Cinnamon Applesauce Cookies
Soft and cake-like, these cinnamon applesauce cookies are an old-fashioned treat with just the right touch of warm spice. An easy, no-chill dough makes them perfect for fall and winter baking!
These cinnamon applesauce cookies come straight from my mom’s recipe box, and they’re as cozy as it gets. Soft, cake-like, and full of apple flavor with just the right hint of spice, they’re a nostalgic favorite I’ll be baking all season long.
If you’re like me and can’t get enough of apple desserts, you might also enjoy the sweet little bites of apple pie cookies, the tender crumb of cinnamon applesauce muffins, or even a comforting applesauce cake to share with friends over a cup of coffee.
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
- Soft and fluffy. Applesauce cookies bake up more cakey than crisp cookies. They are moist, tender, and lightly chewy in the center.
- Quick and easy. No chilling required! Just mix the dough, scoop onto a baking sheet, and you’ll have warm, flavorful cookies ready in minutes. Perfect for fall baking or after school treats!
Ingredients Needed
- Butter: Use room temperature butter so it creams easily with the sugar. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch more salt to the recipe.
- Brown sugar: Lightly packed brown sugar adds sweetness and gives the cookies a softer, more moist texture than granulated sugar would.
- Egg: Helps bind the ingredients together and gives the cookies structure.
- Flour: Cake flour makes them extra tender and fluffy, but all-purpose flour works too.
- Baking powder & baking soda: A combination of both ensures the cookies rise well and keep their light texture.
- Cinnamon: The warm spice that makes these applesauce cookies smell and taste like fall.
- Applesauce: The star ingredient! It keeps the cookies moist and adds natural apple flavor. You can use store-bought (unsweetened or lightly sweetened) or try my homemade applesauce for an even fresher taste.
personal Note
In Italy, applesauce isn’t sold in grocery stores, so I always make my own for baking. It’s quick, easy, and has the thick texture these cookies need. A friend of mine once loved these applesauce cookies so much he came back twice in the same day for more, proof this old recipe is a keeper!
How to Make Applesauce Cookies
To start, in a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Sifting helps remove any lumps and keeps the cookies nice and light.
In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy, then beat in the egg.
Next, add the dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating with the applesauce.
Stir just until everything comes together. Don’t overmix or the cookies can turn out dense.
Drop spoonfuls of dough (about the size of a golf ball) onto parchment-lined baking sheets, then bake until lightly golden, about 10–12 minutes. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the pan before moving them to a wire rack.
recipe Tips
- Best flavor. These cookies are delicious fresh from the oven, but the flavor actually gets even better the next day once the spices have had time to settle. They never last that long in my house though!
- Garnish. A light dusting of powdered sugar is always pretty, or try drizzling them with the maple glaze from my cinnamon apple strudel or the maple frosting from apple butter cinnamon rolls.
- Mix-ins. For extra flavor and texture, stir in raisins, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or even a handful of quick or rolled oats.
- Food processor shortcut. The dough can be made in a food processor instead of mixing by hand. Just pulse until combined, quick and easy.
- Cake flour substitute. If you don’t have cake flour, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons, and replace with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift well.
A friend of ours came over for coffee in the morning, ate a couple of cookies and then came back in the afternoon for another coffee and another couple of cookies. He said they were that good. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Applesauce Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 cups cake flour (or you can substitute with all purpose flour which make them spread less and more firm)
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter add ½ teaspoon salt)
- 1 cup thick applesauce (unsweetened or very lightly sweetened-store bought or homemade)
HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE
- 4 medium apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400° (200° celsius), line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE (makes approximately 2 cups) 400 grams)
- In a medium pot add chopped apples, water and lemon juice, cover and cook on low for approximately 15-20 minutes or until apples are soft, add 1 tablespoon sugar mash with a potato masher and continue cooking on low for approximately 5 minutes or until thickened. Let cool. Refrigerate unused applesauce, use within a week.
- Sift cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl cream together butter and brown sugar add egg blend about 2 minutes, add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the applesauce, combine until just combined.
- Drop batter by spoonfuls (about the size of a golf ball) on prepared cookie sheets, bake for approximately 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Keep in cool dry place, best if let to sit for 1 day before eating. (If you can wait) Enjoy! Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
How to store the applesauce cookies
The cookies should be stored in an airtight container, they will keep for 1-2 days at room temperature (depending on the warmth of your house) or 4-5 days in the fridge. They can also be stored in the freezer in a freezer safe container for up to two months.Nutrition
Republished from Feb 5, 2016.
Recipe FAQs
How should I store applesauce cookies?
Once cooled, keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Their flavor actually deepens after the first day.
Can I freeze them?
Yes! Place the cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag, separating layers with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw at room temperature before serving.
Can I add more spice?
Of course. A little nutmeg and allspice (about ¼ teaspoon each) will give the cookies even more warm fall flavor.
Can I replace the butter?
You can swap in coconut oil if you prefer. The cookies may bake up even more cake-like, but still soft and delicious.
Can I add texture on top of the cookies before baking?
Yes! A simple streusel topping, like the one from my apple pie streusel cake, works beautifully. Or just sprinkle a few nuts and a little cinnamon sugar on top for extra crunch.
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Hi Rose,
Thank you for this recipe. Perfect treat to share with my officemates. Can I use sugar substitute or sugar blend to sub brown sugar? Can I also use shortening to sub butter? Thank you so much!
