We go apple picking every year and always come home with way too many apples. Ever since I started making apple butter in the Instant Pot, these cookies have been the recipe my kids ask to make with me. And yes, a few always disappear straight off the cooling rack when no one is looking.

These apple butter cookies are soft and chewy in the middle, a little crisp at the edges, and rolled in coconut sugar and apple pie spice. They’re made with almond flour, coconut flour, almond butter, and homemade apple butter, so they’re gluten-free and dairy-free. One bowl of dough makes 12 cookies

Soft and chewy apple butter cookies stacked on top of each other. There are five cookies and one has a bite taken from it.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

  • Recipe Name: Apple Butter Cookies {with Almond Flour}
  • Ready In: 40 minutes
  • Serves: 12 cookies
  • Main Ingredients: egg, smooth almond butter, apple butter, coconut sugar, almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, apple pie spice
  • Why You'll Love It: Soft and chewy gluten-free apple butter cookies made with almond flour, almond butter, and apple pie spice. Ready in 40 minutes and makes 12 cookies.

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Why Apple Butter Makes These Cookies So Chewy

Apple butter is apples cooked down low and slow until they’re thick and dark. That gives you concentrated apple flavor, natural sweetness, and a lot of moisture. In a cookie, that moisture is what keeps the middle soft and chewy for days.

Almond butter makes the dough rich and helps hold it together without any regular butter. Use a smooth, drippy one. Homemade or store-bought apple butter both work, but store-bought brands vary a lot in sweetness, so taste yours first. If it’s very sweet, your cookies will be too.

Coconut flour soaks up a lot of liquid, so a little goes a long way. Almond flour does most of the work here. If you have extra apple butter, it’s great in my apple butter oatmeal bake or apple butter coffee cake.

Top Tips Before You Start

  • Chill the dough. It’s sticky at first, and chilled dough is much easier to roll. One hour in the fridge or 20 minutes in the freezer works.
  • Flatten each ball before baking. These cookies don’t spread much, so press them into the shape you want.
  • Measure the flours carefully, or use a kitchen scale. Coconut flour especially can change the texture.
  • Pull them out when the tops crack a little and the centers still look soft. They firm up as they cool.
two pieces of apple butter cookies coated in apple pie spiced sugar are on the table. One of them has a bite taken out of it.

How to Store and Freeze Apple Butter Cookies

Once they’re completely cool, keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week.

To freeze, layer them in a freezer bag or container with parchment paper between the layers so they don’t stick. They keep for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature.

The spiced sugar coating starts to melt into the cookies after a day or two. That’s normal and doesn’t change the flavor.

How to Make Apple Butter Cookies

Scroll down to the full recipe card for the exact ingredient amounts and instructions.

Instruction to make apple butter cookies: In a mixing bowl, add almond flour, coconut flour, coconut sugar, apple pie spice, and baking soda.
In a mixing bowl, add almond flour, coconut flour, coconut sugar, apple pie spice, and baking soda.
Instruction to make apple butter cookies: Whisk together until there is no clump remaining.
Whisk together until there is no clump remaining.
Instruction to make apple butter cookies: In a separate bowl, add in the egg, almond butter, and apple butter.
In a separate bowl, add in the egg, almond butter, and apple butter.
Instruction to make apple butter cookies: Combine until smooth.
Combine until smooth.
Instruction to make apple butter cookies: Add the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.
Instruction to make apple butter cookies: Gently combine with a spatula until a cookie dough forms. Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Gently combine with a spatula until a cookie dough forms. Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Instruction to make apple butter cookies: Use a cookie scoop to portion the chilled dough and roll each portion into a ball.
Use a cookie scoop to portion the chilled dough and roll each portion into a ball.
Instruction to make apple butter cookies: Roll each cookie dough ball in the apple pie spice sugar mixture until lightly coated.
Roll each cookie dough ball in the apple pie spice sugar mixture until lightly coated.
Instruction to make apple butter cookies: Gently press each ball down with your fingers to form a round cookie before baking
Gently press each ball down with your fingers to form a round cookie before baking

More Apple Recipes to Try

I love one of these with a hot cup of coffee in the afternoon, but they’re just as good for dessert. If you came home from apple picking with a lot of apples, here are a few more family favorites:

FAQ

Does apple butter have butter in it? No. It’s just apples cooked down until thick and spreadable. These cookies don’t use any butter either.

Are these cookies gluten-free? Yes. They’re made with almond flour and coconut flour. If you need them strictly gluten-free, check the labels on your apple butter and spices.

Can I use applesauce instead of apple butter? I don’t recommend it. Applesauce is thinner and wetter, so the dough would be too soft and you’d lose that deep apple flavor.

Why didn’t my cookies spread? That’s normal. Almond flour cookies hold their shape, so flatten each dough ball before it goes in the oven.

Can I skip chilling the dough? I wouldn’t. Warm dough is too sticky to roll. If you’re short on time, use the freezer for 20 minutes.

A plate full of apple butter cookies covered in coconut sugar and apple pie spice
a plate of healthy and gluten-free cookies

Get the recipe:Apple Butter Cookies {with Almond Flour}

Yield: 12 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time (freezer): 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Soft and chewy gluten-free apple butter cookies made with almond flour, almond butter, and apple pie spice. Ready in 40 minutes and makes 12 cookies.
4.67 stars (3 reviews)
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Ingredients

Apple Butter Cookie dough

Spiced sugar coating

Equipment

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. Whisk 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!
Youtube video

Notes

 
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Measure the coconut flour and almond flour carefully. A kitchen scale gives the most consistent results.
How to Store:
Once completely cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator for a week.
You can also freeze apple butter cookies for up to 3 months. Place them in a freezer-safe container or bag with parchment paper between the layers to prevent them from sticking together. Let frozen cookies thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
*Note: the spiced sugar coating may begin to dissolve into the cookies after a day or two. That’s completely normal and won’t affect the flavor.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 138kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 65mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g

The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.

Author: Shuang Shuang Liang
Course: Desserts, Snack
Cuisine: American