butter. Enjoy!
Can you please share your Apple Butter Recipe please!
Hi Leta, Here is the link to Shuang’s Apple Butter https://shuangyskitchensink.com/instant-pot-apple-butter. Enjoy!