Fall is calling - and these Chewy Apple Cider Cookies are the perfect treat during a cool, cozy day. They're made with tons of brown sugar and molasses for a deep color and soft texture, and apple cider is reduced into a syrup that brings that classic flavor into every bite.
These cookies are simply quintessential Fall! After making a hearty batch of homemade Apple Cider, I had a craving for a sweet treat that would pair perfectly with those sweet fruity flavors. Enter these desserts. You'll be glad to know that they stay soft for days and look good enough to give away to family and friends.
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving (3 cookies): $0.51
- Total Cost (about 28 cookies): $4.74
- Those Other Guys: $4.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Butter - We're starting off with softened, salted butter.
- Sugars - A majority amount of brown sugar lends to a chewy, soft texture (and that beautiful color!) while the white sugar still helps with a bit of crunch and spread.
- Molasses - I love adding a little molasses to cookie dough for more texture and that subtle flavor.
- Apple Cider Reduction - This recipe takes apple cider (either homemade or store-bought) and cooks it over the stove until most of the moisture evaporates. You're left with a beautiful, thick syrup that is going to go into the dough.
- Dry Ingredients - For stabilization, lift, and flavor. Save the powdered sugar for the end... this is used to create that gorgeous glaze on top of each cookie.
Variations and Substitutions
Decorations: To mimic apple cider doughnuts, you can brush these with a cinnamon-sugar butter right out of the oven!
Mix-Ins: Fold in chopped apple slices, chopped almonds, or a swirl of salted caramel.
Cookie Sandwiches: For a fun treat, fill two apple cider cookies with a big scoop of Butter Pecan Ice Cream - yum!
How to Make Apple Cider Cookies
Step 1: First, you want to cook a couple cups of apple cider over medium heat until it reduces to a syrup.
It will continue to thicken while cooling.
Step 2: After that's done, go ahead and create your cookie dough using most of that cider reduction right in the bowl.
Step 3: Bake the cookies for no more than 10 minutes; you want them to stay soft, and they will finish baking out of the oven.
Step 4: After they have cooled completely, mix together a tablespoon of the apple cider syrup with powdered sugar to make a glaze.
Lastly, drizzle, let the glaze set, and enjoy!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Watch your apple cider reduction! If you cook it for too long, it will reduce to a jelly and won't be able to incorporate into the dough. Once you see that it has thickened to a light syrup, go ahead and remove the pot from heat. It will continue to thicken even more as it cools.
- Make gorgeous cookies. For photo-worthy, cohesive cookies: use the same amount of dough per cookie, shape them using a round object fresh out of the oven, and gently bang the pan a few times right after they finish cooking.
- Making the glaze. When stirring together the glaze, trust the process. At first, it won't look like it's coming together and you need to add liquid. But be patient and continue stirring - a glaze can quickly go from perfect consistency to way too watery.
Recipe FAQs
Using apple juice won't be as flavorful as using apple cider. I suggest grabbing a jug of true cider for this recipe.
Reducing the apple cider gets rid of most of the moisture in the cider, making a concentrated syrup that's packed with flavor! Plus, you don't want too much liquid in your cookie dough.
You can roll these in cinnamon sugar, or crushed nuts. Or, just bake and eat as is instead of adding toppings.
Yes, both the baked cookies and dough freeze beautifully.
For fully baked cookies: Let cool completely, then add to a freezer-safe container. Remove any excess air and freeze for up to 2 months. When you're ready to enjoy, simply let them come to room temperature first.
For the cookie dough: Portion into individual balls of dough, then place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and place the pan in the freezer. Next, transfer the frozen dough to a freezer-safe bag.
Freeze for up to 3 months. These can bake from frozen, but may require an additional 1 - 2 minutes of baking time.
Other Fall-Inspired Desserts You'll Love!
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Chewy Apple Cider Cookies
Equipment
- Saucepot
- Silicone Spatula
- Mixing Bowl with lid
- Wooden Spoon
- Cookie Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Spatula
- Deli Container
- Wire Rack for cooling
- Small Bowl for icing
- Icing Bag (optional)
Ingredients
Apple Cider Glaze
- 2 cups apple cider
Apple Cider Cookies
- 1 cup salted butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 count eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- ½ cup apple cider syrup (cooled, from above)
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (385g)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Apple Cider Glaze
- 1 tablespoon apple cider syrup (cooled, from above)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Apple Cider Syrup
- To begin, we are going to create an apple cider reduction.
- Pour the apple cider into a saucepot and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally.2 cups apple cider
- Once it begins to thicken into a syrup, remove from heat and add to a heatproof container. Let cool completely either on the counter or in the refrigerator.The cider will continue to thicken as it cools.
- You should have a little over ½ cup (about 5 fluid ounces) of cider reduction. We'll use ½ cup for the cookie dough, and the remaining amount in the glaze.
Apple Cider Cookies
- Cream together the softened butter and both sugars.1 cup salted butter, ½ cup granulated white sugar, 1 cup dark brown sugar
- Add both eggs, the vanilla, molasses, and ½ cup of the apple cider reduction from above. Stir well.2 count eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons molasses, ½ cup apple cider syrup
- In a smaller bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Gently fold these into the wet bowl, adding in about a third of the dry bowl at a time, until you no longer see any flour.2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt
- Cover the mixing bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.This helps to deepen the flavors of the cookie.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350℉.
- Portion out 35g of cookie dough each, roll into balls, and add to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Leave some space in between each cookie, as these spread just a bit.
- Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. The cookies will be puffy when you remove them from the oven.Gently bang the pan against the stovetop to remove extra air, then quickly shape the cookies. To do this, use a deli container or wide-mouth cup; place it over the freshly baked cookie, and spin the container around so the cookie takes on a rounder shape.
- Let the cookies cool on the hot pan for another 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Glaze:
- Mix together 1 tablespoon of the apple cider syrup from above and ½ cup of powdered sugar. If the glaze is still too thick, add a tiny amount of water to the glaze and stir well.1 tablespoon apple cider syrup, ½ cup powdered sugar
- Transfer the glaze to an icing bag, snip a tiny piece off of the bottom, and drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled cookies.
- Allow the glaze to set before moving or stacking your cookies. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think!