Apple Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies
Fall in love with these vegan apple butter snickerdoodle cookies! Apples, cinnamon, and sugar combine for a soft and chewy cookie perfect for autumn. Gluten free friendly.
Welcome to my favorite cookie for the fall!
These apple butter snickerdodle cookies are based on a classic snickerdoodle cookie but with lots of apple butter. That gives them a delicate apple cinnamon flavor, leaves them super soft and chewy, and all made with just 10 simple ingredients.
What’s even better is that you don’t have to roll and chill the dough before baking, meaning you can have a big batch of these cookies ready to eat in under an hour!
Want more cozy fall flavors? Check out my apple crisp, vegan snickerdoodle cookies, or my old fashioned iced oatmeal cookies!
Ingredients
For the full list of ingredients, complete with recipe quantities, please see the recipe card below.
Apple butter is apple sauce that has been cooked until the naturally occurring sugar in the apples has caramelized. If you haven’t tried it yet, you are totally missing out! It has all the same baking properties of apple sauce, it’s just thicker and with a more intense flavor. I love baking with it in the fall and winter. My favorite brand is from the local apple orchard Blake’s Farms.
Substitutions
Need to make these gluten free? You totally can! Simply replace your favorite gluten free flour blend in an equal amount for the all purpose flour. You may require an additional spoonful of apple butter as gluten free flours tend to absorb more liquid than wheat flour. My favorite brand to use in all my gluten free testing is King Arthur Measure for Measure.
Instructions
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
- Preheat the oven to 375F/180C and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper or other nonstick surface.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the apple butter and vanilla.
- Sift in the dry ingredients of flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix together until the dough forms.
- Using a one tablespoon scoop, roll each cookie dough ball in your hands and then roll in a bowl of more cinnamon sugar. Place 12 on a tray.
- Bake each try individually for about 11 minutes. They might look slightly underdone when finished, but that is what keeps these cookies so chewy! Let them rest on the hot trays for about 15 minutes before enjoying.
How to Store & Make Ahead
Countertop: Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container on the countertop for up to a week. These cookies stay soft for days and days!
Freezer: Freeze the fully baked and cooled cookies in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Make Ahead: You have a few options here! First, you can make the cookie dough and let it chill in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure that you let it come to room temperature before portioning out, rolling the cookies in the cinnamon sugar, and baking the cookies. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls before baking. Roll each dough ball in sugar and let them chill in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Then transfer to a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. When you are ready to bake, let the cookies thaw on the countertop for 30 minutes before baking.
Recipe Notes
- Don’t worry if these cookies look slightly underbaked when you remove them from the oven. If you bake them longer than 13 or 14 minutes, they will become crispy and overdone.
- They do need time to rest on the hot cookie trays to set properly.
- Use a good cookie scoop to make sure they cookies are all even in size for equal baking.
More Apple Recipes
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Equipment
- Mixing bowls and spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Baking sheets
- parchment paper
- Cookie scoop optional
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Rolling Sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉/180℃. Make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the softened vegan butter with the brown sugar until fluffy, about 1 minute of medium speed. Add the apple butter and the vanilla. Mix again until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients. Now to the same bowl add the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together.
- Mix the rolling sugar. In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar with the cinnamon. Set aside.
- Shape the cookies. Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, or a spoon, roll into a ball in your hands before rolling the cookie dough in the prepared cinnamon sugar. Place on the lined baking sheet 12 to a tray.
- Bake. Bake a single cookie tray for 11 to 13 minutes. The cookies will have a golden brown edge to them. They may look slightly underdone in the middle, but that is what makes them soft and chewy.
- Cool and enjoy. Let them cool on the hot cookie trays for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Cookie Recipes
Vegan cookies for every occasion! From classic vegan chocolate chip cookies to sugar cookies perfect for the holidays, these cookies are easy to make and always super delicious.
