Apple Oatmeal Cookies
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These soft and chewy apple oatmeal cookies have a hint of cinnamon and taste like fall. The best thing about these cookies is that they are ready in less than 20 minutes!
These apple studded oatmeal cookies are absolutely delicious. They taste like apple crisp in cookie form, and are a great way to use up your apple picking bounty.
I love to go apple picking. The farm stand, the smell of the cider donuts, the kids going crazy for the hayride, it’s all just so much fun. I love picking fresh, crisp apples and coming home with a couple bags full.
Everyone has their favorite cookies. Some live for chocolate chip, others can’t pass up a peanut butter cookie for anything, and others, like my grandma, love gingersnaps.
I’m an oatmeal cookie kind of girl myself. I like oatmeal chocolate chip, am obsessed with these oatmeal scotchies, and have never met an oatmeal raisin cookie I didn’t like.
So when I was thinking about all the different recipes I could make with all my apple picking apples, I came up with this idea.
These cookies are just like other oatmeal cookies I have made before, but instead of chips, I’ve used apples instead.
Sweet and flavorful, with heartiness from the oats, sweetness from the apples and oh so chewy… you won’t be able to resist them.
The secret to making these cookies so soft and chewy is a combination of things.
For starters, the recipe calls for brown sugar, which makes everything just a little bit softer when used as an ingredient.
There is a bit of shortening in this recipe too. It’s not an ingredient I bake with often as in my opinion, butter usually does the trick. But when it works, it works.
There is one extra little secret trick in this recipe. I’ve mentioned this before, but adding a bit of corn syrup, just a teaspoon or so, to the dough to not only make them soft, but keep them that way.
Try these oatmeal apple cookies and let me know what you think!
Recipe Snapshot
- TASTE: Like apple crisp in a cookie
- TEXTURE: Soft and chewy
- EASE: Beginner friendly!
- TIME: Under half an hour
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Butter – Unsalted, softened to room temperature
- Vegetable shortening – Good old Crisco. Make sure this is softened to room temperature. It keeps the cookies incredibly soft.
- Sugar – Light brown sugar to keep the cookies soft and white sugar for extra sweetness.
- Eggs – These should be at room temperature
- Light corn syrup – Just a tiny bit keeps the cookies incredibly soft.
- Vanilla extract – Make homemade vanilla or use the best natural extract you can find.
- Flour – All-purpose flour.
- Baking soda – The leavening in this recipe.
- Cinnamon – For its cozy flavor.
- Salt – Kosher salt, for flavor and to activate the baking soda
- Oats – Quick-cooking oats, not instant.
- Apple – Chopped apples from a variety like macintosh which holds up well to cooking.
Recommended Tools
- Baking sheet
- Mixing Bowls
- Parchment Paper
- Ice Cream Scoop
How to Make Apple Oatmeal Cookies
These apple oatmeal cookies use a pretty standard cookie process – mix the wet ingredients, mix the dry ingredients, bring them together, add the apples and bake. Not only do these taste delicious, but your home will smell amazing too.
To start, preheat your oven to 375°F and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
- Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the butter and shortening with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer until well blended. Then add the sugars. Once the mixture is nice and fluffy, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well. Finally, add in the corn syrup and vanilla.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir with a whisk.
- Mix together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat on low speed just until combined. With a silicone spatula, gently stir in the old-fashioned oats and apple pieces.
- Bake. Roll the dough out into 1 tablespoon-sized balls. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Handy tip:
Using a small ice cream scoop to portion out the dough before rolling it will ensure that the cookies are all of the same size. If your hands get sticky from rolling the dough, run them under cold water before handling the dough. Don’t ask me why it works, I don’t really know, but it does.
Tips For Success
- Shortening: I have found that it does wonders for the texture of a cookie. Shortening will make the cookies impeccably soft.
- Corn syrup: I recently began adding corn syrup to my cookie dough. It’s a little tip that I picked up from Better Homes and Gardens. One tablespoon is all you need. It will leave your cookies soft for days after they are made. It’s wonderful; don’t leave it out.
- Apple: I used Granny Smith apples. You can use any apple you choose for this recipe.
Storage & Freezing
- Keep the cooled cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread or tortilla – this will keep the cookies fresh and chewy. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Shape the dough into balls and freeze individually on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container. Frozen cookie dough balls can be baked straight from the freezer, with no need to thaw. Add a minute or two to the baking time.
Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (113 g) vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 1 cup (210 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (227 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (267 g) quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup (120 g) finely chopped apple
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and shortening with an electric mixer until well blended.
- Add the sugars, beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition. Beat in the corn syrup and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir with a whisk.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat on low speed just until combined. With a silicone spatula, gently stir in the oats and apples.
- Roll the dough out into 1 tablespoon-sized balls. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared pan.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Shortening: I have found that it does wonders for the texture of a cookie. Shortening will make the cookies impeccably soft.
- Corn syrup: I recently began adding corn syrup to my cookie dough. It’s a little tip that I picked up from Better Homes and Gardens. One tablespoon is all you need. It will leave your cookies soft for days after they are made. It’s wonderful; don’t leave it out.
- Apple: I used Granny Smith apples. You can use any apple you choose for this recipe.
- Keep the cooled cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread or tortilla. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Shape the dough into balls and freeze individually on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container. Frozen cookie dough balls can be baked straight from the freezer, with no need to thaw. Add a minute or two to the baking time.