If you love snickerdoodles and you love fall, these apple butter cookies bring the best of both into one soft, chewy bite. Real apple butter and warm apple pie spice give the classic cinnamon-sugar cookie a cozy autumn twist. They’re the cookie everyone reaches for first on a holiday cookie tray.
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These snickerdoodles start with everything you love about the original: a buttery, slightly tangy dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked until the tops crackle. Then I add a half cup of my slow cooker apple butter and a little homemade apple pie spice for deep apple flavor in every bite. The apple butter also keeps the cookies extra soft and moist. If you don’t have homemade, store-bought apple butter works just as well.
As a dietitian, I like to make small, simple upgrades to classic treats without changing what makes them great. These cookies use whole wheat pastry flour, which is finely milled and bakes up tender, so you’d never guess it’s whole grain. It adds 2 grams of fiber per cookie. They’re still a cookie, and they’re meant to be enjoyed.
If you’re in the mood for more fall apple baking, I have a few other favorites to try next. My chewy apple cider cookies are packed with tangy apple cider flavor. For a cozy weekend breakfast, these baked apple cider donuts taste just like the ones from the orchard. Both pair perfectly with a warm cup of coffee or tea.
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What Do Apple Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies Taste Like?
These cookies taste like a classic snickerdoodle with a warm apple pie twist. The cream of tartar gives them that signature subtle tang and chewy center.
Apple butter and apple pie spice add a mellow, caramelized apple flavor without being overpowering. The cinnamon-sugar coating bakes into a crackly, sparkly top that adds just the right amount of crunch.
Why You Will Love These Apple Butter Cookies
- Soft and chewy. Apple butter keeps them moist, and cream of tartar gives them that classic snickerdoodle chew.
- Real apple flavor. Apple butter and apple pie spice make these the perfect fall cookie.
- Made with whole wheat pastry flour. Each cookie has 2 grams of fiber, and the texture stays tender.
- Makes 18 cookies. That’s plenty for sharing, cookie exchanges, or a Thanksgiving dessert table.
- Budget-friendly. The whole batch costs about $4.41, or $0.25 per cookie.
Ingredients
- Granulated and brown sugar: Using both gives the cookies sweetness, crisp edges, and a soft, chewy center.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure it’s at room temperature so it creams smoothly with the sugar.
- Apple butter: Homemade or store-bought both work. It adds apple flavor and moisture.
- Egg and vanilla extract: These bind the dough and round out the flavor.
- Whole wheat pastry flour: It’s made from soft white wheat and finely milled, so it keeps the cookies tender while adding fiber.
- Apple pie spice: Just a little warm spice flavor.
- Baking soda and cream of tartar: Together, they give snickerdoodles their lift, tang, and chewy texture.
- Salt: It balances the sweetness.
- Granulated sugar and cinnamon: The classic snickerdoodle coating that bakes into a crackly top.
Substitutions
- Use all-purpose flour: Swap in the same amount of all-purpose flour for the whole wheat pastry flour. The cookies will have a little less fiber.
- Use store-bought apple butter: Any jar of apple butter works great in place of homemade.
- Use coconut sugar: Coconut sugar works in place of the brown sugar.
- Make them dairy-free: Use coconut oil or vegan butter instead of the butter.
How to Make Apple Butter Snickerdoodles
- Step 1: Cream the butter and sugars. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and softened butter for 2–3 minutes, until smooth.
- Step 2: Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the apple butter, egg, and vanilla until everything is fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Step 3: Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the flour, apple pie spice, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together into one ball.
- Step 4: Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Step 5: Prep the oven and coating. While the dough chills, heat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
- Step 6: Shape and roll. Scoop the dough into 24 even balls, about 3 tablespoons each, and roll each one in the cinnamon sugar until coated.
- Step 7: Bake. Arrange the dough balls on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the tops are crackly and lightly browned.
- Step 8: Cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Succes Tips
- Use room-temperature butter. Soft butter creams smoothly with the sugar, which gives the cookies a better texture.
- Don’t skip the chill. Chilling firms up the dough so the cookies hold their shape and don’t spread too much.
- Scoop evenly. A 3 tbsp cookie scoop keeps the cookies the same size so they bake evenly.
- Don’t overbake. Pull them out when the tops are crackly and the edges are lightly golden. They’ll keep setting as they cool.
- Measure flour carefully. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off so the cookies don’t turn out dry.
How to Store Apple Butter Snickerdoodles
Once the cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The apple butter helps them stay soft, so they’re just as good on day two.
Are These Cookies Healthy?
Each cookie has about 215 calories, 36 grams of carbs, 3 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, and 111 milligrams of sodium. The nutrition info was calculated using my homemade slow cooker apple butter and includes the cinnamon-sugar coating.
The fiber comes mostly from the whole wheat pastry flour, with a little from the apple butter. These are a dessert, so they’re sweet, but each cookie is a reasonable size at about 3 tablespoons of dough.
Total nutritional content per cookie is:
- Calories: 215 calories
- Carbohydrates: 36 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
- Total Fat: 7 grams
- Sodium: 111 mg
- Fiber: 2 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Pricing Info
This is what I personally paid to make this recipe:
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar: $0.20
- ½ cup brown sugar: $0.31
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter: $1.23
- ½ cup apple butter: $1.30
- 1 large egg: $0.45
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract: $0.06
- 2 ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour: $0.73
- ½ tsp apple pie spice: $0.04
- ½ tsp baking soda: $0.01
- ½ tsp cream of tartar: $0.02
- ½ tsp salt: $0.01
- 1 tsp cinnamon: $0.05
A single cookie from a bakery or coffee shop can easily cost $3–$4. This recipe makes 24 apple butter cookies for about $4.41, or $0.25 per cookie. That’s a full batch for about the price of one or two bakery cookies. They also make an easy, budget-friendly option for cookie exchanges and holiday gifts.
FAQs
Apple butter and jam are more similar than different, since both are fruit spreads sweetened with sugar. The biggest differences come down to the recipe or brand, so it’s worth comparing labels for sugar and fiber. Homemade apple butter made with the skins on, like mine, does provide some fiber.
Applesauce is sometimes used to replace part of the butter in baking, but it makes cookies softer and more cake-like. In this recipe, the apple butter is added alongside the butter for flavor, not in place of it. For that classic chewy snickerdoodle texture, keep the butter as written.
Cream of tartar is what makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle. It gives the cookies their signature tangy flavor and chewy texture, and it works with the baking soda to help them rise. Without it, they’ll taste more like a cinnamon sugar cookie.
Yes! Store-bought apple butter works great in these cookies. Just use the same ½ cup the recipe calls for.
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Tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comments below! I would really appreciate your feedback!
Recipe
Apple Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup apple butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ tsp apple pie spice
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp salt
Cinnamon Sugar:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Add the white sugar, brown sugar, and room temperature butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream the mixture for 2-3 minutes, until smooth.
- Add the apple butter, egg, and vanilla and beat again until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough is combined and becomes one ball of dough.
- Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir together the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Divide the cookie dough into 18 equal balls (about 3 tbsp dough each), and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer with at least 1 inch of space between each one, and bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, or until crackly on top and slightly browned.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Video
Nutrition
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xoxo Megan
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