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Apple Pie Cookies

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Apple Pie Cookies may just be the perfect treat. Grated fresh apple is blended with apple pie spices. Soft, sweet and chewy all in one little package.

Apple Pie Cookies are golden brown and stacked 4 cookies high on a chocolate brown napkin and a n ivory burlap square.

How can there be so many cookie recipes! That wasn’t a question but a statement of awe.

It always blows my mind how there are new recipes popping up on the internet by cooks and bakers around the world.

Even cookies that are vegan with no eggs or dairy are endless. They look beautiful and taste even better.

I love that there are no-bake cookies now too. They are so easy and perfect for summertime. Ones like these No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. Sometimes you just don’t even want to turn on the oven.

My husband is always trying to think up new recipes for me. He thinks there are only just so many.

I have told him that all those notebooks that I have been writing in are full of ideas, inspiration, and recipes. But, hey, bring it on. Of course, the first word out of his mouth is Vanilla. 

Something like this Starbuck’s copycat in the shape of vanilla dunkers. Vanilla Almond Biscotti to be more exact. The Italians got that cookie right.

 

Apple Pie Cookies up close with a sack of 4 ookies with baked chunks of apples poking out all over the tops.
 

My mind is so full of ideas I even have to let them go sometimes. I don’t think he believes me because he keeps being concerned.

I told him to just think of recipes like faces. How can there be so many different faces with just two eyes, a nose, and a mouth? It didn’t help.

So, here I am with a new recipe. An American inspired cookie this time around – Apple Pie Cookies,  and they are good! Thank goodness you can find great apples year-round.

Overhead view of granny smith apples showing the four stages of paring.

Ingredients for Apple Pie Cookies with Fresh Apples

  • Coconut sugar – is the perfect sweetener for these4 cookies and it’s unrefined too.
  • Organic vegan shortening – blends so well with the sugar that it actually whips up.
  • Egg substitute – of your choice but I used flaxseed meal mixed with water.
  • Vanilla extract – seem to be a favorite for baked goods and there is godd reason for it. Ah, that vanilla taste.
  • Apple – is what apple pie cookies are all about. McIntosh, Granny Smith & Gala are great but use your favorite, peeled and chopped very fine or grated.
  • Granny Smith apples are in different stages of being pared in the photo above and are waiting to be chopped or grated.
  • All-purpose flour – adds a lightness to the cookie dough.
  • Whole wheat flour – just makes everything a bit healthier. I use whole wheat whenever I can.
  • Salt – is a seasoning necessity. Even just this little bit.
  • Baking powder – is the leavening agent.
  • Cinnamon/sugar mixture:
  • Sugar – is the added sweet coating.
  • Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Ginger – make all the flavors add up to an apple pie.

Oh, oh. Here come the ideas. I could do a cookie that mimics everyone’s favorite pies. How about pecan pie cookies or blueberry pie cookies? Maybe I’ll do that one next.

P.S. I have lots more.

Front photo of a stack of 4 cookies showing lots of texture.

 

Can You Freeze Vegan Apple Pie Cookies

Why, yes you can! Before and after baking.

  • IF FREEZING:
    There are two times you can freeze these cookies.
  • BEFORE BAKING:
  • Freeze the balls of raw dough. Then when you want to bake them defrost and bake as instructed above.
  • AFTER BAKING:
  • After they have cooled you may freeze them in any of the methods How to Freeze.
  • They defrost quickly so it really doesn’t take any planning. Just put them on a plate for an hour or so and take one whenever you like.

More Fruit Cookies You Might Like to Try

Want to try these Apple Pie Cookies?

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Two photos on top of each other showing stacks of fruity cookies.

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What Do You Think?

If you take a photo of your fruity little/big cookies I would love to see it. Follow me over on Instagram and tag me on your photo @vegan_in_the_freezer.

