Appledoodle Cookies
These Appledoodle Cookies are an apple version of the snickerdoodle. With pudding mix in the batter they are incredibly soft and full of apple cinnamon flavor. The outside is slightly crisp from the cinnamon sugar coating. This might be my new favorite cookie.
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APPLE COOKIES
I couldn’t figure out why I smelled like syrup all day. Finally, I figured out that my obsession of Salted Caramel was to blame. I bought a Salted Caramel candle for my house and air freshener for my car and it was making my whole family smell like syrup.
Sure this story would be more suited for the Salted Caramel Apple Cups I posted last week but hey, I write this blog as my life happens.
Have you heard of pumpkindoodles? Well, these are appledoodles. These Appledoodles, or apple snickerdoodles, are amazingly soft, chewy, and full of apple cinnamon flavor.
I usually have issues with apple cookies because the texture is weird to me. Too cakey, too wet. I don’t know. They weird me out. But these are perfect. I will make them again and again.
Make sure you dice your apples fairly small. Since these cookies only cook for 10 minutes the smaller we dice them, the faster they cook.
Look how amazingly soft and chewy the inside is. These are perfection.
If you like white chocolate, add some white chocolate chips. The flavors really compliment each other. Although I liked the white chocolate chip version, I preferred them without.
OTHER APPLE RECIPES
- Salted Caramel Apple Cups
- Apple Muffins
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
- Caramel Apple Cupcakes
- Apple Crisp Cheese Danish
- Butterscotch Apple Pecan Cobbler
- Apple Crisp Pizza
Appledoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter, (one and a half sticks, softened)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flour
- 1 (3.5 ounce box) instant cheesecake or vanilla pudding mix, not prepared (see Note))
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 cup apples, peeled and diced small
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (see Note), (optional)
Cinnamon Sugar:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Mix in vanilla and egg until smooth.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, pudding mix, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients and mix until combined well. Stir in apples and white chocolate chips (if using). Chill in the fridge for one hour. *I tried it with chilling and not chilling and didn't notice a big difference. Chilled dough will make a thicker cookie.
- For the Cinnamon Sugar: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Take around 2 Tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball and then roll generously in the cinnamon sugar. Place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet - they will continue to bake as they cool. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Everyone I share these with loves them. I use 2 eggs for a softer cookie and my last batch substituted chopped walnuts for the white chocolate chips.
Great tips!
I Love This Cookie !!!!
Yay!
I loved the amazing taste of the cookies
Thank you!
This recipe is amazing. However instead of white chocolate chips I used regular chocolate chips. With a medley of different apples.
I made these cookies and they came out great, but instead of using white chocolate chips I used Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips which brings out the apple flavor. They were very soft and stayed soft for my party the next day. I do plan to use this recipe for more of my fall parties.
Delicious!! I used butterscotch chips instead of white chocolate. I did not chill the dough; there were no issues. This is a wonderful fall recipe! Thank you for sharing!
You can omit the instant pudding.
Here is a list of the ingredients in the pudding:
Ingredients Sugar, Modified Cornstarch, Contains Less than 2% of Disodium Phosphate (for Thickening), Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate (for Thickening), Salt, Mono- and Diglycerides (Prevents Foaming), Artificial Color, Natural and Artificial Flavor (Contains Barley), Lactic Acid, Yellow 5, Yellow 6.
A friend taught me long ago that adding some cornstarch is the trick to success with certain recipes. Omit the pudding (and the unnecessary ingredients) and just add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch.
Made these this week and my husband absolutely loves them!! I used cinnamon chips instead of white chocolate and they were amazing!! Will definitely be keeping this recipe and making it often!!
My teen daughter and I made these today and they were SO delicious! We shared some with our neighbors and they immediately raved at how delicious they were. We didn’t have white chocolate chips on hand, so we subbed butterscotch chips and were so delicious with the apples. This recipe is a keeper by far! Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked them and yes butterscotch is great with apple
I am in live with these cookies and people are always asking me to make them. Can the dough be frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing the dough but I don’t see why not.
These are fabulous. I don’t like traditional Snickerdoodles so I was hesitant. My daughter found your recipe because we had a lot of apples to use. They were good with the white chips but are better with walnuts instead. We used vanilla pudding mix, no nutmeg and no chilling time before baking.
Yum!!
How long would these hold up if I mailed to my son who is deployed overseas? It usually takes 10 days for parcels to get to him.
I’m afraid the fresh apples would mold if in transit that long. I have lots of other cookies that might be better options.
Could you make the dough the day before or is it best to make the day of baking the cookies?
Yes the apples will release some liquid but you could refrigerate the dough and bake the next day.
These were a hit with the whole family! I had a few extra apples that didn’t have much flavor that I needed to use up and decided to try them in these cookies. I was a little concerned when the cookie dough was the texture of wet sand after being mixed together (seemed more crumbly than doughy), but it rolled together well before baking. I had to bake them all for about 13 – 14 minutes and they were still pretty soft/doughy on the inside (which is how I like my cookies) but they had a nice crisp outside. I’ll be printing this recipe to use again! Thank you!
