These Apple Oatmeal Cookies are a cookie-spin on one of the coziest breakfasts for fall! Filled with oats, cinnamon, and a splash of vanilla, then topped with cinnamon apples and drizzled with a maple extract, these Apple Oatmeal Cookies are what breakfast-lover’s dreams are made of!
What are Apple Oatmeal Cookies?
You know when you were a kid and your mom would get the 3 pack of instant oatmeal flavors? They would like cinnamon, maple, and then apple cinnamon? The apple cinnamon was (unfortunately) my last choice… I just liked the sweetness of the maple and the cinnamon that I felt the apple cinnamon was lacking. Also the apple pieces in the oatmeal always looked slightly suspicious to my child-eyes.
So when I was trying to create these Apple Oatmeal Cookies, I knew had to add three things: just enough sweetness that didn’t overpower the apples but allowed them to shine, real apple pieces (no sketchy apple here), and a maple glaze.
From that these cookies were born! Starting with a mixture of brown sugar and sugar to balance out the sweetness and a little warmth from the molasses in the brown sugar. Then we toss the apples in cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar. While the cookies bake, the apples get a little toasted and soften just slightly! Finally, the cookies are topped with a drizzle of maple glaze with the star of the show: maple extract.
Maple Extract
I wish there were words to describe how I feel about maple extract! I love using it around fall time because it adds such a warm and cozy vibe to whatever you add it to. Think of the feeling of warm pancakes and syrup on a Saturday morning and that’s what this extract tastes like!
I use maple extract when I’m working with warmer flavors, like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
You can swap out vanilla extract for maple extract, like in this Pumpkin Crumble Bread! Adding maple extract would just round out the whole dessert with a touch more warmth!
If you can’t find maple extract, vanilla works just fine!
Apple Oatmeal Cookies Tips and Tricks
These cookies are pretty easy to make, but I have some tips to make it a little bit easier!
- These cookies puff up in the oven! This is what’s going to give them an amazing chewy texture! I like to leave about 3 inches in between them to give them space!
- The top of the cookies will look a little moist when you pull them out of the oven! That’s okay, I promise the cookies are fully cooked! The moisture leaks out of the apples when they’re cooking! It’s okay, the cookies will soften just slightly and create a super chewy cookie!
Ingredient List:
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Eggs
- Flour
- Oats
- Baking Soda
- Vanilla Extract
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Apples
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Powdered Sugar
- Maple Extract
- Heavy Cream
You can tell just by reading all of those warm, cozy spices and flavors that these cookies are going to be full of autumnal goodness! Maple extract, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon all in one recipe? Sign me up!
Cheers!
-Holly Michelle
Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick Butter
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1 Egg + 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 3/4 cups Flour
- 1 cup Oats
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
Apple Filling:
- 2 Apples chopped
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
Maple Glaze:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Maple Extract*
- 2-4 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments until fully melted.
- Let butter cool slightly before adding in brown sugar, and egg plus one egg yolk.
- Stir together, then add in vanilla extract.
- Once all the wet ingredients are mixed together, add in flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.
- Stir everything together. Cover and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes to chill.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Apple Topping:
- Chop up the apples into small pieces.
- Mix in a bowl with brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Scoop cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, top with a few apples and bake for about 15 minutes.
- While cookies cool slightly, make the glaze by combining powdered sugar, heavy cream, salt, and maple extract.
- Drizzle maple glaze over cookies and enjoy!