Stack of homemade fruity cookies on a brown napkin and beige burlap square. Pie Cookies may just be the perfect treat.
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5 from 6 votes

Apple Pie Cookies

Apple Pie Cookies may just be the perfect treat.
Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 91kcal
Author Ginny McMeans

Ingredients

For the cookies:

  • 1/2 cup shortening, vegan and organic
  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 egg substitute
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup apple - McIntosh, Granny Smith & Gala are great but use your favorite, peeled and chopped very fine or grated
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

Cinnamon/sugar mixture:

  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

Mix the cookies:

  • With a hand mixer cream the sugar and shortening together for about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in the prepared egg substitute, vanilla and prepared apple.
  • In a separate bowl sift together the flour, salt and baking powder.
  • Combine the dry mixture with the wet mixture and just blend.
  • Scoop into heaping tablespoons full and roll into balls.

Mix the cinnamon/sugar mixture:

  • Combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a small bowl. Roll each ball in the sugar/cinnamon mixture.
  • Place on the parchment-covered baking sheet about 2" apart. Slightly flatten.
  • Bake at 350 degrees 12 minutes.
  • Do not over bake. They will be a little soft when they are removed from the oven but they will harden.
  • Remove to a rack to cool. The photo makes them look larger than they are in reality. They are about 2" in diameter.

Notes

  • IF FREEZING:
    There are two times you can freeze these cookies.
  • BEFORE BAKING:
  • Freeze the balls of raw dough. Then when you want to bake them defrost and bake as instructed above.
  • AFTER BAKING:
  • After they have cooled you may freeze them in any of the methods How to Freeze.
  • They defrost quickly so it really doesn’t take any planning. Just put them on a plate for an hour or so and take one whenever you like.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Apple Pie Cookies
Amount Per Serving (2 Cookies)
Calories 91 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Sodium 110mg5%
Potassium 46mg1%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Sugar 6g7%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 16mg2%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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  1. Ginny McMeans

    Ha! That’s great Mirabelle and thank you. Since you didn’t follow the directions I’m glad you added enough flour and thought up enough things so that they turned out. I love these apple pie cookies too.

  2. Mirabelle

    I made these with margarine instead of shortening , I used cooking apples from my neighbours tree and for the egg substitute I roughly crushed 1 and a half tablespoons of flax seeds and mixed them rapidly with 2 tablespoons of boiling water until they became gloopy. I didn’t follow the measurements exactly but I added more flour until it was like a thick but very sticky cake batter mix , I wetted my hands as I rolled the balls – this stops the mix sticking everywhere! They are so yummy – straight out the oven 🙂

  6. Nancy E

    What can I use as an egg subsitute? Would the vinegar and baking soda trick work? I have used it in caked before but never in cookies. Thank you. The recipe looks great, I would like to make then for my vegan grandson.

  7. Ginny McMeans

    Yes, brown sugar would make them much sweeter than coconut sugar Victoria. I think the red delicious apples and applesauce would have been fine for the sweetness but not the brown sugar. Things absolutely do change when the ingredients get swapped.

  8. Victoria

    Hi Ginny. Great recipe. Baked them yesterday and I had to put some real effort into not munching through the whole batch in one afternoon. I wanted to share a thought. I was using brown sugar (3/4 of a cup, from where I took the 2 tbsps for the mixture) and I also happend to have a surplus of Red Delicious apples. My egg replacer was applesauce. As you can imagine they were rather sweet in the end. I know they are suppossed to, but do keep that in mind if you replace ingredients or if you use very sweet apples, because it might be worth it lowering the amount of sugar. Sorry, that was rather long! Cheers.

  9. Ginny McMeans

    You’re always taking a chance when substituting ingredients in baking. Baking is so precise. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. Sometimes you can substitute butter for shortening and sometimes you can’t. Evidently, you can’t in this recipe. It’s like a 50/50 chance. Also, if you melt dairy-free butter in a pan you’ll see all of the ‘water’ that comes out of it. It’s just different. If the egg was larger than the measurement for the egg substitute that would have made a difference too.

  10. Brianne

    I don’t know what I did wrong … the dough was soft and wet and sticky, impossible to form into balls, even after adding more flour.

    I used vegan butter instead of shortening and used a real egg (I am just dairy free, not vegan).

