These chewy Vegan Apple Pie Cookies are filled with warming spices and a homemade apple pie filling for a truly decadent Fall cookie. If you're searching for the perfect eggless & dairy-free apple cookie, then you have to try this recipe!
Can we all just agree that apple season is one of the best parts of Fall?! Not only is apple picking one of the coziest activities, but then you get to go home and bake with all the fresh apples you picked!
Since you loved my Apple Pie Bars and Apple Streusel Muffins, this year I decided to create a cookie version of everyone's favorite pie flavor!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Apples: I used large Honeycrisp apples for this recipe and highly recommend sticking with a sweet and crisp apple. This way, the apple chunks hold their shape and stay a little tart.
- Other firm apple varieties that work well include Pink Lady, Cortland, and Braeburn varieties.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Works best for this recipe as it's a mix of many spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. However, you can substitute it for a mix of cinnamon and nutmeg for a similar flavor.
How to make vegan apple spice cookies
Make the apple pie filling
First, peel the Honeycrisp apple and cut it into very small chunks. This step is key to getting the right texture for these apple pie cookies.
Then, add the chopped apple, lemon juice, brown sugar, vegan butter, and pumpkin pie spice to a saucepan. Stir and cook together until the butter melts and the mixture starts bubbling.
Then, add in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking the apple filling until it thickens and turns glossy. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool while you make the apple spice cookie dough.
Make the spiced cookie dough
First, cream together the vegan butter and sugar until fluffy. Then, mix in the flax egg and vanilla.
Next, add the dry ingredients and mix everything into a thick dough. Cover and place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour to chill. This step is crucial so don't skip it!
Assemble the apple cookies
Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, roll it into 10 balls, and then roll each cookie dough ball in sugar.
Add the cookies to a parchment-lined baking tray. Use your thumb to press into the center of each cookie and use your fingers to make a larger indent in the center of each cookie dough ball.
Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of apple pie filling into each cookie. Then, add to the oven to bake!
Remove the tray of apple cookies from the oven and let them cool slightly. They will initially be pretty soft but will firm up as they cool.
Once cooled, enjoy these decadent & chewy vegan apple cinnamon cookies!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make apple cookies gluten-free?
Yes! Just make sure to substitute the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob's Red Mill GF flour. Other flour alternatives like coconut flour or almond flour will NOT work in this recipe.
Can I make apple cookies refined sugar-free?
You can certainly try, but the cookies will likely spread less and be less sweet. This is because brown sugar and cane sugar have more moisture than many sugar alternatives like coconut sugar or maple sugar.
How do I store leftover cookies?
Cookies can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 48 hours or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
I highly recommend storing the apple pie cookies between layers of parchment paper as they are relatively sticky and will stick together when stored on top of each other.
I can't wait for you to try these soft & chewy Vegan Apple Pie Cookies! With a spiced cookie base and apple pie filling, they are truly the perfect vegan apple dessert. Enjoy- and don't forget to check out my Vegan Pecan Pie Cookies next!
-TSG
More vegan apple desserts you will love:
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Vegan Apple Pie Cookies
Ingredients
Apple Pie Filling
- ¼ cup water
- ½ Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 large honeycrisp apple peeled and cut into small chunks
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Spice Cookies
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup+ 2 Tablespoons sugar ( ½ cup for dough, 2 tablespoon for rolling before baking)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 flax egg 1 Tablespoon (8 grams) ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups+ 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the apple pie filling
- First, make the cornstarch slurry by mixing together the cold water and cornstarch until a cloudy paste forms. Set aside.
- Peel and finely chop your apple into small cubes. Then, add the apple to a saucepan with the brown sugar, vegan butter, lemon juice, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix together and cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture starts bubbling.
- Once bubbling, add in the cornstarch slurry and mix together. The apple pie filling will start off thin and cloudy. Continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes until it thickens and becomes glossy. Then, set aside to cool while you make the cookie dough.
Make the spiced cookie dough
- To make the dough, add the room temperature vegan butter, ½ cup of white sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Then, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Next, add the flax egg and vanilla bean paste to the bowl and mix together for about 30 seconds.
- Add in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Make sure to add the flour first and then add the other ingredients on top. Mix everything together until a thick cookie dough forms.
- Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and add the bowl to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes- 1 hour. The dough can also be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
Assembling & baking the cookies
- About 10 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and use a cookie scoop to scoop out 10 evenly sized cookies. Roll each cookie dough ball between your palms to form a round ball. Then, roll each ball in a bowl with the 2 tablespoon of sugar that was set aside so that each dough ball is coated in sugar.
- Place the spiced cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet. Then, slightly press each dough ball down with your palm.
- Use your thumb to make an indent in the center of each cookie and then use your fingers to spread the dough out and make the indent larger. Then, spoon about 1 Tablespoon of the cooled apple pie filling into the center of each cookie.
- Once filled, make sure the cookies are at least 2 inches apart on the baking tray as they will spread while baking. Then, add to the tray to the oven and bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes until the edges are crisp and the centers are set but still gooey.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, move the cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Once cooled, enjoy these apple pie cookies!
Notes
- If you want fluffier cookies, don't make as large of an indent in the cookies. The bigger the indent the more they will spread.
- If making smaller cookies (about 15) reduce the baking time to 12-14 minutes.
- Cookies can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 48 hours or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- I highly recommend storing the cookies between layers of parchment paper as they are relatively sticky and will stick together when stored on top of each other.
veronica says
These cookies are my new favorite dessert!!! 😍🍎🤍✨ I made a batch for the first time for a movie night, and they were an absolute hit! I love apple pie so much, and these really hit the spot without all of the work of baking an actual pie (especially the crust 😅). They’re perfectly sweet and chewy, thank you for this recipe! 🤗
Megan says
You're so welcome glad you enjoyed them!
Frankie says
These cookies are delicious! I added a little extra pumpkin pie spice and next time I make them I'm going to reduce the liquid/add a little more cornstarch to the apple filling as it was a little too saucy.
Megan says
So glad you liked them!
Haley says
Can I use real egg in this recipe in replace of flax egg?
Megan says
I haven't personally tried it, but I believe others have and said it works!