Fresh Apple Cookies made with grated apple in the cookie dough for a super soft sugar cookie like texture and a hint of fruit flavor. These old fashioned shredded apple cookies are soft, chewy and so easy to make!
Grated apple cookies
There are lots of different types of apple cookie recipes. Cookies with chunks of apple, apple pie cookies made with pie crust, apple oatmeal cookies, and caramel apple cookies.
These are soft apple cookies made with shredded apple in the cookie dough. Much like my other cookie recipes made with fruit in the dough like these blueberry cookies, cranberry cookies and strawberry cookies, these are cookies made without eggs. Instead the fresh fruit adds stabilization and results in cookie with a soft chewy texture and a little fruit flavor.
I found this easy apple cookie recipe in an old cookbook from my grandma’s church club, A Taste of Heaven by Pe Ell Methodist Ladies. The original recipe for Fresh Apple Cookies was submitted by my grandpa’s cousin, Gladys Sienko. Their mothers were sisters which makes her my great-grandaunt-cousin, or technically called my “first cousin twice removed”.
In the cookbook Gladys emphasized the fact that they are cookies made with no eggs or milk. Her original grated apple cookies recipe did call for shortening which I substituted with unsalted butter. If using salted butter simply reduce the amount of salt in the dough. You can use shortening instead, like in the old fashioned grated apple cookie recipe, and the shortening will lend an even softer texture. Much like these Soft Chewy Ginger Cookies or Molasses Crinkle Cookies.
Ingredients
- Shredded apples – These cookies can use any type of apple that you have on hand. Sometimes certain apples are better in baking, like tart green granny smith apples in apple pie, or soft apples in applesauce. But you really can make these cookies with any apples with the same results. Usually 1 medium or 2 small apples will yield about a packed ½ cup of shredded apple.
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon sugar coating – granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The cinnamon sugar coating adds an apple pie like flavor to the apple sugar cookie and gives it a nice crinkle cookie texture. But it is totally optional and the cookies can be made without the snickerdoodle like coating if you’d prefer.
Step by step instructions
- Peel, core and grate apples using the large holes of a box grater. Measure using a heaping packed measuring cup.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a stand mixer or by hand, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Then add apple and vanilla extract and beat well.
- Whisk flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl to combine.
- Carefully stir the flour mixture into the apple cookie dough and mix well.
- On a small plate stir together 2 tablespoons of sugar, with cinnamon and nutmeg. Then drop small dough balls into cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to coat.
- Place 2″ apart on ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are crackled and edges are just starting to brown.
- Remove and allow to cool slightly then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Serve and enjoy! These cookies are delicious with milk, coffee, spiced cider or tea.
Yield
The recipe yields about 2 dozen, or 24, small 2″ cookies.
How to store
Store cookies tightly covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or refrigerated for a week. You can also freeze apple cookies after baking for up to 6 months. Or you can freeze cookie dough before baking.
Simply remove frozen cookie dough balls as desired and bake from frozen, adding 1-2 more minutes to the baking time.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup grated apple tightly packed, heaping
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
cinnamon sugar coating
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- Peel, core and grate apple using the large holes of a box grater.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Add shredded apple and vanilla extract. Beat well to combine.½ cup grated apple, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl to combine. Then stir flour mixture into the apple cookie dough. Mix well.2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- On a small plate stir together 2 tablespoons of sugar, with cinnamon and nutmeg. Then drop small dough balls into cinnamon sugar mixture and roll to coat.2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- Place cookie dough balls 2" apart on ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until apple cookies are crackled and edges are just starting to brown.
- Remove cookies and allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Rosalyn
YUM but if I made them again I’d add more apple.
Tristin Rieken
Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Yes, I have to agree, these apple cookies have amazing texture and a nice slight apple flavor but they could use even more of a punch of apple flavor.