Apple Cider Cookies

Apple Cider Cookies are the ultimate fall comfort treat that brings all the cozy autumn vibes straight to your kitchen! These incredibly soft and chewy cookies are packed with warm spices, real apple chunks, and topped with a luscious apple cider glaze that will have you reaching for seconds. They’re like biting into fall itself – sweet, spiced, and absolutely irresistible!

Love More Cookies Desserts? Try My Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies or this Peanut Butter Cookies next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These Apple Cider Cookies are everything you want in a fall cookie and more! They’re perfectly soft and chewy with little bursts of fresh apple in every bite. The warm cinnamon and nutmeg make your whole house smell like a cozy autumn day, and that apple cider glaze? It’s the perfect finishing touch that takes these cookies from delicious to absolutely divine.

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Ingredient List

For the Cookies:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon (get the good stuff)
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (leave it out for an hour)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed tight
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• ¼ cup apple cider (not the hard kind)
• 1 apple, peeled and diced small

For the Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons apple cider
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Why These Ingredients Work

Here’s what took me forever to figure out – the brown sugar isn’t just for sweetness, it’s what makes these stay chewy instead of turning into hockey pucks. I learned this the hard way when I tried cutting back on it once. The apple cider goes in twice because one splash wasn’t enough apple flavor, but too much makes them spread like crazy.

Those apple chunks need to be small and from a good apple that won’t turn to mush. The nutmeg is key too – my sister skipped it once and the cookies tasted flat. Don’t skip it even if you think you don’t like nutmeg.

Essential Tools and Equipment

You need a decent mixer because creaming butter by hand is torture. I use my KitchenAid but a hand mixer works fine. Get yourself a cookie scoop – mine’s from Pampered Chef and I’ve had it forever. Makes all the cookies the same size so they bake evenly.

Parchment paper is non-negotiable. Trust me on this. Greasing pans is fine but parchment makes cleanup so much easier and nothing sticks.

How To Make Apple Cider Cookies

Step 1: Prep Your Kitchen

Oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Don’t crowd yourself – clear some counter space because this gets messy.

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. Set it aside. This is boring but necessary.

Step 3: Cream the Butter and Sugars

Beat butter with both sugars until it looks fluffy. This takes longer than you think – like 3 minutes with a good mixer. Don’t rush it or your cookies won’t be right.

Step 4: Add Egg and Apple Cider

Crack in the egg and mix just until combined. Pour in the apple cider. The mixture might look weird and curdled but that’s normal. Scrape the bowl down because stuff always hides at the bottom.

Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients

Dump in the flour mixture and mix on low until it just comes together. Stop mixing the second it looks combined. Overmixed dough makes tough cookies and nobody wants that.

Step 6: Fold in the Apple Chunks

Switch to a spatula and gently fold in those diced apples by hand. This keeps you from overworking the dough. Make sure they’re spread around evenly.

Step 7: Shape and Space the Cookies

Use your cookie scoop to make balls about 1½ inches across. Space them about 2 inches apart because they spread some. If you don’t have a scoop, use a spoon but try to keep them the same size.

Step 8: Bake to Perfection

10-12 minutes max. They should look set but still pale in the centers. If they look golden brown, you’ve gone too far. Mine are usually perfect at 11 minutes but every oven’s different.

Step 9: Cool Properly

Let them sit on the hot pan for 5 minutes to set up, then move to a cooling rack. This step is important – move them too soon and they fall apart.

Step 10: Make and Apply the Glaze

Whisk the powdered sugar, apple cider, and cinnamon until smooth. Wait until cookies are completely cool or the glaze slides right off. I learned this lesson the hard way.

You Must Know

Don’t even think about overbaking these – I’m serious about this one. The first batch I made looked perfect golden brown and they turned into sad, crunchy disappointments. Now I take them out when they barely look done and they’re perfect every time.

Personal Secret: I started dicing my apples super small after my third attempt when I realized the big chunks were making some cookies fall apart. Quarter-inch pieces work perfectly and every cookie gets some apple action.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Room temperature butter is everything. I set mine out when I start my coffee and it’s perfect by the time I want to bake. Cold butter won’t cream right and melted butter makes flat cookies.

