Chewy Apple Cider Cookies

Get yourself in an autumnal state of mind by baking a batch of my delectably chewy Apple Cider Cookies.These yummy soft cookies are made with fewer than 10 ingredients, including whole wheat pastry flour for a sneaky boost of fiber—perfect for back to school lunches.

I know it’s still summer, but I can’t wait for fall. I love the explosion of color, the cooling temps, the cozy clothes, and perhaps most importantly, the beginning of baking season. During the summer, I try to keep inside cooking to a minimum so I don’t compete with the AC. But once September rolls around, all bets are off.

I start the oven back up with a newfound enthusiasm only an extended summer break can bring. And then, it’s off to the races with warmly spiced goodness. Stuffed pumpkin pie cookies, sweetly spiced butternut squash bread, crumbly cinnamon oat coffee cake, and cinnamon roll donuts start spilling out of my kitchen like chocolates from that episode of I Love Lucy.  

This recipe for apple cider cookies was one I worked on tirelessly last year, until finding the perfect ratio of crisp edges and chewy centers, tart apple and cozy cinnamon, decadence and health. I couldn’t wait to share it with you, in case you’re also waiting impatiently for cooler days. Enjoy!

Jump to:

• What Are Apple Cider Cookies?
• What do they taste like?
• Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Cookies Recipe
• Ingredients Needed
• Substitutions
• How To Make Spiced Apple Cider Cookies
• Optional Variations & Dietary Adjustments
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe Success Tips
• FAQs
• Apple Cider Cookie Nutrition
• Pricing Info
• Other Dessert Recipes
• Recipe

What Are Apple Cider Cookies?

These spectacularly sparkly golden brown goodies are similar to molasses spice cookies—soft, chewy cookies filled with cinnamon goodness. The main difference is rather than using molasses, we reduce apple cider until it becomes concentrated and syrupy. So, instead of a treacle-y, slightly bitter flavor from dark molasses, the apple cider flavor is delightfully fruit-forward and slightly tart.

What do they taste like?

These apple spice cookies taste like a crisp fall day in an apple orchard. They have the warmth of cinnamon, nuttiness of whole wheat flour, bright n’ tangy apple flavor from the cider, and plenty of buttery, caramelized brown sugar richness. They’re like a mashup of snickerdoodles, spice cookies, and juicy air fryer apple crisps—so good!

Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Cookies Recipe

• Wholesome & All-Natural – I’m all for a good store-bought shortcut, but so many packaged cookies are packed with too much sugar, chemical-sounding ingredients, preservatives, and low-quality fats. These easy apple cider cookies have just 9 readily available ingredients and a dose of whole grain goodness—a refreshing departure from the norm.  
• Simple Steps – This recipe for apple cookies will take you about 45 minutes to finish, but most of that is hands off time (e.g. waiting for the cider to reduce and the cookies to bake). All in all, you’re looking at just 20 or so minutes of active kitchen time with zero fuss.
• Packed With Sugar, Spice, & Everything Nice – Cinnamon and apple is the ideal flavor profile to celebrate autumn’s arrival!

Ingredients Needed

As promised, you only need a handful of staple ingredients and some good apple cider to make the best spiced apple cider cookies around. Here’s what to grab:

• Apple Cider – This raw, unfiltered version of apple juice is very flavorful. I recommend opting for 100% pure apple cider for the best reduced apple cider/apple cider concentrate. 
• Brown Sugar – Using brown sugar gives these apple cookies a soft texture and a yummy caramel undertone. Feel free to use either light or dark brown sugar depending on what you have.
• Unsalted Butter – I typically use unsalted butter for most things, as it allows me greater control over the final product. If possible, reach for butter that is organic, grass-fed, cultured, and/or European-style for the richest flavor. 
• Large Egg – Eggs are typical binders in cookie recipes, helping hold the dough together. If you’re using liquid eggs from a carton, you’ll need a scant ¼ cup. 
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – This whole grain flour has a lower protein and gluten content than regular whole wheat flour, so it’s simultaneously more nutritious than all-purpose flour while maintaining a tender crumb. 
• Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon magically adds sweetness without extra sugar, plus a cozy warmth I adore. 
• Cream of Tartar – Also known as tartaric acid, this white powder helps lower the pH so the baking soda can work more effectively.
• Baking Soda – Not to be confused with baking powder, this leavener is responsible for giving our apple cider cookies lift. 
• Cinnamon Sugar Mix – Rolling the cookie dough in cinnamon sugar before baking gives these apple cookies a quasi-snickerdoodle vibe. While you can buy it at the store, it’s usually cheaper to make your own. I recommend using about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon per 2.5 tablespoons of white sugar. 

