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Caramel Apple Cookies Recipe

Caramel Apple Cookies Recipe
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★★★★★

5.1 from 28 reviews

Delight in these homemade Caramel Apple Cookies, featuring soft spiced cookie dough infused with apple butter and cinnamon, topped with a luscious caramel icing and optional caramel drizzle. Perfectly balanced with dried apple chips and festive sprinkles, these cookies offer a unique autumn-inspired treat that’s chewy, sweet, and full of comforting fall flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookies

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar, dark or light
  • ¼ cup spiced apple butter
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

Caramel Icing

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed, dark or light
  • 1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Decorating (optional)

  • 22 soft caramel candies
  • ½ cup dried apple chips, broken into small pieces
  • 1–2 tablespoons sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Prepare Cookie Dough: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the unsalted butter with granulated and brown sugars until smooth. Add apple butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, and flour, mixing until just combined to form the dough.
  2. Chill Dough: Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm enough to scoop.
  3. Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup and even baking.
  4. Scoop and Shape Cookies: Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons), portion out dough balls and place them at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten the dough balls into ½-inch thick discs with your fingers or the back of a spoon.
  5. Bake Cookies: Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will not brown significantly but will deepen slightly in color when done. Avoid overbaking to keep them soft and moist.
  6. Cool Cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
  7. Make Caramel Icing: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, heavy cream, and brown sugar. Stir constantly until the mixture boils, then remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
  8. Adjust Icing Consistency: Allow the caramel mixture to cool to room temperature, then gradually add remaining confectioners’ sugar one tablespoon at a time until the frosting is spreadable.
  9. Frost Cookies: Use a knife or spatula to spread caramel icing over the cooled cookies evenly.
  10. Decorate Cookies: If desired, add sprinkles immediately over the wet icing. For a caramel drizzle, melt soft caramel candies in a microwave or double boiler, adding 1-2 teaspoons of cream if needed to thin. Drizzle melted caramel over frosted cookies and quickly sprinkle with broken apple chips.
  11. Set and Store: Allow the icing and caramel drizzle to dry completely before storing. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container with wax paper between layers for up to 7 days.

Notes

  • You can use either store-bought or homemade apple butter. Note that store-bought apple butter often contains spices and added sugar; if you use homemade apple butter without spices, add apple pie spice to taste.
  • Do not overbake the cookies; they should only deepen slightly in color after 10 minutes to avoid dryness.
  • When shipping cookies in care packages, it’s best to skip the caramel drizzle to prevent mess. Use frosting alone or frosting with sprinkles.
  • For a salted caramel twist, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the caramel drizzle while it’s still wet.
  • Dried apple chips on top will soften within a day but remain delicious.
  • To store frosted cookies without caramel drizzle, double wrap pairs with bottoms together in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container or freezer-grade bag.
  • For cookies with caramel drizzle, stack 2-4 with wax paper between them, wrap in plastic wrap, and store in an airtight container or freezer-grade bag.

Nutrition

Keywords: Caramel Apple Cookies, apple butter cookies, caramel icing, fall cookies, spiced cookies, apple chip cookies, caramel drizzle

Find it online: https://ellaeatsdaily.com/caramel-apple-cookies-recipe/