These Apple Oatmeal Cookies are a deliciously chewy, healthy cookie loaded with flavor from fresh apples, rolled oats, and cinnamon!
Best Cinnamon Apple Cookies
Making homemade lighter versions of favorite treats is a great way to control what goes into recipes! These oatmeal cookies are made with simple, wholesome ingredients without sacrificing taste and can be eaten for breakfast with coffee, an afternoon snack or a classic dessert. No matter what, they disappear way too fast!!
These apple pie oatmeal cookies, like these pumpkin oatmeal cookies and our almond butter chocolate chip cookies are one that you can feel good about indulging in when your sweet tooth is calling! They also make a perfect fall cookie to make during apple picking season.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
The complete list of ingredients with amounts are listed in the full recipe card below.
- Old-fashioned oats – I like the larger size of rolled oats. But feel free to use quick oats if you’d like but the texture won’t be quite as hearty.
- All Purpose Flour – Spooned and leveled. Baking is a science and too much or too little flour can change the texture. Use a one-to-one gluten free flour instead if you’d like.
- Brown Sugar – use white sugar, agave, honey, or maple syrup or Stevia instead. Use this Stevia conversion calculator is so helpful.
- Applesauce – unsweetened all natural is best.
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda
- Butter – You can use coconut oil instead or a non-diary vegan butter, if you’d prefer. Melted slightly.
- Ground cinnamon – Substitute cinnamon with a pre-made apple pie spice for added nutmeg and allspice.
- Salt
- Apples – Finely diced. Honeycrisp apples are my favorite but McIntosh, Cortland, Fuji or even granny smith work nicely in baked cookies.
Variations to Try
1. Use one large egg in place of the applesauce or substitute with a "flax egg" which is a mixture of flax seed and water.
2. Add ½ cup of chopped nut like pecans or walnuts or raisins.
3. Drizzle with a simple icing by mixing a cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of whole milk or heavy cream and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
How to Make These Oatmeal Cookies
There is about 30 minute of chill time and only 15 minutes in the oven which helps give it the soft, chewy texture we want!
Step 1: In a medium skillet, melt one tablespoon of butter and add the diced apples. Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes until apples get a little soft.
Step 2: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Step 3: In a separate large bowl, beat together the remaining butter, applesauce, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the diced, cooked apples. Chill for 10-15 minutes.
Step 5: Drop the cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet using a cookie scoop, lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Gently press each cookie with the bottom of a glass or back of a spoon to flatten them.
Bake in a preheated 350° F oven until golden brown.
Step 6: Allow to cool on the sheet pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips
- Make sure you measure both the oatmeal and flour correctly according to the instructions. Anything outside of that could end in crumbly results. Using a kitchen scale is your best bet!
- Don’t skip the chill time! When you place chilled dough in the oven it takes longer for it to melt, which means that it warms up slowly keeping everything nice and thick. If you don’t chill, it will warm up too quickly and spread too much leaving you with larger thinner cookies that are crispier.
How To Store
Keep cookies in an airtight container to keep in the moisture for up to 3-4 days.
Freeze: Once completely cooled, transfer cookies to a plastic freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for a month.
Try these other cookie recipes too:
Raspberry Pecan Pinwheel Cookies
Apple Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- ¾ cup all purpose flour or gluten free one-to-one
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup brown sugar or white sugar, honey, maple syrup
- 1 medium apple peeled and finely diced
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, melt one tablespoon of the butter and add the diced apples. Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes until apples get a little soft.
- In a medium bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the remaining butter, applesauce, brown sugar and vanilla extract together.
- Add in the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring just until just blended.
- Fold in the diced cooked apple.
- Place in the refrigerator and chill for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or line with a silicone mat.
- Drop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown
- Cool on the pan for about 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
Judy Mark
Can you use the quick oatmeal instead of the old fashioned oats?
Sherri
You sure can! They just won’t have the extra texture from the bigger old fashioned oats. Enjoy!
jaafar awadallah
healthy sub for flour and sugar?
hayley
this recipe is AMAZING! i love to bake, but sometimes i’m not very good at it so i was a bit nervous to try this out – but i am SO glad i did! the cookies are absolutely DELICIOUS and the texture is the perfect mix of soft and crunchy! my parents really loved them!! i am totally bookmarking this recipe so i can make them again. thank you! <3
Sherri
I’m so happy to hear that!!
Sharon
I am making these now. Is it correct that there is no egg in the recipe? Maybe I missed it.
Sherri
That’s correct! No eggs 🙂
Cathy
Can you substitute something for the butter to reduce the saturated fat? Olive oil?
TJatx
Hello! I’m unsure if your still responding to this account, but how long can this dough be kept in the refrigerator? I’d like to make them over the course of two days. One batch one night and then another the second night. Thanks.
Sherri
You can definitely do that. I would let the dough sit out for about 15 minutes before baking the 2nd day before scooping out. Enjoy! They are such a favorite in our house!
Sandy
If you don’t have fresh apples can you make this and just increase the amount of applesauce added?
Sherri
I would just leave the apples out all together. I’m afraid if you add more applesauce they may be too soft and mushy.
Trudy Hinds
Hi. I have heard that you can make these with dehydrated Dried apples as well Since. they soften and cool a few min any way I want to try making these wih KROGER CHUNKY APPLE SAUCE and only put the chunks in not the strained part but use a 1/4 up of just the chunks. That is the very best apple sauce I have ever had I am so hooked on it I now enjoy chunky apple sauce daily .
Sherri
Thanks for that idea! I love Trader Joe’s dried apples 🙂
Justyna
These are amazing. Super easy to make and they are full of flavor. Definitely making again.
Ace Robst Jr.
Hi, Fantastic cookie! But I have a question. Can I mail these cookies to my children and grandchildren who live about 1500 miles away? Have you mailed them? Ace R.
Yvonne Moody
How about Stevia in place of the sugar, or of part of it?
Yvonne Moody
You don’t say if the apples need to be peeled.
Denise
It does say peeled in the instructions.
Tia
Can u freeze the dough for a day before baking? Tia
Ivory
Will be eating these this weekend! Look and seems amazingly yummy
Carrie @ Carrie's Home Cooking
Oh my goodness these looks tasty! Thanks for sharing with us on Whisk It Wednesday link party! Pinned and shared!
Miz Helen
We will love your Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday! Have a great week and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
April J Harris
Pinning! These look delicious and I love how wholesome they are! Thank you for sharing your Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies with us at the Hearth and Soul Link Party, Sherri.
Linda S
I love a good oatmeal cookie and there’s nothing better than apple pie this time of year – how amazing to wrap them up together in one treat! I’ll definitely be trying this one, with maple syrup as the sweetner.
Stopping by today from This Is How We Roll Link Party, where I’m your neighbor!