Apple Pie Cookies

By

These are soft cookies with a spicy apple flavor. The caramel glaze adds a sweet touch.

******************************************************************************************
It’s our favorite fruit and American as, well, its most popular baked good.

A new apple season is here, offering a crisp, sweet edge to fall meals plus the promise of lots of pie – and pie-inspired dishes.

What makes apples and apple pie so all-American?

“It brings people together,” said Ken Haedrich, author of “Apple Pie: 100 Delicious and Decidedly Different Recipes for America’s Favorite Pie.” “It’s the closest thing we have, food-wise, to a universal symbol of goodness and contentment.

“It manages to do this with unabashed honesty and not an ounce of pretense. It’s an edible reflection of America’s best character traits.”

In honor of 2011 as the “Year of the Pie,” Haedrich’s “Apple Pie” was re-released this month – just in time for the new apple crop.

Haedrich loves all sorts of apple pies, particularly those with a brown sugar crumb topping.

For pies, he prefers Winesap apples.

“It’s hard to find but worth looking for in an area where they’re grown. It’s the perfect blend of sweet, tart and juicy, with wonderfully complex flavor. Among the more common varieties, I like Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji and Jonathan.”

“My best advice: If you find an apple that makes a great pie, stick with it,” he said, “but don’t be afraid to experiment.”

The flavor of apple pie inspires variations such as Apple Pie Cookies, Apple Pie Salad and Apple Pie Soup.

View complete recipe

Ingredients

  • Cookies:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
  • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup grated apple, from 1 large or 2 small peeled, cored baking apples
  • 1 cup walnut pieces, toasted and chopped (see note)
  • Caramel Glaze:
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 4 teaspoons milk or half-and-half

Preparation

Step 1

Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy and well blended. Add egg and blend until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Add half the mixture to butter mixture, stirring until incorporated, and then add remainder of flour mixture.

Add milk, then gently stir in, using a spatula or wooden spoon, the grated apple and chopped nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a parchment-paper-covered cookie sheet.

Bake 10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Let cool on rack for a few minutes, then slide the paper, with cookies still on it, from pan to rack and let cookies finish cooling before removing from paper. (An offset spatula works well for this.)

Caramel Glaze:

Combine brown sugar and butter in a small pan. Stir and bring to boil over medium heat. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the confectioners’ sugar and half the milk, stirring before adding the rest of the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Drizzle over cooled cookies using a fork. Add a little more milk if glaze becomes too thick.

Note: To toast walnut pieces, place in a dry nonstick saute pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until walnuts are fragrant, about 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Cool before chopping.

View complete recipe