Applesauce oatmeal cookies are soft, fluffy and cake like cookies made with sweet and tangy applesauce and cozy oatmeal. These applesauce cookies are easy to make and are a lovely fall cookie.
Why Should You Make This Recipe
There are few things I love more than a soft and cozy cookie. My Apple Butter Cookies, Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies, Honey Cookies, Iced Oatmeal Cookies, Chewy Molasses Cookies and Apple Cider Cookies are just a few cookie recipes I love from the blog. I know you’ll love these apple butter cookies because:
- They are quick and easy to make. All you need to do is mix the ingredients, chill for about an hour, then scoop, bake and eat.
- The perfect cozy cookie. These oatmeal applesauce cookies are filled with sweet and tangy applesauce, a pinch of warm cinnamon and cozy oats.
Ingredients
This applesauce oatmeal cookie recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need.
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather butter, light brown sugar, applesauce, an egg and vanilla extract.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these soft and fluffy cookies with applesauce if you need them.
- All purpose flour: Make these soft and fluffy applesauce cookies, gluten free, by using a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Measure based on weight (240 g) rather than volume in cups.
- Old Fashioned Oats: Feel free to use any oats you like.
- Baking Soda: Make sure the baking soda is fresh and in date.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is a perfect match with the other ingredients. Feel free to omit or use another ground spice such as ginger you like.
- Unsalted Butter: Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter.
- Light Brown Sugar: Maple sugar would also work well to make these cookies refined sugar free.
- Applesauce: Use store bought or homemade. Unsweetened is preferred to sweetened when possible.
- Egg Yolk: This recipe has not been tested without an egg yolk.
- Vanilla Extract: This is more for background flavor and nicely enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
Variations
- Spiced Vanilla Glaze: Whisk 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar with 2 - 3 tablespoons milk, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Top the cookies once they have cooled.
- Maple Glaze: Whisk 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 2 - 3 tablespoons milk. Top the cookies once they have cooled.
How To Make
Learn how to make applesauce cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the cubes of butter and light brown sugar on medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes or until the butter and sugar are well combined. On low, cream in the egg, applesauce and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Scoop the cookie dough into tablespoon sized cookie balls, cover the cookie dough and transfer to the fridge to chill for 1 - 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the applesauce oatmeal cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 12 - 14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed. Cool the fluffy applesauce cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions up to mixing the dry ingredients into the wet and decide which storage method meets your needs.
- Store: Place the baked applesauce cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days. To store unbaked cookie dough in the fridge, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store in an air tight container for 1 - 2 days.
- Freeze Cookie Dough: Prepare the apple oatmeal cookies through the resting/chilling step. Chill the dough for 1 hour, then scoop the dough into balls onto small lined baking sheet or large plate. Freeze the balls for 20 minutes then transfer them to a freezer proof container for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookie dough balls in the fridge overnight and proceed with the cookie recipe as written starting with the baking step.
- Freeze Baked Cookies: Place each of the baked cookies in a freezer proof container in a single line with parchment paper between each layer. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw the cookies by setting them out at room temperature for a few hours or until thawed. I recommend leaving the cookies plain if you plan on freezing them.
M’s Expert Tips
- Measure the flour properly. I highly recommend using a food scale to get perfectly measured ingredients every time.
- Chill the cookie dough. Chilling the cookie dough creates a softer and chewier cookie that has less chance of spreading too much.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Give your cookies a “cookie scoot.” Within the first minute of removing the cookies from the oven, use a large biscuit cutter (wider than the cookies) to help shape any cookies back into a more round shape. Place the cutter over the cookies so the edges of the cookie are inside the cookie/ biscuit cutter. In a circular motion, gently nudge the edges back into a round shape.
FAQs
What does applesauce do in cookies?
Applesauce acts as a binder in place of cookies, adds moisture for a soft, cake like texture and provides a subtle sweet and tangy apple flavor.
Can I make these cookies with applesauce and oats smaller or larger?
I find that a small cookie scoop, with about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough makes the perfect cookie for this applesauce cookie recipe. However, you can make a medium (2 tablespoon) cookie if you like. Bake this size cookie for about 14 minutes.
Do these applesauce oatmeal filled cookies need to be chilled?
Chilling the dough allows the flour to hydrate and prevent the cookies from spreading too much. This cookie recipe with applesauce needs some chilling time to get the best results.
Other Applesauce Recipes to Try
If you try this Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M
Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
Applesauce oatmeal cookies are soft, fluffy and cake like cookies made with sweet and tangy applesauce and cozy oatmeal. These applesauce cookies are easy to make and are a lovely fall cookie.
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 small cookie scoop (1 tbsp, 15 ml) optional
- 2 large baking sheets
- 2 sheets parchment paper
- 2 cooling racks
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour
- ¾ cup (68 g) old fashioned or rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (113 g) unsweetened applesauce
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl whisk the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Set aside for now.1¾ cup (210 g) all purpose flour, ¾ cup (68 g) old fashioned or rolled oats, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the cubes of butter and light brown sugar on medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes or until the butter and sugar are well combined. On low, cream in the egg, applesauce and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cubed, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , ½ cup (113 g) unsweetened applesauce
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Scoop the cookie dough into tablespoon sized cookie balls, cover the cookie dough and transfer to the fridge to chill for 1 - 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) for about 20-30 minutes before baking the cookies. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the applesauce oatmeal cookie dough balls onto the lined baking sheet about 3 inches (8 cm) apart.
- Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 12 - 14 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set and the centers are slightly puffed. Cool the fluffy applesauce cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Notes
Store: Place the baked applesauce cookies in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days. To store unbaked cookie dough in the fridge, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store in an air tight container for 1 - 2 days.
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