Mini Apple Pie Cookies Give This Fall Fruit A Sweet New Purpose

If you aren't busy avidly collecting all of the newest pumpkin spice products this fall, it's likely you are making your way through a mountain of fresh apple recipes instead. A fruit that ripens in abundance during the early months of fall, apples give us reason to make the most delicious desserts, such as spiced cobblers, crumbles, fritters, crisps, and ciders. Perhaps the most popular way to use apples is in pie, where the apples are sliced, spiced, stewed, and nestled within the sweet layers of a baked pie crust that is browned until flaky and crisp. While nothing beats a warm slice of apple pie, there might be one thing that comes close: a cookie filled with softly stewed apples. An easy, single-serving, two-bite option for when you don't have time for pie, apple pie cookies give you the option to have a small taste of fall at any time.

This mini apple pie cookie recipe written with developer Michelle Mcglinn begins with a soft and chewy sugar cookie infused with cinnamon, designed to taste like the crust of a pie or a particularly soft snickerdoodle. While the cookies bake, apples are stewed in brown sugar and cinnamon, then spooned into the warm pocket of cookie before cooling to a perfect crumbly brown. The result is a mini apple pie, perfectly bite-sized for on-the-go snacking. The best fall dessert for lovers of all things apple, these cookies are sweet, simple, and easy — even easier than apple pie.

To make the soft, sugar cookie base, you'll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, both white and brown sugar, two eggs, vanilla, and a stick and a half of butter. The filling ingredients reuse many of these, like the cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter; so from there, you'll just need two medium to large apples, water, and some cornstarch. The best apples to use are the same that we'd recommend for baking into a pie: sweet, slightly tart varieties that soften easily in heat, like McIntosh, Honeycrip, or Jonathan apples.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and salt.

In another large bowl, beat 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) butter, granulated sugar, and ¼ cup brown sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and beat on low speed until just combined, then switch to a spatula to form a dough.

Scoop heaping 1-inch dough balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Deeply indent the cookies in the middle using your finger or knuckle to create a well.

Bake until cookies are golden, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly for 2 minutes.

While the cookies are baking, prepare the apple filling. Add 1 tablespoon butter and ½ teaspoon cinnamon to a skillet over medium heat. Stir to melt and combine.

Stir in the apples, ¼ cup brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon water. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until softened.

Mix the cornstarch into the remaining 1 tablespoon water and add to the mixture. Stir until thick, about 2 minutes.

While the cookies are still warm, spoon the filling into the wells, pressing down to collapse the centers. Serve warm.

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Just like an apple pie, the apple filling can be added to the cookies before baking, but it changes the final look of the cookies slightly. Not only does the filling add moisture to the cookies while baking, making them softer in the middle, but the cookies also hold less filling with this method. Because the cookies begin as dough balls and spread to their final shape, you can only add a small spoonful of filling before baking, which spreads to a thin, small amount of apple on the final cookie. This method cooks the apples further, meaning your apples will be very softly stewed.

We recommend adding the apple filling after the cookies are baked so that each cookie has a full, heaping amount of filling. Apples cook quickly, so by the time the cookies are finished baking, the apples should be softened, too. This method is not only faster, then, but also ensures a firm cookie and heaping filling that is chewy and soft.

Dimpling the cookies with your fingers before baking ensures that the apple filling sits slightly inside the cookie, rather than right on top. To do this, use your finger, knuckle, or a small spoon or wine cork to press a well into the cookie. The well should be nearly as deep as the dough ball, stopping just short of breaking through the bottom. The well should be deep because the cookies rise in the oven, flattening the well into a shallow divot. If you notice the cookies are nearly flat across the top after baking, don't worry, as this is a normal part of the baking process.

When you pull the cookies from the oven, there should be a very slight well scooped into each cookie. As they cool, the cookies deflate a bit, leading to a deeper well. If any cookies look completely flat across the top, gently press down on the centers to form a well for the apple filling. Then, before the cookies cool completely, scoop the apple filling into each well, allowing the weight of the apples to sink into the warm cookie. This way, the cookie will resemble a small apple pie, with filling nestled into the golden cookie.

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