Myla
Hi Myla, I have never made it with substitutes, but it should work, let me know how it goes. Take care.
How do I substitute the butter for dairy free? I probably could mix coconut oil and Smart Balance, but I don’t know the measurements.
Hi Amy, apparently you can do a 1 for 1 with coconut oil. I have never made them with coconut oil so I can’t say 100%, but it should work. Let me know if you try it.
These are a lovely way to use applesauce. Mine came out fluffy, domed and aromatic (I used high grade bread flour). Next time I’ll add less salt though – it’s a little too much. I used salted butter. Perhaps you did not.
Just took these out of the oven. I made no changes just additions~more cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg plus raisin and chopped walnuts. YUMMY. I make my own home applesauce so I used that. My husband likes them a whole bunch.
Hi Patricia, thanks so much glad you both enjoyed them. Have a great weekend.
Left a comment and forgot to do the rating!
I made these today, as written, including the home made applesauce. I used cake flour, which I forgot to sift. However, no problem. I used a 3 cm cookie scoop, my smallest, and the recipe yielded about three dozen. I say about because the house Cookie Monster, who is six feet tall, inhaled a few. So much for keeping them overnight before eating! I will have to hide some. The batter had an interesting, very light texture which is why I scooped them. It was almost like an airy muffin batter. I baked them at 400 Fahrenheit, on convection, because I live at altitude. My scoops were done in about 9 minutes My baked cookies are about 7 cm across, and gently domed, about 1.5 cm in the centres. Definitely not flat. They are more cake like in texture than most cookies I make, but I am happy with them They smell lovely and the Cookie Monster gives them two thumbs up. Thank you for this one, Rosemary. Will definitely make it again.
Hi Bonnie, thanks so much glad you and the cookie monster enjoyed them. And thank you for sharing all the info, very helpful. Have a great weekend.
Cookies are in the oven right now. Very disappointed as they have spread & are going to be flat. My baking soda & baking powder are new so that’s not the problem. The cookies appear higher & cake-like in the picture. Bummed ☹️ I have rest of cookie dough chilling. They taste good but are flat. 🤔
Hi Anita, could depend on the flour. You need a high protein flour (12% or higher), whenever I use Italian flour my cookies go flat too. Let me know.
You know what? I used Italian flour! I have some issues with wheat so I ordered Italian flour that isn’t hybridized like flour in the U.S. So you are saying that might be why the cookies flattened out & had smooth tops? Maybe I could just add more flour? I am going to try making with regular flour & see how they bake up. They are delicious though! I did make my own applesauce too so that can’t be the problem.
Hi Anita, yes then it’s the flour, I can guarantee it. When I first came to Italy (and had no idea about the difference in flour and protein amounts) I wanted to make my Mom’s crescent cookies and whipped shortbread, so I used regular Italian flour and yes, completely flat, they tasted the same but flat. I was so disappointed. Then after I started the blog and I did some research on flour I discovered why that was. I had my daughter make the cookies in Canada and they were fine, all due to the flour, I purchased high protein flour here (Manitoba flour) and they turn out perfect. And adding more flour won’t help and neither will refrigerating the dough. I tried it all. 🙂 Let me know.
It seems to be very good.
Thanks Linda, have a great weekend.
I have one simple question (I hope). I have canned/bottled apple sauce and am confused by the recipe. Do I use one cup of it or two cups? It is not home made. Thank you.
Hi Sue, well the homemade applesauce makes two cups, but you only need one cup for the recipe. The applesauce should be quite thick though. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi can I use almond flower or whole wheat flour
Hi Din, I would recommend it because it will change the texture and taste of the cookies. Sorry about that.
i used 1 cup almond flour and 1 cup flour and they turned out great. i also added cranberries to half the batter and cooked 4 minutes longer…smeared a bit of cream cheese frosting on those while still hot and Oh My!
Hi Tracie, thanks so much, sounds delicious.
Regarding the applesauce cookie recipe. Can you use regular flour instead of cake Flour?
Hi Bonnie, yes regular flour will be fine. I hope you enjoy them.
Hi Rosemary what a great tasting cookie. I make my own applesauce so when I saw this recipe I just had to make them. They are easy to make and delicious.
Thanks for sharing.
Mil
Hi Mil, thanks so glad you like them and with homemade applesauce even better. Have a wonderful weekend.
These cookies appeal to me very much. Your instructions call for a thick applesauce, and my applesauce is quite thin. How can I adjust the recipe to compensate for this?
Hi Mara, you will have to add more cake flour, but add a tablespoon at a time until you reach the proper dough consistency (check the video for that). Depending on the amount of flour (any more than 1/2 cup) you may add a little more cinnamon and a tblsp of brown sugar. But I think the rest should be ok. Hope that helps. Let me know how it goes.
Can’t wait to try these! I was just wondering what is the serving size (that has 157kcal), is it one cookie? Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Veronika, thanks and yeah that’s for one cookie, although they are pretty big. 🙂
Have you ever doubled the recipe?
Hi Julie, I have never doubled the recipe but I am sure you could. 🙂
What a delicious cookie! I used 1/4 cup pumpkin purée in place of the egg, due to my son’s egg allergy. They were a hit for the whole family. Thanks for sharing this delightful recipe.
Hi Jennifer, thanks so much and a great idea thanks for sharing. 🙂