  12. Reynada

    Just make them. You won’t regret it. They are fantastic!! I used GFAP flour and they still came out great

  15. Ginny McMeans

    It would be about the same but would taste a little sweeter with the sugar and may puff up a little more with the egg. Remember, I haven’t used those ingredients so I can’t be sure of the outcome.

  16. Corey

    If I wanted to make these non-vegan, would the shortening, coconut sugar, and egg substitute all be a 1:1 for butter, sugar, and egg?

  17. Helene D'Souza

    In India getting cookies made with eggs is a challenge. I personally prefer egg cookies because I grew up that way and love those cookies, however in time I started to bake without eggs just to be able to provide a good option to other folks around me. I love the way you made yours, they look scrumptious!

  20. Mahy

    OMG I needed to see this before the weekend!! What a perfect combo of sweet and healthy comfort! Can’t wait to make them!

  22. Ginny McMeans

    I always use one tablespoon chia flour/meal or flax meal to three tablespoons water. I prefer the chia flour/meal to the seed because it’s smooth and gels almost immediately.

  23. Jo

    I’ve done the egg sustitute before, but I’ve seen different ratios of chia or flax to water. What do you use for this recipe?

  24. Ginny McMeans

    Hi Anthony, this is a vegan site so we always use egg substitutes such as flax seed meal, chis egg or some sort of egg substitute like those. But … yes, you can use an egg just fine.

  25. Anthony DiDomenico

    What egg substitute are uou talking about with this recipe. Can I use a regular egg? Thanks.

  26. Ginny McMeans

    I think all of those substitutes would work Liz. They seem to be made up of the same textures and baking qualities. If you use granulated sugar I would cut it down by about 1/4 cup.

  27. Liz K

    I am definitely not a baker but like to make cookies a couple of times a year, so I try to keep my ingredient list pretty streamline. Are there parts of this recipe I could substitute? Specifically, could I use a vegan butter instead of shortening, skip the wheat flour with more all purpose flour, and use whatever type of sugar I have? I didn’t know if any of these ingredients really “made” the recipe what it is.

  29. Emily Midthun

    Do these freeze? I have an abundance of apples. My kids went a little crazy at the orchard this year. I know that if we try to eat them all, we will get sick of apples. To avoid that I’m hoping to bake and freeze as many different ones as I can.

  38. Ginny McMeans

    5 star comment!!! That is so fantastic Lauren! Thanks for letting me know and giving me such a glowing review. It sounds like your family really appreciates you and so do I. 🙂

  39. Lauren

    Love them! Big hit with the family! I made a double batch (because you have yet to fail me with a delicious recipe) and the whole family is excited there is more in the freezer. Thank you!

  40. Ginny McMeans

    Thanks Sheena! It might be worth a try. Shortening does change baking a bit. I’d love to her if it helps with the tricky gluten free recipes. i haven’t done much with the flours yet.

  41. Sheena @ Tea and Biscuits

    Ginny, They look so good! I love any kind of apple baking 🙂 I’ve used spectrum shortening before but mostly use Earth Balance in baking, but after reading your reply above I might need to use the shortening for some of my more tricky gluten free recipes and see if I get better results.

  42. Ginny McMeans

    I can’t believe I forgot to put in the freeing information. Yes, Lauren that is exactly right! Thanks for the heads up. You could also freeze them after they are baked but cookies don’t always last long enough. 🙂

  43. Lauren

    Just making sure: you would freeze the dough, right? And you would do it in balls of dough, then thaw them out and cook them as directed?

  47. Nutmeg Nanny

    I LOVE the idea of a apple pie cookies. Cookies are my favorite but I don’t make them enough. Probably because I’m scared I will just eat all the dough…haha.

  49. Jenn

    These look so good! My hubby LOVES apple pie, but cookies are just so much easier. I might even try to make these for Father’s Day tomorrow! I have never used vegan shortening…would Earth Balance work instead?

  50. Sara

    We have an apple tree in our yard and my girls keep asking me if we can make apple pie when the apples are ripe – we’ll have to make some apple pie cookies too!

  51. Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates

    I was just telling my husband the same thing! There are so many recipes! And cookbooks!! In other words, I will never run out of inspiration! Apple pie is one of my favorites, these cookies look delish!

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