My baby sister lives about three hours away now, which feels nearly next door after years of being separated by nine-hour drives. Every so often the Godfather, A, and I make the trip to Charlottesville to visit her and her husband, share a meal, and enjoy fall activities. On one recent weekend we went apple picking, and something at the orchard inspired me to try a new cookie idea.
We had eaten breakfast before the drive, but two hours in I was starving and determined to try an apple cider doughnut before we started picking. The orchard was large and had a building filled with walk-up windows selling food. Amid the usual offerings and some excellent doughnuts, I spotted something that caught my eye: caramel apple cookies. I had never thought about using fresh apple in cookies. I couldn’t tell if the orchard’s cookies were made with fresh or dried apples, but I decided to experiment at home. It also gave me an excuse to buy toffee bits, which I adore.
The cookies I ended up with are wonderfully chewy and layered with flavor. A mix of brown and granulated sugar gives depth, the toffee bits melt into little pockets of candy-like chew, and the fresh apple adds a bright, sweet bite. These cookies have that unmistakable fall feeling. They went over well at the Godfather’s office too — a double batch I sent along from two test rounds disappeared quickly despite him keeping quiet about bringing them.
If you want a simple seasonal treat before the holiday cookie rush begins, bake a batch of these cookies and enjoy them with a cup of apple cider while you watch the leaves change.
Apple Toffee Cookies
10 minutes
12 minutes
22 minutes
Chewy toffee cookies with fresh apples. Perfect for fall!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp stick unsalted butter, 8, softened
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup medium Granny Smith apple, about 1 total, peeled and chopped into small cubes
- 1 cup toffee bits, found in the baking aisle by the chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Cream together the butter and sugars.
- Stir in the egg and vanilla extract, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Stir in the apple pieces and toffee bits.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 T), scoop the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans midway through baking, until the cookies are lightly golden along the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan at least 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store loosely covered at room temperature up to 4 days.
Did this recipe inspire you?
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