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.
It’s All About Pasta
Amazing pasta recipes to make your mouth water!
Authentic Italian Desserts
75 Traditional Desserts Made Easy
Wonderful recipe. So quick, easy n mess free. My family loved it. Although I used coconut oil and olive oil instead of butter and skipped egg altogether yet they came out perfectly each time.
Hi Pooja, thanks so much, so glad your family liked them. Take care.
beautiful soft cookie. received lots of compliments.
Hi Lynne, thanks so much, so glad everyone liked them!
I live in an assisted living facility and only have a toaster oven Will the recipe need to be “tweaked”
Hi Elaine, as long as the oven heats to the correct oven temperature on the recipe, it should be fine. Let me know how it goes.
Can I add nuts? Walnuts?
Hi Peggy, I think you can, I wouldn’t add too many, start with a 1/4 cup finely chopped and see how it goes. Let me know how it goes.
This recipe was so easy. It tasted so good and yummy. If I was a chef on a show I would pick you to be the winner.
Hi KIKU, thanks so much, how kind, glad you enjoyed the recipe. Have a great weekend.
I made these cookies (biscuits in Australia, for my generation, anyway) today and they’re delicious. I made up my own applesauce to add to what was in an opened jar that was partly used, to make up the required cup measurement. I used the bakers flour my husband uses for bread making rather than all purpose flour as I thought the applesauce might by runnier than required. They kept their shape well.
Thanks, Rosemary
Anita
Hi Anita, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. And good idea with the flour. Take care.
I was a bit concerned that my biscuits would fall flat as per some of the other reviews, but they were amazing!! I used the cake flour tip – plain white flour with cornflour added – and it worked great. My son is allergic to eggs so I used 1/4 cup milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar instead (my go-to egg replacer) and they look perfect and taste incredible.
Thanks Nitsan, glad you enjoyed them and your son also. And thank you for letting me know.
Hi, I’ve been looking recipe using applesauce I’m glad that I found it finally.
Allow me to ask you if the ready to buy apple sauce needs to be thicken or no need?
Hi Elny no need to thicken the store bought it should be fine.
I used apple puree rather than apple sauce…I definitely didn’t have cookie consistency at all. They really spread in the oven and didn’t get firm or crispy as such. I’m three baking sheets in now and if I were to make these again, I’d chill the mixture first to see if it helped stop the spread. I’m baking for at least 15mins, too. I also added flaked almonds and freshy grated nutmeg on top – they smell lovely and look the same colour as gingerbread – but consistency s closer to a British Jaffa cake or a whoopie pie than a cookie!
Hi Gem, it could be a couple of things, your puree is thinner and or your flour has a lower protein percentage (10 or below). I make these quite often and they don’t spread for me and I never refrigerate the dough. Let me know.
Can you use almond flour substitute for all purpose flour?
Hi Bobbie, I really don’t know because you are going to need more binding in the recipe (such as eggs). Sorry I really can’t say.
Hello, I like the sound of this recipe, but how long will these keep and can you freeze them?
I live in the U.K., so I also wanted to double check – is 1 cup of applesauce = 180grams? 😊
Hi Liza, these will keep for about 2 days at room temperature or about 5-6 days in the fridge, and yes they can be frozen, for about 6 months in the freezer. One cup of applesauce can be anywhere from 180 – 200 grams, so start with 180 and if the dough is too dry add a bit more. Let me know how it goes.
I haven’t tasted the cookies yet but as far as baking them – they came out flat. I think that putting the dough in the fridge for about 1/2 to 1 hour would help this.
Hi Nora, also be sure to use a higher protein flour at least 12% or higher. Low protein causes cookie dough to bake flat.
What substitute can I use for the egg? My niece is vegan. Thanks
Hi Lola, apparently there are flax eggs that you can substitute with. I have never used them so I really have no idea how the cookies will taste.
Love to try this recipe. I have single serve applesauce to use up. Would like to add oatmeal as another reviewer did, just wondering how much to add and do you use less flour when using oatmeal. Also recipe says to add cornstarch when using regular flour but some comments did not use, so does it make a difference in cookie spreading too much.
Hi Heather, I have never replaced the flour with oatmeal, but it seems you may have to grind the oatmeal until you reach a flour constituency. Maybe try with replacing half a cup to start (one for one). Cornstarch helps to make a the crumb softer. A low protein flour will make the cookie spread. Hope that helps.
Big fan of yours tried this one with oatmeal 😋.. Thank you they turned out just yummmm.. sadly I am unable to upload the pic here
Thanks Bosky, glad you enjoyed it.