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.
Elena says
Wow! Thank you for this recipe. I made these tonight and they are delicious! I used a smaller cookie scoop and got 22 cookies which are still decently sized. I also use spelt flour which added a nice toasty flavour. I’ll be making these again- thank you!
Megan says
Spelt flour sounds delicious with these!
Avril Run says
can you replace the flaxseed egg mixture with just egg vegan egg replacer? my sister’s girlfriend is vegan and we have get togethers a couple times a month. flaxseeds are sooo expensive in my area but a huge bag of just egg is about $9 and i want to be able to keep making these for her since she loves them.
Megan says
Just egg really wouldn't work in these- if you can find an egg replacer for baking that may work or swap out ground flaxseed for chia seeds, but the just egg really is meant to be cooked like regular eggs.
Anyou says
Used Bob's Red Mill GF flour & the crabapples I had frozen - turned out GREAT! Thank you 😀 I haven't even taken them to the potluck yet, but I'm very pleased with how they look, thank you for the recipe 🙂
- I will say for sure, creaming the butter & sugar add to the structure & texture!
- made mini-ones as well, and they turned out great
- also maybe a helpful tip: of the two trays I baked simultaneously (read: me trying to be a hero), the 'walls' of the cookies on the upper rack held up much better than the tray below - which got hotter more quickly, and therefore those cookies spread more. (That might seem super obvious to someone else, but it was useful info for me! But even spread ones still look pretty cute, tbh)
Megan says
So glad you liked them! In the future I recommend only baking one tray of cookies at a time- otherwise it affects baking time for both trays.
Anyou says
I sure did, and they shared very well. Yes, I will make note of that the next time! Looking forward to trying some of the other cookies over the holidays 🙂 Pumpkin might be next...
Brittany says
Would substituting the vegan butter with butter flavored crisco work?? My cookies always seem to spread TOO much with vegan butter. (Or maybe I need to chill the dough longer)
Megan says
Vegan butter sold in the sticks is what works best with this recipe- anything in a tub likely has too much moisture and will cause the cookies to spread a bit more. You can always add 1-2 Tablespoons more flour and see if that helps next time.
Jaclyn says
I made these for my boyfriend who is mostly gluten free and vegan. I however am not either of those things, so honestly, I’m always very nervous about vegan recipes for baking. We don’t use vegan butter, and I’m not a fan of coconut oil overpowering other flavors, which can happen in some recipes.
All of that to say, I was really surprised at how good these were. I mean wow. If i didn’t know any better,I don’t think I would be able to tell these didn’t have butter. Note: I used gf flour, coconut oil, and ground chia as substitutes for other items and added some extra spices. They baked up nicely and freeze well. I’m excited to try the pecan pie version of these! Thank you for this cute little recipe.
Megan says
Glad you both enjoyed them and good to know coconut oil worked! If you don't eat vegan butter but aren't vegan regular butter should work as well 🙂
Jess says
Another masterpiece, Megan, thank you for sharing! I don’t care for nutmeg so I just used cinnamon, and it really let the flavor of the apples shine. Some of the filling got absorbed into the cookies and it made them chewy, caramelized and perfect. These will be a hit at Thanksgiving!
Megan says
So glad you liked them- definitely a perfect Thanksgiving cookie 🙂
Jess says
Hi Megan- I’m planning my thanksgiving menu and I’d like to double this recipe. Can I just double everything, including the baking powder? Or would you recommend a different ratio? Thanks!
Megan says
Yes you want to double all the ingredients. Just make sure to only bake one tray of cookies at a time- otherwise they won't properly!
Jessi Bustamante says
These cookies are so worth the extra time! I covered the dough poorly during the chilling time, so the dough was a little hard to work with when it came time to shape. I was grumbling the whole way and thinking I'm so not making these again. Nope, they're delicious and I'm excited to make them again. Thank you!
Megan says
So glad they turned out well and you loved them! 🙂
Emily says
These are incredible, and super easy to make! I’ll be baking a batch to share with the fam for the upcoming holidays, I can’t wait for them to taste these!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Megan says
You're so welcome!!
