Apple lovers will love these apple butter cookies! Each soft and chewy cookie has a cinnamon sugar coating and an apple butter-filled center. Everyone will love these apple snickerdoodles this fall season!
You know I love a twist on a classic Snickerdoodle cookie - like my pumpkin snickerdoodles and brown butter snickerdoodles. These apple butter cookies are loaded with apple butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar, then baked to soft and chewy perfection.
Each cookie is packed with apple flavor; it's my favorite recipe to enjoy apple flavor with a classic cookie in one.
If you love Fall baking, you must try my Chocolate Pecan Cookies and Chocolate Pumpkin Cake!
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why you'll love apple butter cookies
- These apple butter cookies have a classic chewy texture and crispy edges.
- For maximum flavor, we added apple butter to the cookie dough and filled the top with more apple butter so they were made for apple lovers!
- They are perfect for using up your fresh fruit haul this fall season. You can make it with my apple donut cake or apple scones!
ingredient notes & substitutions
Apple butter: You can use homemade or store-bought apple butter. I love Musselman's Apple Butter for the best flavor!
Dark brown sugar: I prefer making these apple butter cookies with dark brown sugar, it keeps the texture soft and chewy, like in cinnamon apple cake.
Turbinado sugar: Also known as raw sugar, this is the best for giving each bite a crunchy texture and a hint of molasses flavor. If you don't have any on hand, coarse cane sugar or granulated sugar works as well!
Cream of tartar: For the classic Snickerdoodle flavor, cream of tartar is used. You can also substitute it with lemon juice or white vinegar if you don't have any on hand.
Find the full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions in the recipe card below!
recipe instructions
Before you start, line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
STEP 1: Cream the butter and sugar. In a stand mixing bowl, mix together the apple butter, unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined (image 1 below).
STEP 2: Mix in the wet ingredients. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until combined (image 2 below).
STEP 3: Fold in the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar until just combined (image 3 below). Do not overmix the dough!
STEP 4: Scoop the cookie dough. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. You will have about two dozen cookies. Roll each dough ball in a separate bowl with the turbinado cinnamon sugar mixture and place them back on the pan (image 4 above).
STEP 5: Fill with cookies. Use the back of a round tablespoon to indent the middle of each cookie and fill it with apple butter (image 5 below). Chill the apple butter cookies in the freezer for 3-4 hours until frozen solid.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Space them 2-3 inches apart and bake for 12-13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Let the tray cool on a wire cooling rack then enjoy!
expert baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card. If you do not have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
- Use high-quality apple butter. I tested this recipe with homemade and store-bought Musselman's and these definitely have the best flavor.
- Baking times may vary. Every oven is different and your cookies may bake quicker or slower than the baking time. Keep an eye on them while they're baking so they don't overbake!
storage & freezing
Once baked, store leftover apple butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
If you want to freeze the cookie dough, do not fill or roll them. Instead, indent the center of the ball then freeze them until solid. Once solid, store them in an airtight container with parchment in between layers, for 3 months.
When you are ready to bake them, roll them in the turbinado sugar, fill them with the apple butter, then bake them right away!
recipe faqs
You can find it in the jams/jelly aisle in any grocery store. If your store doesn't have any, I bought a jar of Musselman's on Amazon!
Definitely! I use turbinado sugar because it gives the cookies a delicious molasses flavor.
Absolutely!
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour but would love to hear how they turn out!
I made this recipe with a large 3 tablespoon scoop and they were very large cookies. They will need a few minutes longer bake time!
more fall recipes to try
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below, I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you're there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Recipe 📖
Apple Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- â…“ cup apple butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour *see notes below for measuring*
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup turbinado sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- apple butter for filling
Instructions
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, apple butter, sugar, and brown sugar until combined.7 tablespoon unsalted butter, ⅓ cup apple butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup dark brown sugar
- Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fold in the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt until just combined.1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Scoop a 2 tablespoon-sized ball into the bowl of turbinado sugar and cinnamon, rolling it around until it’s completely covered. If the dough is too soft for you to work with, stick the bowl in the fridge for 5-10 minutes and allow it to firm up a bit before rolling.½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ cup turbinado sugar
- Once rolled in the sugar, use the back of a round tablespoon to indent the center.
- Fill the center with a heaping teaspoon of apple butter, then place it on the parchment lined baking tray.apple butter
- Chill the tray in the freezer for 3-4 hours or until they feel completely frozen solid.
- Then preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
- Bake the cookies spaced 2-3 inches apart for 12-13 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Let the tray cool completely on a wire cooling rack then enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Lauren says
They turned out delicious - everyone was asking for the recipe. Will definitely be making again!
Erin says
Came out perfectly!!! The hardest part was being patient and letting them freeze. Everyone agreed, best cookies I’ve made yet and I just made the pumpkin snickerdoodles last week!
Gerard marcos says
Love apple butter! Great idea for a cookie.
Cambrea Gordon says
Thanks Gerard! I hope you try them out!
Nancy says
Great way to Enjoy apples. This recipe was an instant hit at home!!
Gina says
The second I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it! Wow! They were so good. I will be making these time and time again!
Cambrea Gordon says
Thrilled to hear that, thanks Gina!
Jess says
Yesssss! Best fall dessert!
Carrie says
I have extra apple butter and love to use it up in these cookies. I made them gluten-free, so good!!!
Kerri says
This recipe screams "Fall"! I love apple butter so I'm so excited to try these cookies!
Cambrea Gordon says
Yay! Happy to hear that Kerri!
Sharon says
YUM! These cookies were so good, I shared some with coworkers and we all agreed they are our new favorite fall cookies. Can't wait to make more and share this recipe with more people!