Awesome to hear! Thank you!
Can you make these cookies with Gluten-free flour instead? We absolutely love snickerdoodle and soft too apple cookies, and thought we would try these out!! They just sound so yummy and a great spin on our favorite cookies! We just need to have them Gluten-free. I usually just swap without asking, but I thought I’d ask before wasting my time and money on this one.
I thank you in advance for your time and consideration for an response.
I haven’t tried them with gluten-free ingredients. Sorry!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’ve made it 3x in a month haha 😅 For this last time though, I used browned butter. The caramel and nutty notes of the butter paired so well with everything! This recipe has become a staple~ Thanks again!
Ooh wish I would’ve thought of that!
Shanese! OMG brilliant! Did you use the same amount of butter, just melted?
These are amazing!! I bake all the time and I haven’t had something so good in a long time! I did substitute salted caramel chips, because that’s what I had!
I bet they were great!
I made these for a neighborhood block party and food drive! Sooooo good! They taste just like apple pie so I presented them as apple pie cookies. A definite crowd pleaser. And I love finding recipes that I can use apples that are getting old in!
Ooh I like it! Apple Pie cookies need to be a thing.
Turned out perfectly! Although I love white chocolate, next time I will omit for this recipe.
Thanks for sharing!
Yes great without too!
I had a request for an apple and caramel cookie from a member of the St. Joseph Hospital in Oakland, MI. I send in cookies every week to the ICU during the pandemic. These are delicious! I used White Chocolate Pudding mix and they turned out fabulous. I found Kraft Caramel Bits at the store and will add them to the next batch, which will satisfy the above criteria. Thanks for another great recipe.
Ooh caramel bits would be fantastic!
Would I be able to use without the pudding mix?
Could you use dried apples?
Definitely will have a different texture but could work.
I just made these, used Sweetango apples (used an extra 1/4 cup), no nutmeg since I didn’t have any and used 1/2 cup of white chocolate morsels and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. Baked for an extra 10 minutes and they came out so good, a little softer than I would’ve liked but overall really good.
Glad you liked them!
Thanks for the great recipe.
I was wondering how long they last. How long can you store them before the apples turn bad?
I would say a few days.
Delicious! Rave reviews from everyone who tried them. Thank you!
Awesome to hear that!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe?
I always use unsalted butter when I bake.
I made these for numerous people. College kids, co-workers and my Doctor. Everyone loved them! So glad I can freeze them. Perfectfor the holidays!
Forgot to rate the recipe.
Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Do you freeze them before you bake or after?
crazy good, simple recipe. I didn’t chill my dough. I got a lot of compliments from friends
Awesome to hear!
How many cookies does this make? Thanks 😊
Nevermind I found it!
Makes two dozen.
The recipe looks great. Is the pudding the ‘instant’ kind or ‘cooked’ ? Thanks.
The recipe lists it as “Instant” pudding so that’s what you should use for best results.
Can the Apple be grated instead of being cut into small pieces? Can’t wait to make them. Thanks so much for all the great recipes.
Yes! grating would be great to keep them small.
What type of apples do you use? Will honey crisp or sweet tangos work
Yes, those will both worK!
Really great cookies!! I used half butter and half plant based butter (with almond oil), green apple, and instead of the white chocolate I put a Caramel Drizzle on top. Next time I think I’ll add some walnuts.
Walnuts would be great.
These cookies are so good!! I love snickerdoodles so knew these would be a hit. Thanks so much for posting, these will become a favorite…
So glad to hear that.
Did you skin the apples?
Yes, you should peel the apples!
I made this recipe and the cookie was delicious soft and fluffy. I did not use any pudding mix since I did not have it on hand so I just added extra flour and I did bake it a few minutes longer. Great recipe. Thank you. Will definitely make this again.
Glad you liked it!
wooohoooo qualifying cookies 24-7 I LOOOOOVVEE it. That sounds like a sweet life to me.
I love this recipe and make it year after year! Crazy question…tomorrow is boss’ day, and my boss loves snickerdoodle cookies, but doesn’t love apples. Crazy individual, he is. Would these bake up the same without them?
Yes, they would be fine without but I also have a Snickerdoodle recipe:
https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/best-snickerdoodle-recipe/
Hello I was curious if these held up well after being frozen?
Yes they will!
Omg….I just made your cookie, they turn out perfect. I feel like I had a slice of apple pie. Thanks for sharing
AWesome! love hearing that.
Can you freeze these?
Yes, I have!
Really no matter if someone doesn’t know after that its up to other people that they will help,
so here it takes place.
AMAZING! Decided to nix the white chocolate chips, used Jell-O’s simply good vanilla bean pudding mix, along with when they came out drizzled hot caramel on them then added the cinnamon sugar on top.
Ooh yum!
Mmmmmm…..yum. This looks totally amazing. I’m just starring at the screen looking at how delicious they look.
Thank you!
Wonderful recipe, it was perfect.
Insanely adorable and delicious! will definitely give this a try!
