These Apple Cider Cookies are soft and moist cookies with deep apple cider flavor and have a sweet and simple apple cider glaze. They are made in just 30 minutes with one bowl and a whisk, and they’re sure to be your new fall gathering staple!
I LOVE fall flavors. That’s why I have an entire fall recipe section to show off all of my favorite desserts. Check it out for simple, quick, and seasonal recipes!
If you are as obsessed with the apple cider flavor as I am, check out these Apple Cider Cupcakes for a soft and moist cupcake or this Apple Cider Crumb Cake for the best breakfast or brunch treat. Looking for an impressive but super simple dessert? This Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake is one of my most popular recipes!
Why You’ll Love These
- soft and chewy texture
- no-mixer recipe made with simple ingredients
- deep, nutty fall flavor with apple cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg
- easy to make, decorate, and store
Apple Cider Cookie Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Together, these sugars create the best moisture, texture, and sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter: Melted unsalted butter adds flavor to every bite and makes it so that this recipe only requires a whisk!
- Egg: An egg at room temperature creates a chewy, soft cookie.
- Apple Cider: Apple cider, at room temperature, creates a cozy fall flavor in these cookies.
- All Purpose Flour: Plain flour needs to be measured properly by using a kitchen scale or by using a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cups.
- Baking Soda: This leavening agent helps these cookies rise to have a gorgeous dome!
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Both of these spices create a deep fall flavor in every bite.
- Salt: Sale brings out sweetness and enhances overall flavor.
Step by Step Process
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line metal baking sheets with parchment paper to ensure the cookies come off of the pan cleanly.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, whisk melted unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together until combined.
STEP 3: Add your room temperature egg and room temperature apple cider to the batter and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated.
STEP 4: Next, add your properly-measured flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into the dough. Use a whisk or spatula to combine the ingredients. Only mix until you see the flour pieces disappear into the batter.
STEP 5: Then, let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes at room temperature to allow it to firm up. This will prevent the cookies from spreading flat as they bake.
STEP 6: Roll the dough into 1-1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls and place them at least 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.
STEP 7: Bake the cookies for 7-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown, tops look light golden brown, and centers look just slightly soft
Apple Cider Glaze
STEP 1: In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and apple cider together with a spoon. Mix until smooth. The glaze should not look runny or liquid-like in any way. If it does, add additional powdered sugar by the tablespoon until the glaze is thick but easy to stir. If the glaze is too thick to stir, add additional apple cider by the teaspoon.
STEP 2: Use a spoon to dollop glaze into the center of a cookie before using the back of a spoon to spread the glaze on the cookie as desired. If desired, push a few chopped apple pieces into the center of the cookie before sprinkling cinnamon on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make moist cookies, measure flour properly rather than packing flour into your measuring cups, as doing so creates dry cookies. Overbaking can also lead to dry cookies, so only bake the cookies until the centers look slightly soft and the edges are just starting to turn golden brown.
Apple juice is more processed, as it is filtered and sweetened. It’s usually lighter or clearer in color and has a smooth texture. Apple cider, on the other hand, is darker in color, has a cloudier look, and contains a pulp.
Though apple juice and apple cider are both made with apples and sport the flavor, they are different and will yield different results. I wouldn’t recommend substituting if you can avoid it, but you can use an unsweetened apple juice if necessary!
Store these cookies in an airtight container, tightly covered, or individually wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. The cookies freeze best unfrosted, but they can be stored after being decorated too.
Expert Tips
Measuring Flour: These cookies are soft and chewy when your flour is measured properly. To do so, use a kitchen scale to measure 385g exactly or use a spoon to transfer flour from your container to your measuring cups taking a knife to sweep across the top to level it.
Rest Time: Make sure to let the dough sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before rolling it into balls. This allows the dough to firm up and prevents the cookies from spreading.
Garnish: Immediately after you top the cookies with glaze, push a few pieces of chopped apples into the glaze and sprinkle cinnamon over the top for a bakery-style look.
Related Recipes
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Apple Cider Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 26 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies, Apple Cider, Fall
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Apple Cider Cookies are soft and moist cookies with deep apple cider flavor and are topped with a sweet and simple apple cider glaze. They are made in just 30 minutes with one bowl and a whisk, and they’re sure to be your new fall gathering staple!
Ingredients
For the Apple Cider Cookies
- 2/3 cup (147g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (105g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg (50g), room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) fresh apple cider
- 2 3/4 cups (385g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Apple Cider Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons apple cider
- optional: 1/3 cup chopped apple pieces and cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
For the Apple Cider Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper to ensure the cookies come off of the pan cleanly.
- In a large bowl, whisk melted unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar together until combined.
- Add your room temperature egg and room temperature apple cider to the batter and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Pour flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into the dough. Use a whisk or spatula to combine the ingredients. Only mix until you see the flour pieces disappear into the batter. Mixing past this point can lead to dense cookies.
- Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes at room temperature to allow it to firm up. This will prevent the cookies from spreading flat as they bake.
- Roll the dough into 1-1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls and place them at least 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. The cookies will spread as they bake, so make sure the dough balls have enough space in between them when baking.
- Bake the cookies for 7-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown, tops look light golden brown, and centers look just slightly soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or plate to finish cooling. Cookies should be fully cooled before decorating.
For the Apple Cider Glaze
- In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and apple cider together with a spoon. Mix until smooth. The glaze should not look runny or liquid-like in any way. If it does, add additional powdered sugar by the tablespoon until the glaze is thick but easy to stir. If the glaze is too thick to stir, add additional apple cider by the teaspoon.
- Use a spoon to dollop glaze into the center of a cookie before using the back of a spoon to spread the glaze on the cookie as desired.
- If desired, push a few chopped apple pieces into the center of the cookie before sprinkling cinnamon on top. Repeat the process with the remaining cookies.
- Once the glaze has fully set, store the cookies in an airtight container, tightly covered, or individually wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Notes
Rest Time: Do not skip the 5-10 minute rest time after you have mixed the batter together. This time allows the dough to firm up and will prevent the cookies from spreading flat when baking.
Glaze Consistency: The glaze should be thick and almost difficult to stir. It should not look runny or watery at all, as this consistency will fall right off of the cookie when applied. If the glaze looks too thin, add powdered sugar by the tablespoon. If the the glaze looks too thick, add apple cider by the teaspoon.
Garnish: If you are topping the cookies with apple pieces and cinnamon, decorate the cookies one at a time since the glaze will begin to set.
Keywords: Apple Cider Cookies, Apple Cider Desserts, Fall Desserts
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