Description
Delightful apple butter cookies blend homemade comfort with sweet autumn nostalgia. Warm spices and rich apple flavor create a memorable treat that connects home bakers with seasonal traditions.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (120 g) apple butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsps granulated sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat Preparation: Warm the oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to create an ideal baking environment.
- Creaming Foundation: Employ an electric mixer to transform butter and sugars into a light, fluffy mixture that serves as the cookie’s base, ensuring smooth incorporation of ingredients.
- Moisture Infusion: Blend egg, apple butter, and vanilla extract into the creamed mixture, creating a harmonious and well-integrated wet component that amplifies the cookie’s rich flavor profile.
- Dry Ingredient Fusion: Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate bowl, ensuring even distribution of spices and leavening agents for consistent texture and taste.
- Dough Assembly: Gently combine dry ingredients with the wet mixture, folding carefully to maintain a tender, delicate cookie structure without overmixing.
- Shaping and Coating: Form uniform dough balls and optionally roll them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture, adding an extra layer of aromatic sweetness and textural complexity.
- Baking Process: Arrange dough balls on prepared sheets with adequate spacing, then bake for 10-12 minutes until edges become firm while centers remain soft and yielding.
- Cooling Technique: Let cookies rest briefly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack, allowing them to cool completely and set their delicate structure.
- Finishing Touch: Optionally drizzle with caramel for an indulgent presentation that elevates the cookies from simple treat to gourmet delight.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture to maintain a soft, tender cookie texture without developing tough gluten strands.
- Customize Spice Blend: Experiment with spice ratios, adding extra cinnamon or nutmeg to intensify the warm, autumnal flavor profile of the cookies.
- Optimize Moisture Content: Use room-temperature apple butter for smoother integration and consistent dough consistency, ensuring rich apple flavor throughout.
- Achieve Perfect Baking: Watch cookie edges carefully during the 10-12 minute baking window, removing when edges are firm but centers remain slightly soft for ideal texture.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg