Don’t let pumpkin steal the spotlight this fall. Instead, try these yummy caramel apple cookies for a unique treat that’s bursting with seasonal flavors.

Soft Frosted Caramel Apple Cookies Recipe

We live just a couple miles from a lovely apple orchard. Each fall, they have an apple harvest open house and we love taking our children to enjoy the events.

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Wagon rides, making apple butter, and cider tastings are all part of the fun. You can also pick up a variety of tasty apples while you’re there.

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I love apples, and I especially love using them in fall baking recipes like these caramel apple cookies!

Caramel Apple Cookies Recipe

The texture of these cookies reminds me a bit of my always-popular pumpkin cookies recipe.

The cookie itself is soft and a bit cake-like. It pairs perfectly with the frosting and crunchy toasted pecans.

Which Apples Should I Use for Baking?

A tart apple will work well in this caramel apple cookies recipe.

I used a Granny Smith apple, but Honeycrisp would also be nice in these cookies.

Don’t get me wrong, I do LOVE pumpkin treats in the fall.

However, there are so many wonderful flavors of the season that can be overlooked.

Apple seems to be a flavor that gets lost in the flurry of pumpkin desserts this time of year. Don’t forget about apples. Apples are amazing!

And don’t miss these caramel apple cookies, y’all. They are so, so delicious.

Caramel Apple Cookie Dough on a Baking Sheet

Tips for Making Caramel Apple Cookies

One important tip when whipping up a big batch of these caramel apple cookies is regarding the frosting.

The frosting sets up very quickly, so I frosted 3 or 4 cookies at a time and then sprinkled with the pecans so they would stick.

You really need to work in small batches, otherwise, your pecans won’t adhere properly to the frosting.

There are a lot of opinions out there on which cookie sheets are the best. I really love my NordicWare half sheets for baking cookies. I line them with parchment paper for the best results.

They get the job done beautifully and these pans really hold up over time.

More Fall Inspired Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

½ cup butter softened
1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon apple pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup apple juice
2 ½ cups all purpose-flour
1 large tart apple peeled and coarsely shredded

Frosting

½ cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons apple juice
2 ⅔ cups powdered sugar
½ cup finely chopped pecans toasted

Instructions

Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl beat the butter until smooth, about 45 seconds. Add the brown sugar, baking soda, apple pie spice and the salt. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Add the egg and beat just until combined. On low speed beat in the ½ cup apple juice. Beat in the flour until well blended. Stir in the apple.
Drop by rounded tablespoons 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. The tops will look under baked. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 3 to 4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Frosting

Over medium heat, cook and stir the ½ cup brown sugar, butter, and the apple juice until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is completely melted, remove from the heat. Whisk in the powdered sugar gradually, working quickly. Use the frosting immediately, if it begins to harden stir in hot water a teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Frost cooled cookies, sprinkle with pecans.

Notes

I roasted the pecans for 15 minutes in a 300 degree oven while mixing the cookie dough.
The frosting sets up very quickly, so I frosted 3 or 4 cookies at a time and then sprinkled with the pecans so they would stick.
I used a Granny Smith apples.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Fall Baking 2015

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Nutrition

Nutrition values are estimates, sourced from an online nutrition calculator. This information should never be considered a substitute for medical advice. Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: caramel apple cookies, fall cookies, fall desserts

Did you make this?

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4.39 from 111 votes (111 ratings without comment)

8 Comments

Nancy says:

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Is it possible to use canned apples mashed up?

Kyle says:

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Very soft cookies. Also super sweet. I would not put the amount of icing on seen in the pictures. It’s incredibly sweet. Just put the thinnest layer you can that will let the nuts stick. Even that might be too much.

Kristie Ross says:

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Can these be frozen after baking?

Michelle says:

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Do you use actual butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine these cookies ???

Sam says:

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Do these freeze well? Thanks

Anita says:

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This recipe needs tweaking. The dough is too soft they spread way too much. You need to use less apple juice or more flour. The flavor is very good though. I will make them again using less juice and no frosting. They are good without the icing.

Kate says:

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Made these twice. 1st time just as directed. Adjusted them a bit because they were very soft and hard to pick up. I used apple cider inplace of apple juice and only added 1/4c into the dough. I also doubled the caramel for the icing. Absolutely wonderful.

Lana says:

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These were a big hit with my cookie loving friends. I would make them again with less apple juice as they were very soft. I increased baking time to 12 minutes but still too soft.