These apple cider cookies are like molasses cookies with a fall twist! They're perfectly crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and glazed with a rich apple cider icing. All you need is 11 ingredients and an iced pumpkin spice latte to wash them down!
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📋 About the Recipe
- Stay fresh for days. It's not often that you make homemade cookies that are just as delicious days after baking, but these apple cider cookies stay super chewy and soft! The spiced apple flavor will become stronger and more flavorful as time goes on, too.
- Kid friendly! Make these cookies together as a family as a fun afternoon baking activity. The kids can get involved in making the dough, rolling the cookies, and icing the cookies however they'd like. Make my cranberry orange shortbread cookies too for an extra special assortment of Christmas cookies!
- Quick to make. Have these cookies ready start to finish in just over an hour. This includes drizzling the cookies with the homemade apple cider glaze.
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Apple cider - For a strong, concentrated flavor of apple, these cookies are made with apple cider that has been reduced to a ¼ cup. This concentrated apple cider will be jelly-like in consistency and bursting with flavor. Please do not attempt to substitute the apple cider with apple cider vinegar. These two ingredients are very different and cannot be used interchangeably.
- All purpose flour - I have only tested these cookies using all purpose flour. I would not recommend using alternative flours like oat flour, almond flour, or coconut flour as these flours are very different and would need to be separately tested.
- Unsalted butter - When baking, it is always best to use unsalted butter for consistent results. Different brands of salted butters are not made equally and can contain widely different amounts of sodium. If you only have salted butter, it will work, but omit the salt and know that it can change the end result.
- Maple syrup - The deep, caramel-like richness of maple syrup compliments the flavors in the apple cider perfectly. For best results, use a high-quality, natural maple syrup.
📓 Instructions
- Reduce the apple cider. Pour the apple cider into a medium sized saucepan and boil over medium heat for 20 to 23 minutes. Stir occasionally until the apple cider has reduced to about a ¼ cup and is of a syrup-like consistency. Remove the cider from the heat and set aside to cool completely. The cider will thicken as it cools.
- Whisk together dry ingredients. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar for about 1 minute, or until light and fluffy. A bowl with electric mixers will also work well.
- Beat in the eggs and cider. Once the butter and sugar is creamed together, add the egg and beat until smooth. Add in the reduced apple cider mixture, and beat again, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add in the dry ingredients. Pour flour mixture into the stand mixer bowl. Beat until just combined and there is no dry flour remaining.
- Chill the dough. Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 10 to 15 minutes. This is going to help prevent the cookies from overspreading, as well as give them extra time to develop the flavor.
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form the cookies. After the dough has chilled sufficiently, form the cookies by scooping out 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Place the cookies on the baking sheet with about 2 inches of space between each and lightly flatten the dough balls with the palm of your hand.
- Bake. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the tops start to crack and turn lightly golden brown. It is okay if the middle of the apple cider cookies look underbaked. The cookies will finish cooking on the baking sheet after it is pulled from the oven.
- Make the apple cider glaze. Whisk together confectioner’s sugar, apple cider, and maple syrup in a small bowl until there are no more lumps.
- Finish the cookies. Drizzle the apple cider glaze over the tops of the cookies. Allow the glaze to set until hardened before serving.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- Apple cider substitute: Although it will not be as flavorful, you can substitute the apple cider with apple juice.
- Make the cookies without the glaze. For a simpler cookie, you can serve them without the glaze.
- Substitute pumpkin pie spice blend. If you don’t have individual cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg spices in your pantry, substitute 2 ¼ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice instead.
❄️ How to Store
To store: Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container in the freezer up to 6 months.
🔍 FAQs
Can homemade cookies be frozen?
Yes, homemade cookies can be frozen. Add cooled cookies to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature, as desired.
Can homemade cookie dough be refrigerated?
Yes, it can be and is a good idea! In this recipe, you’ll refrigerate the cookie dough for about 15 minutes to help prevent the cookies from overspreading while baking. You can also leave the cookie dough in the refrigerator for longer if you don’t have time to bake the apple cider cookies right away.
Can I overmix my cookie dough?
It can be and you don’t want to! Over mixing the dough is going to whip too much air into the cookie dough and cause the cookies to fall flat and lose its chewiness while baking. Mix until the ingredients are just combined on a low and slow setting.
💭 One More Tip
Let the cookies cool sufficiently before icing. Adding icing to warm cookies is going to cause it to melt and run off the cookies. Wait until the cookies are room temperature before icing for the best results.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
📖 Recipe
Chewy Apple Cider Cookies
Apple cider cookies are like molasses cookies with a fall twist! They're perfectly crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and glazed with a rich apple cider icing. All you need is 11 ingredients and an Apple Martini to wash them down!
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Servings: cookies
Calories: 139kcal
Cost: $15
Ingredients
For the Chewy Apple Cider Cookies
- 2 cups apple cider
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- a pinch of ground nutmeg (about ⅛ teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
For the Apple Cider Glaze
- 1 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Add apple cider to a medium saucepan. Place on the stove over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Allow cider to reduce for about 20 to 23 minutes, stirring occasionally, until there’s only ¼ cup remaining and it has a syrup-like consistency. Cider will thicken more as it cools. Set aside to cool completely.
- Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt to a medium sized mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add butter and brown sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream butter and sugar together for about 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
- Add in the egg. Beat until smooth. Add in the ¼ cup of room temperature reduced apple cider. Beat again until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pour flour mixture into the bowl with the butter mixture. Beat until just combined and there is no dry flour remaining. Do not overmix.
- Place bowl in the refrigerator and chill the dough for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- Scoop out 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Lightly flatten the top of the dough with your hand. Continue with the rest of the dough, leaving about 2 inches of space between each one.
- Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the tops start to crack and turn lightly golden brown. The middle might look under-baked, but this is okay. It will cook more on the cookie sheet before it cools.
- Prepare the apple cider glaze by whisking together confectioner’s sugar, apple cider, and maple syrup in a small bowl until there are no more lumps.
- Drizzle glaze over the tops of the cookies. Allow to set for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Make sure to use fresh apple cider, NOT apple cider vinegar.
- Reduced apple cider will have a jelly-like consistency once cooled.
- You can use apple juice instead of cider, but the flavor will be slightly changed.
Nutrition
Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 161IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
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Val
Cookies are exact with the crispy edges and chewy middle. Enjoyed this cookie very much. The syrup mixture, on medium heat, took much longer to condense to syrup. Did not use the glaze.
Alana Lieberman
So happy you enjoyed these cookies. The size of your pot can affect the amount of time it takes to reduce the syrup, I used a medium saucepan (which can hold about 8 quarts). Additionally, the syrup thickens as it cools, so its consistency can be a bit deceiving while it's still warm.
Mike L.
These cookies are amazing!! Love the apple cinnamon flavor with the crispy outside and chewy middle. The glaze takes them to the next level!!
Mike L.
These cookies are amazing. Love the apple cinnamon flavor with the crispy outside and chewy middle. The glaze takes them to the next level!!
Alana Lieberman
Thank you! In my mind, there's no better cookie than one that's both crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside!
Alexis
I can't get over how good these are!!
Alana Lieberman
Thank you!!