Substitutions

Have an allergy to one of the ingredients, or simply missing something and don’t want to go to the store? Here are some easy alternatives to try:

• Apple Cider – You can swap in regular apple juice or pear juice in a pinch. Otherwise, try your hand at making apple cider with your favorite apples; just leave out the sugar to keep it lighter. 
• Brown Sugar – If you’re out of brown sugar, you can make your own by adding 1-2 tablespoons of molasses to a cup of white sugar. (1 tablespoon is the equivalent of light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons will make dark.) You’re also welcome to use a less-processed style of brown sugar like jaggery, piloncillo, or muscovado. 
• Unsalted Butter – You can use salted if you like. Otherwise vegan butter is your best choice, followed by coconut oil. 
• Large Egg – I haven’t tried it, but I *think* this recipe should work with ¼ cup of unsweetened applesauce, soft silken tofu, flax eggs, or liquid vegan egg mix (e.g. JUST Eggs). 
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour – You can mix together ¾ cup whole wheat flour + ¾ cup all-purpose flour to make a close approximation. White whole wheat flour may also do the trick, though the protein content (and thus the gluten) will be higher. If you go this route, be extra careful not to overmix the dough.
• Cinnamon – Try using a spice blend like apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, chai spice, or any blend of warming spices like nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, or ginger. 
• Cream of Tartar – If you don’t have any, you can use twice as much lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Alternatively use more baking soda, using 1.5 times as much as you would cream of tartar PLUS the regular amount of baking soda called for in the recipe. 
• Baking Soda – Potassium carbonate and ammonium carbonate (baker’s ammonia) are both 1-to-1 substitutes for baking soda. Alternatively, use self-rising flour in place of whole wheat pastry flour. 
• Cinnamon Sugar Mix – Feel free to omit this, or swap in larger granules of sugar like turbinado (sugar in the raw) or sanding sugar with a light dusting of cinnamon or the warming spice of your choice. 

How To Make Spiced Apple Cider Cookies

This perfect fall cookie recipe comes together in a flash. Here’s how:

Step 1: Make Apple Cider Reduction. Pour the apple cider into a small saucepan and heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer until reduced to about 4-5 tablespoons (this will take about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool in the fridge.

Step 2: Prep. Preheat oven to 350° and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 

Step 3: Cream. Add the brown sugar and softened butter to a large bowl, and using a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until well combined (about 1-2 minutes).

Step 4: Wet Ingredients. Add the egg and 4 or 5 tablespoons of the apple cider (depending on how far you reduced it) and mix until well combined.

Step 5: Dry Ingredients. Add the flour, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and baking soda and mix until well combined.

Step 6: Shape & Bake. Scoop the cookie dough into 2-inch balls, then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet. Flatten each cookie ball slightly with your hand. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until starting to crackle on the tops.

Step 7: Cool & Serve! Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet or wire rack, then serve when they’re no longer too hot to handle. Enjoy!

