These buttery and flaky caramel apple pie cookies are bursting with sweet apple pie flavor! Made with 8 ingredients, store-bought puff pastry, and homemade apple pie filling, they're perfect fall treats- no forks required!
Even as a trained pastry chef, investing hours into an apple pie can be overwhelming, especially during the holidays. Simplifying and elevating the classic, these apple pie cookies use frozen puff pastry instead of pie dough, delivering all the classic apple pie flavors in cookie form!
Every bite is packed with flaky crust and warm flavors like cinnamon, caramel, apple pie spice, and fresh apples. They even look like mini apple pies- could they be any cuter?
If you love these flavors, try our Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Pie Filling or Apple Snickerdoodles next!
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Why We Love Apple Pie Cookies
- No pie dough or cookie dough mixing, rolling, or scooping! Try our iced oatmeal cookies or coffee cake cookies instead!
- They are easy to make and assemble with just 8 simple ingredients and no mixer required!
- No lattice tops!
- It's way easier to make than a traditional apple pie.
- Perfect for the holidays- especially for Thanksgiving dessert or Christmas. We love serving them alongside our apple crumb cake!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Puff pastry: The key to apple pie cookies without all the work! Use an all-butter puff pastry for the best flavor and a pie-crust-like texture. Ensure it's thawed in the fridge overnight for convenient assembly.
Apples: Fresh are best, although you could use canned apple pie filling. You can also replace them with peaches (similar to peach cobbler cookies) or another fruit!
Brown sugar: To replicate the traditional apple pie flavor, brown sugar is added to the stewed apples. Both light and dark brown sugar are suitable!
Caramel: Making caramel from scratch is the way to go but you could also use store-bought caramel sauce in a pinch.
Find the full ingredient measurements and instructions in the recipe card below!
Best Apples to Use
I've found that the best type depends on the apple dessert! Here are my favorites to use for these apple pie cookies:
- Granny Smith- we used a mix of green and red apples for a not-too-sweet apple filling.
- Gala
- Honeycrisp
- Envy
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Make the apple pie filling. Cook chopped apples, brown sugar, apple pie spices, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a pot until soft with a thick caramel-like syrup. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Cut out the pastry rounds. Place the defrosted puff pastry sheet on a floured surface. Use a medium round cookie cutter to cut rounds, transferring them to two parchment-lined baking sheets with 2 inches between each.
Step 3: Score the center of the pastry. Using a smaller cookie cutter, "score" the center of the puff pastry. You want to press it into the dough about halfway but not all the way where it separates from the pastry!
Step 4: Egg wash and bake! Use a pastry brush to egg-wash the tops. Then generously sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake the first tray in the preheated oven until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Allow it to cool on a wire rack while baking the second tray.
Step 5: Deflate and fill. Use the back of a spoon to crush the centers of the baked cookies, then fill the center of each cookie with the filling.
Step 6: Drizzle with caramel. Drizzle the apple pie cookies with salted caramel sauce and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Pie Cookies
- Avoid excessive handling of the cut pastry rounds. Touching the sides can seal the edges and prevent them from puffing during baking. This won't affect the taste but may result in a less light and fluffy texture.
- Cut the rounds as close together as possible; this will minimize waste as the scraps can't be rerolled.
- Assemble on the prepared cookie sheet. As the dough sits at room temperature, it will soften and become hard to work with.
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate apple pie experience!
- Skip the caramel and sprinkle an oatmeal streusel crumble on top instead- it tastes just like an apple crisp!
FAQs
They will stay fresh for 1-2 days.
If the pastry is underbaked, it will deflate after baking. Make sure the pastry is nice and golden brown!
I don't recommend freezing them. You can cut and freeze the puff pastry rounds though!
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. To crisp them the next day, place them on a lined baking sheet and reheat them in the oven at 400 F/200 C until crispy, about 5-8 minutes.
Bake the puff pastry rounds and store them in an airtight container. The next day, reheat the pastry at 400 F/200 C for 5-8 minutes then add the filling. The filling can be made 3-4 days in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to use! You can make the entire assembled cookie one day in advance, but they will be softer even after crisping in the oven!
Yes! You can double the pie filling and use 2 sheets of puff pastry to easily serve a crowd.
We hope you love these apple pie cookies! If you need more fall baking ideas, try our Savory Bread Pudding Casserole, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies, or Pumpkin Snickerdoodles!
Recipe 📖
Apple Pie Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups peeled and cored red apples diced
- ½ cup peeled and cored green apples diced
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 ¾ teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 14 ounces all-butter puff pastry
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 egg whisked
- ¼ cup caramel for drizzling on top
Instructions
- Before you start. Preheat the oven to 400F/200 C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the apple pie filling. In a pot, cook the chopped apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, spices, salt, and vanilla over medium heat until the apples are tender and the sauce is thick like caramel and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool and set aside.2 cups peeled and cored red apples, ½ cup peeled and cored green apples, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 1 ¾ teaspoon apple pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Cut out the cookies. Lay the defrosted puff pastry on a lightly floured cutting board. Use a 2 ¼-inch round cookie cutter to cut out 18-20 puff pastry rounds and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. You can save the scraps to bake off later!14 ounces all-butter puff pastry
- Indent the centers for filling. Use a small 1 ½-inch round cutter to “score” the inside of each round. It should make an indent but not cut all the way through.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake! Egg wash the tops then generously sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown, about 10-13 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while you bake the second pan. You can bake off the puff pastry scraps! Brush them with egg wash, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake until golden brown.½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 egg whisked
- Fill the center of the cookies. Once cool, use the back of a spoon to push down the center of the puff pastry. Then fill it with the apple pie filling.
- Drizzle with caramel. Garnish with a drizzle of caramel and enjoy!¼ cup caramel
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. After the first day, they will soften from the moisture in the filling. To crisp them up, place them on a lined baking sheet and reheat them in the oven at 400 F/200 C until crispy, about 5-8 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
Jody says
These were delicious! I’ve loved all of your recipes so far!
Jamie says
What a unqiue and fun idea! Cant wait to make these next week, my husband is already drooling!!
Cambrea Gordon says
I'm so happy to hear that! Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Molly says
Genius hack with the puff pastry! I’ve always been intimidated by the lattice apple cookies, it just seems like so much work and I’d rather just make a whole pie!