Pick your apple carefully. I’ve tried every kind and Honeycrisp stays firm without being crunchy. Gala works too. Avoid anything mushy like Red Delicious.

The biggest mistake I see people make is not letting ingredients come to room temp. Your egg should feel neutral when you touch it, not cold from the fridge.

If your dough seems too wet, don’t panic. Different apples have different moisture levels. Add a tablespoon of flour if you need to.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

My sister adds caramel chips and they’re incredible. Start with half a cup mixed in with the apples.

For extra apple flavor, I sometimes reduce apple cider on the stove until it’s half the volume, then cool it before using. Takes forever but the flavor is intense.

A pinch of cardamom instead of nutmeg is fancy if you’re feeling adventurous. My friend Emma does this and they taste like something from a bakery.

Want them more cake-like? Add an extra egg yolk. Want them crispier? Bake an extra 2 minutes. But honestly, they’re perfect as written.

Make-Ahead Options

The dough keeps in the fridge for three days easy. Just wrap it tight and let it sit out for 15 minutes before scooping. You can also freeze the scooped balls on a tray, then bag them once frozen. Bake straight from frozen – just add a minute or two.

I’ve never tried freezing the finished cookies because they never last long enough, but my mom says they freeze fine for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature and reglaze if needed.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Use regular apple cider from the grocery store, not the hard alcoholic kind. I get mine from the refrigerated section – it tastes better than shelf-stable.

These cookies are supposed to be soft and tender. If they seem delicate when warm, that’s right. They firm up as they cool but stay chewy.

The glaze consistency should coat the back of a spoon but still drip off. Too thick and it won’t spread, too thin and it disappears into the cookie.

Serving Suggestions

These are perfect with hot apple cider obviously, but I love them with coffee in the morning. Weird but true. My kids dunk them in milk which makes a mess but they’re happy.

They’re great for bake sales, teacher gifts, or any time you want to be the hero. I brought them to book club last month and got three recipe requests before I even sat down.

Stack them on a plate with some cinnamon sticks for decoration if you’re feeling fancy. Or just eat them standing at the counter like I do.

These Apple Cider Cookies have seriously become my go-to fall recipe. Every time I make them, someone asks for the recipe. Last weekend my mother-in-law tried to guess the secret ingredient and was shocked when I told her it was just good apple cider. Sometimes the simplest things are the best! Hope you love them as much as we do.

How to Store Your Apple Cider Cookies

Keep them in an airtight container and they’ll stay soft for about five days. I use an old Tupperware container with a tight lid. If they start getting hard (which rarely happens), stick a piece of bread in the container overnight.

For longer storage, freeze them in freezer bags with parchment between layers. They thaw perfectly at room temperature. The glaze might look a little dull after freezing but who cares – they still taste amazing.

Allergy Information

These have gluten from the flour, dairy from the butter, and eggs. For dairy-free, I’ve used Earth Balance butter and they turned out fine, just a slightly different flavor.

Never tried making them gluten-free but my neighbor uses Cup4Cup flour for everything and says it works great in cookies. You’d have to ask someone else about that though.

They don’t have nuts unless you add them, which makes them safe for most school events.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider?

You can but don’t expect the same flavor. Apple juice is too sweet and doesn’t have that deep apple taste. If that’s all you have, use it but maybe cut back on the sugar a little.

My cookies came out flat – what happened?

Usually means your butter was too warm or you didn’t measure flour correctly. Butter should be soft but not melty. And flour should be spooned into the cup, not packed down. Also check if your baking soda is fresh.

Do I really need the glaze?

Technically no, but why would you skip it? It takes two minutes and makes them taste like apple cider donuts. My husband ate half a batch without glaze once and said they were good but missing something.

Why did my glaze turn out lumpy?

Probably didn’t sift the powdered sugar. I’m lazy about sifting too but lumpy glaze looks awful. Just whisk it really well or push it through a fine strainer if you’re picky about it.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I want to know if you’re as obsessed as I am. Did you try any variations? Did your kids fight over them like mine do? Spill the details!