It is time for another great apple recipe! This one is not only a great sweet treat for the grownups, it is also kid approved! I happen to have some pretty hard to please young palates in my home, so it is a big deal when a recipe gets their stamp of approval. These Harvest Apple cookies combine fall flavors and textures for a party in your mouth! The cookie is pillowy soft, with bits of cinnamon, apple and walnuts throughout. They are perfect for dessert or even a special after school treat. Let’s get cooking!

As I previously mentioned, I have some pretty picky eaters in my house. Sometimes I make a recipe and am sure they will love it, only to have it completely rejected. I’ll be honest, I was sure that this one (while delicious to me) would be a no go for them. They are usually not fans of anything crunchy or chunky in their cookies. But to my surprise, they gobbled them up and asked for more! If you have picky eaters in your house too, then give these cookies a try!

Apples

You cannot make a Harvest Apple Cookie without apples. That would be like making pumpkin cookies without pumpkin! There is really no limit to what kind of apple you can use here. Some recipes call for apples that hold their texture (firmer apples) when baking, but in this recipe it really comes down to what you like. We tend to buy red delicious, but I happened to have some gala apples on hand (my personal favorite) so that is what I used. Before getting started with your batter, wash and peel your apple. The apple then needs to be roughly chopped. I try to keep add-ins all about the same size, so keep them around the same size as the walnuts/cinnamon chips. This way they will be evenly distributed and be able to soften enough in the short baking time. If you have a really picky eater, you could opt to shred the apple.

Harvest Apple Add-Ins

The apples are the star in this recipe, but they need the support of some other yummy ingredients to really shine. Cinnamon and apples are a perfect pairing in my opinion. Cinnamon is almost always in apple pie and commonly used in applesauce. The two flavors were made for each other! I happen to love cinnamon baking chips, so I thought that they would be a perfect addition to this recipe. You could certainly stop here with just apples and cinnamon chips, but why not take it the extra mile? Walnuts add a crunch to these cookies and help to balance out the sweetness. They are also good for you so it’s a win-win! In terms of other ingredients, they are pretty straightforward from here, with the exception of applesauce. The applesauce gives the cookie more apple flavor, while also contributing to its more cake-like texture.

Making Harvest Apple Cookies

Normally when I make cookies, my stand mixer is usually my go to. But the dough for these cookies is so soft and easy to work with that a hand mixer is really effortless! You will start by creaming together your butter and sugars and then the egg. Don’t skip this step! Creaming your butter and sugars will add necessary air to ensure you get a fluffy cookie. From there, you simply add the remaining wet and dry ingredients. I like to stir the chips, walnuts and apples in with a spatula rather than mixing them to be sure that they don’t get broken up. Just give them a gentle stir so that every bite of cookie will have some of each flavor.

Time To Bake!

Once your batter is ready, it is time to get baking. Now, before we go on, let’s talk for a minute about the dough. Some recipes will call for popping the dough into the refrigerator before baking. I did not do this, and had no issues with the dough spreading too much. That being said, you do want to be sure that you are ready to bake them as soon as the dough is ready, because if it sits at room temperature for too long, you will have issues with spreading. I prevented this by putting the unused dough in the fridge while each batch was baking. You also need to be sure that you are not pulling your hot pan out and immediately putting the next batch on. I have certainly been guilty of this! While it may save you time, your cookie dough will immediately begin to spread when it hits the hot pan, resulting in a flatter cookie.

The smell of these Harvest Apple Cookies in the oven is amazing! It is the perfect fall aroma that will warm your whole house! Like all cookies and baking times, the actual time it takes from start to finish will depend on your oven. My oven tends to be pretty hot, so I always have to err on the lesser bake time (if not a little before) to be sure I don’t overbake. These cookies are soft, but should not be mushy. They should lightly brown around the edges and bottom. Once they have cooled for a few minutes outside of the oven, they should also be removed from the pan easily. If they fall apart or stick, then there is a good chance they are undercooked.

Harvest Apple Goodness

My kids were chomping at the bit to get to these cookies when they came out of the oven! I, being the good mom that I am, had to taste test them first of course. It’s all about quality control right? 😉 They are amazing when they are still slightly warm! They are equally as good the next day if they make it that long! One more important note when it comes to storing these cookies. You must allow the cookies to cool completely before putting them into a container. If you don’t, they will gather moisture and become very sticky. These cookies are unbelievably soft and not overly sweet. They really are a perfect fall treat for the whole family! Happy baking!

Looking for more great apple flavor? Check out my Caramel Apple Cupcakes! You can also find some great apple activities for the kids here!