Megan says
Delicious recipe. My family loves it! I'm just curious...(amateur here) is there such a thing as a fat free cookie dough? Also, do you have suggestions to lower the calories of this (esp. substituting the butter)? Could low fat butter be used? I'm curious what would happen if apple sauce was used in lieu of butter (I saw many low cal cookie dough recipes use it as the main wet ingredient)?
Megan says
I'm definitely not an expert on fat-free or low-fat baker, so I really wouldn't know. Applesauce in place of butter would affect the texture of these cookies, though, and I wouldn't recommend it. You would honestly be better off finding a totally different low-fat cookie recipe than trying to adapt this one that way.
Amy says
What are some substitutes for vegan butter? Can vegetable oil, e.g., olive oil be used instead?
Megan says
I don't recommend a liquid oil as the cookies will likely spread too much. Vegan butter is super important to use because creaming it with sugar adds structure to the cookies- so I honestly don't recommend any other substitutes unless you are okay using a dairy butter.
Megan says
Thank you. This is crucial information! So glad you replied quickly.
Lana says
My grandson requested these for Thanksgiving, will they get too soft because of the apple filling if I make them the night before?
Megan says
I believe they should be fine! They will get a tiny bit softer, but if you store them in the fridge for a day should be fine to keep the crispy texture! I store them in the freezer and that works best but it does require some defrosting time at room temperature.
Claire says
Holy moly!! These are so delicious, thank you for creating them! I made a double batch for a work party and they were gone immediately. My boyfriend “sampled” three right after they were cool enough to eat lol I ended up making mini ones, so I diced the apples pretty small (1-2 cm cubes) and I used 3 small-med Granny Smith apples. Perfect amount of filling for 30 cookies. I will be making these again. Cheers!
Megan says
Love to hear that!! I always have to sample one right away too 🙂
Marisa says
Recipe seemed okay, the dough spread out much more than anticipated. It was chilled for 40 mins but I think it should be chilled for at least an hr, no less. Will def try again and wait for a solid dough instead of soft chilled
Megan says
Sorry to hear they didn't turn out for you- These cookies are definitely meant to spread, but a lot of times the dough can spread too much if you don't add enough flour, if your baking powder isn't active, or if you're using vegan butter from a tub vs. sticks as they contain more water.Definitely all worth looking into next time you make them.
Anna says
Hi! Love the recipe. I didn’t have vegan butter so I used regular, but I did use flax egg. Mine didn’t turn out as cute as yours - it all flattened out and didn’t have that lip on the outside. Did I not let the dough cool long enough? Thanks!!
Megan says
It may be the regular butter but I'm not sure! The lip on the outside is really from how I shaped the dough before baking it though- so it was pretty indented as you can see from the pictures/video. You can also create more of a circle shape when the cookies are right out of the oven by swirling them between a biscuit cutter to make them more round.
Will says
I couldn’t find any pumpkin pie spice or flax seeds at my Kroger so I used a regular egg and apple pie spice and it was AMAZING! I’ll definitely be making these again!
Megan says
So happy to hear it worked well with those substitutions thanks for sharing!
Amber says
This was great! They didn’t last an hour.
Megan says
Yay love to hear that! 🙂
Lara says
I made these without the (vegan) egg and they still turned out amazing! Really in love with this one. Definitely recommend:D
Sophie says
These looks amazing! Would a regular egg be okay to use? Or how would you prepare flax egg? Sorry, I’m not a vegan but I want to make these badly! Thank you!
Megan says
I don't bake with eggs so not 100% sure but I would guess a small egg would work :). The instructions to make the flax egg are in the recipe card- it's 1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 Tablespoons of water.
Angelica says
This looks lovely! I have most of these ingredients as well. Do you think the flax can be substituted for anything?
Megan says
I don't recommend substituting it, but if you do chia seeds can also make a vegan egg.
Carmen says
So tasty! They remind me of pecan tarts but apple pie! Easy to make too! Love all the fall food here!
Megan says
So happy you liked them, hope to make an actual pecan version soon too 🙂