Apple Fritter Cookies

Apple fritter cookies are everything you love about a classic apple fritter - warm cinnamon apples, soft doughy centers, and a sweet glaze - but way easier to make at home. No frying, no mess, just a simple drop cookie that comes together in about 25 minutes. If you've love that apple fritter flavor without the deep fryer, you can also try my apple fritter pancakes or apple fritter skillet cake.

My boys are obsessed with apple fritters, but I am not about heating up a vat of oil on a weeknight. So I started playing around with a cookie version and honestly, my family could not tell me which one they liked better! That's a win in my book. The dough is simple to throw together, the cinnamon apple mixture folds right in, and that maple glaze on top ties everything together in the best way.

If you love baking with apples, my cinnamon apple pull apart bread is another one the whole family goes crazy for!

Ingredients for Apple Fritter Cookies

The ingredient list here is short and simple. A few notes on what matters most:

• Apple - You want about 1 cup of diced apple, peeled and cored. A crispy apple like granny smith or honeycrisp work the best here.
• Brown sugar - Packed light brown sugar is used both in the apple mixture and the cookie dough. It gives the cookies a richer, almost caramel flavor that you don't get with regular white sugar.
• Butter - Make sure your butter is at room temperature so it creams up nice and fluffy. Cold butter won't mix in the same way and your cookies won't turn out as soft.
• Spices - Cinnamon and nutmeg in the dough give these that warm apple fritter flavor. Don't skip the nutmeg!
• Maple syrup - Pure maple syrup is key for the glaze. The real stuff makes a huge difference here. It gives the glaze that warm, slightly woodsy sweetness that pairs perfectly with the apple and cinnamon.

How to Make Apple Fritter Cookies

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine the diced apple, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Stir together and set aside.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth and combined.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat on low until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
6. Fold in the apple mixture until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
7. Divide the dough into 8 large cookies and place on the prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are starting to brown but the centers are still soft.
9. While the cookies bake, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and salt for the glaze. It should be thick but still spoonable. Add a little more maple syrup if needed to thin it out.
10. Spoon the glaze over the hot cookies right away and enjoy!

Tips for the Best Apple Fritter Cookies

Don't overbake them. Pull the cookies when the edges look set and golden but the centers still look a little underdone. They'll firm up as they cool and that's what gives you that soft, chewy middle.

Glaze them while they're hot. This is important! The glaze soaks into the warm cookies and sets up in the best way. If you wait until they're cool, it just sits on top instead of melting in.

Dice the apples small. Aim for pieces about the size of a blueberry. Big chunks can make the dough too wet and cause uneven baking.

Room temperature butter really matters. If your butter is too cold, the dough won't cream properly and your cookies will be dense. If you forgot to pull it out ahead of time, cut it into small cubes and let it sit for 20 minutes.

My bakery style browned butter chocolate chip cookies use a similar soft cookie method if you want to get a feel for how this style of dough works!

Apple Fritter Cookie FAQs

Storage

• Room temperature - Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Place a piece of parchment between layers so the glaze doesn't stick.
• Fridge - These keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let them come to room temp before eating or give them 10 seconds in the microwave.
• Freezer - You can freeze the baked cookies without the glaze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp and add fresh glaze before serving.

What to Serve with Apple Fritter Cookies

If you tried this Apple Fritter Cookies or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Kayla Zenner

Apple Fritter Cookies

No ratings yet

Skip the fryer and make these apple fritter cookies instead! Soft, spiced, full of apple flavor, and finished with a sweet maple glaze.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8 cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 378

Ingredients Instructions Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

for the apples

• 1 cup diced apple peeled, cored
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

for the cookies

• ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

for the maple glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl combine the diced apple, brown sugar and cinnamon and stir together.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
4. Then add in the egg and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and combined.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt and beat on low until just combined and no streaks of flour remaing. Last, add the apple mixture and fold to combine.
6. Divide the dough into 8 large cookies on a baking sheet.
7. Bake until the cookies starting to brown around the edges, but soft in the middle, 12 to 15 minutes.
8. While the cookies are baking, make the glaze. In a small mixing bowl combine the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and salt. The glaze will be a little thick, but should still be spoonable. If it's not, add additional maple syrup thin it out.
9. Spoon the glaze over the hot cookies and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 4gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 261mgPotassium: 97mgFiber: 2gSugar: 41gVitamin A: 396IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 2mg

Notes

Tips for the Best Apple Fritter Cookies

Don't overbake them. Pull the cookies when the edges look set and golden but the centers still look a little underdone. They'll firm up as they cool and that's what gives you that soft, chewy middle.

Glaze them while they're hot. This is important! The glaze soaks into the warm cookies and sets up in the best way. If you wait until they're cool, it just sits on top instead of melting in.

Dice the apples small. Aim for pieces about the size of a blueberry. Big chunks can make the dough too wet and cause uneven baking.

Room temperature butter really matters. If your butter is too cold, the dough won't cream properly and your cookies will be dense. If you forgot to pull it out ahead of time, cut it into small cubes and let it sit for 20 minutes.

 

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!