Applesauce Cookies

5 from 2 votes

Applesauce cookies are moist, chewy, cake-like cookies made without eggs. Simply spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg for fall and seasonal snacking.

Prep Time10

Cook Time13

Chill Time15

Total Time38

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 98kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

3 cups (420-grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (227-grams) unsalted butter slightly melted (cold butter from fridge, 30 seconds on high in the microwave)
1 cup (200-grams) granulated sugar
½ cup (100-grams) light brown sugar packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup unsweetened applesauce

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground nutmeg. Set the dry mixture aside for now.
3 cups (420-grams) all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and vanilla extract until well combined (about 2 minutes).
1 cup (227-grams) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200-grams) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100-grams) light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Beat the applesauce into the wet ingredients just until combined.
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
Add the flour mixture into the wet mixture and beat on low speed just until combined (until you no longer see dry ingredients). Be careful not to mix the cookie dough too much or the cookies won’t bake up nice and chewy.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a 2-tablespoon sized cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet then use your hands to shape them into smooth round balls. The cookies can be close together but not touching for this step.
Place the tray of unbaked cookies in freezer for 15 minutes. Freezing the cookies before baking helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper, take some cookies out of the freezer then place those cookies on the second baking sheet. Leave the rest of the cookies in the freezer until you are ready to bake them. Bake the cookies all from frozen. When baking, cookies should be at least 2 inches from each other on the baking sheet since the cookies will spread a bit while cooking. Bake only one tray of cookies at a time to ensure an even baking temperature for all cookies.
Bake each tray of cookies for 13 to 14 minutes. The tops should look set (no longer wet) but the cookies will still look slightly under baked in the middle. The cookies will finish baking on the hot baking sheet after it is removed from the oven. Do not over bake the cookies or they’ll become dried out. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before removing.
Store cookies in a sealed food safe container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in freezer for up to 2 months.

Notes

Storage:

To Store: Store applesauce cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
To Freeze: You can freeze your cookies in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 2 months.

Tips:

It is important to measure out the flour accurately. Too much or too little flour will affect how the cookies turn out.
Your butter should be slightly melted before mixing it with the sugars and vanilla. Cold butter from fridge can be microwaved for 30 seconds on high.
Bake your cookies all from frozen. Freezing the cookies before baking helps to prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking. When baking, cookies should be at least 2 inches from each other on the baking sheet since the cookies will spread a bit while cooking.
Bake only one tray of cookies at a time to ensure an even baking temperature for all cookies.
The cookies will finish baking on the hot baking sheet after it is removed from the oven. Do not over bake the cookies or they’ll become dried out.

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