Optional Variations & Dietary Adjustments

As much as I enjoy this apple spice cookie recipe just the way it is written, there are several ways to tweak it if needed:

• Gluten-Free – Swap in your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free wholemeal flour blend. If you are merely gluten-sensitive, you might be able to get away with einkorn flour instead. 
• Dairy-Free – Use your favorite plant-based butter or coconut oil, or in a pinch, try using shortening.
• Added Sugar-Free – Swap in your favorite cup-for-cup brown sugar alternative. Note that the apple cider reduction will have naturally occurring sugars, so this will not make your cookies completely sugar-free.
• Caramel Apple Cider Cookies – Try making your cookies half as big (they’ll bake faster that way), then sandwich two together using your favorite salted caramel spread or dulce de leche as the glue. 
• Apple Cider Cheesecake Cookies – This is another fun sandwich cookie idea. Again, make your cookies half as big (adjusting the bake time down as needed), then use cream cheese fruit dip as a whoopie pie filling. 
• Add-Ins – Dried apple pieces, cinnamon chips, or extra warming spices like ginger, nutmeg, or cardamom would all be great! Stick to no more 

Serving Suggestions

Ready to serve up these seasonal treats? I think they’re perfect with nothing more than a glass of milk for dunking, but you can certainly get more creative if you’d like. Here are a few ideas:

• Ice Cream Sandwiches – Smash a scoop of vanilla, cinnamon, or butter pecan ice cream between two of these apple cider cookies for an extra decadent treat. Take it a step further and roll the outsides in dried apple pieces for added tang and chew.
• Cookie Sundaes – Crumble up an apple spice cookie and scatter it over a bowl of your favorite fall-flavored ice cream. Add freshly whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce as an instagrammable garnish.
• Coffee or Tea Time  – Pep up your morning or afternoon with a 1-2 punch of cookie and caffeine. While these apple cookies play nicely with most tea and coffee drinks, I think they’re particularly well suited to pairing with iced apple crisp macchiatos and dirty chai lattes.
• Apple Cider Cookie Trifle – Layer crushed cookies, whipped cream, and sautéed apples in glasses for an elegant and easy dessert. Feel free to make extra apple cider reduction for drizzling on top. 
• Cheese Pairing – For a savory twist, pair the cookies with a cheese plate. I particularly like them with sharp cheddar for a cheesy apple pie vibe. 

Recipe Success Tips

• Creaming Step: Make sure you let the sugar and butter mix together for several minutes, until the mixture looks a shade lighter and with about 20% more voluminous than when you started. Why? This process acts as mechanical leavening, adding pockets of air in the cookie dough for a more tender crumb. 
• Reduction Tricks: I tested this recipe with both 4 tablespoons and 5 tablespoons of the apple cider mixture and both work great—just note that the higher amount of liquid will make them spread further. If you accidentally reduce the apple cider down too far, just add back enough water to make it 4-5 tablespoons. 
• Cookies on Demand: I like to double this recipe, then freeze half the cookie dough balls for later. Then, whenever I need a warm-from-the-oven cookie, I just bake off what I need!
• Use a Scoop & Oven Thermometer: In baking, precision is key. Using a spring-loaded cookie scoop will help ensure each apple cider cookie is the same size so they bake at the same rate. Also, ovens lie. Use a thermometer to ensure your oven is at the temperature it says it is.

FAQs

Apple Cider Cookie Nutrition

Each cookie is pretty moderate with 154 calories—perfect for a snack! You’ll also get a nice little fiber boost with 2 grams per serving, which is always a plus. They’ve also got 3 grams of protein each, so they’re at least somewhat virtuous. 

Fat content is low at 4 grams, making them quite reasonable. Plus, they only have 37 mg of sodium, which is pretty minimal. Carbs are on the higher side at 28 grams, but that’s expected with any cookie made with flour and sugar. Overall, these apple cider cookies are the ideal blend of indulgence and nutrients—my top choice for enjoying on a cozy autumn afternoon.

Total nutritional content per serving is:

• Calories: 154 calories
• Total Fat: 4 grams
• Protein: 3 grams
• Sodium: 37 mg
• Carbohydrates: 28 grams
• 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 cup apple cider: $0.25
• ¾ cup brown sugar: $0.39
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter: $0.37
• 1 large egg: $0.25
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour: $0.40
• 2 tsp cinnamon: $0.10
• ½ tsp cream of tartar: $0.02
• ¼ tsp baking soda: $0.01
• cinnamon sugar mix: $0.02

The total comes out to be around $1.81 or about $0.15 per cookie!

Other Dessert Recipes

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Recipe

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xoxo Megan