Hope you do!
Hi there! Do these cookies freeze well?
I’ve never tried it unfortunately!
Cookies were great. I did half cup white chocola t e chops and half cinnamon chips. The cinnamon chips were so good. I also subbed 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon for Apple pie spice. This was perfect for fall. Thank you for the recipe
You’re welcome!
is pudding nessisary
In my opinion, yes. It’s makes them so soft.
These sound delicious – I can almost smell them when they come out of the oven. I have a fresh apple cake I make with 4 cups of chopped apples and a cup of pecans – out of this world. Nothing says Fall better than apples!
So true and now I want your cake!
My son and I made these today afterschool using vanilla pudding and chilled dough. They looked just like your photo and got rave reviews from everyone. Appley, cinnamony (but not overly) and not too sweet. Thanks for a lovely recipe.
You are welcome!!
Mine didn’t turn out. They were flat and soggy. The edges were crisp but the other 90% of the cookie was a soggy mess. I followed the recipe exactly. I used a silpat instead of parchment paper. I tried refridgerating the dough to see if that would help but then I couldn’t even scoop it out to roll into a ball and my fridge is not that cold (I had other cookie dough chilling in there too that was just fine). I think there was too much butter as they seemed very greasy even though like I said I followed all the measurments. In the end I don’t think I would have liked them much as they had a blondies taste to them.
I’m sorry! You might need to cook them a tad longer.
Mine turned out the same way!! Don’t know what I did wrong. I checked all of my ingredients, and everything was well within their expiration dates, thinking I had “old” product. So, I have no clue as to why these turned out “wet” and would not bake. I did try to bake them longer – but of no use. Ended up throwing them out.
I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve never had that happen?
Instead of chips, I added chopped caramel pieces and they came out amazing!
Um hello. Genius.
I used butterscotch pudding mix to make caramel apple cookies and they are amazing! Great recipe!
Ooh. I bet that’s great.
These are so moist and delicious!! I needed to make a double batch for work. I had one pumpkin spice instant pudding ready to expire so i used it along with a vanilla instant pudding mix. I didn’t use the nutmeg since the pudding has spices in it. You can find the pumpkin pudding around the holidays in some of the grocery stores. I get mine at Walmart. I didn’t add the white chocolate in the batter but when the cookies came out of the oven i pressed a few chips in some of the cookies. Took some frosting left in the refrigerator and warmed it in a baggie and drizzled just a small amount on top of each cookie. They got rave reviews! Christy, thank you for the great recipes you post! They always come out great!
Love your twist on it!
do you take vanillaextract or the seed or what?
vanilla extract is what you should use.
Oh my goodness!! My daughter and I just made these! I’m on a health fix so I did few substitutions and as horrible of a baker that I am, I can’t believe I actually made these!!! I substituted 3/4 cup of applesauce (the kind with cinnamon) and also added a half cup of old fashioned oats. I’m in love. The extra plus side, I was able to make 49 cookies out of this batch so when I entered the ingredients in the app I use to count calories, (if I entered everything correctly-pretty sure I did!) each cookie came out to 54 calories!!! I hope this is right because that is amazing!! Either way, these are so good!! So glad I found this recipe on Pinterest!
wow. That’s impressive! I think oats would be great in these.
I begged my mom to, let me make these, and she finally said yes. I made the with my little sister and they were delicious. Extraordinary even! We omitted the white choc chips, used vanilla pudding mix, and half were just snicker doodle. I was so happy i found a new recipe to cook all the time. Thanks!
Yay! I’m so glad she let you make them. Who doesn’t want cookies?!!
Hi! Do you think I could use butterscotch pudding? My thought was it could give it a caramel-like flavor
A reader said she did and they were awesome!!
Thanks Christy!
I just made these cookies and they are DELICIOUS! I used french vanilla pudding mix and added toffee bits and butterscotch chips. Thanks for this recipe, it’s a winner!
Thank you!!! That makes me happy!!
These look deliciously moist. I can’t wait to try them, thanks for sharing!
I just wanted to let you know I made this for a bake-off we had at work recently. The theme ingredient was apples. Instead of chocolate chips, I chopped up caramel chunks to the size of chocolate chips, rolled them in the cinnamon sugar, and put them inside the cookies with the apples. I won the bake-off and everyone said I was hands down the winner! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Woo-hoo! I love the addition of caramel. Brilliant!
This may be a dumb question but did you use salted or unsalted butter?
Can’t wait to try these out!!! 🙂
Thank you!
I always use unsalted butter when baking. Good luck!
Hi Christy, I like your recipes very much. Got a small problem: would love to bake your appledoodles but cannot find instant cheesecake or vanilla pudding mix in France. What can I substitute with?
Cornflour? Or ordinary vanilla pudding mix? Thanks for your kind advice. Cheers from Paris. Dagmar
Dagmar,
I’m not sure. Cornstarch will give you the soft texture but the flavor I’m not sure how to replace. I think the vanilla pudding mix would work but I can’t promise.
Fantastic! Rave reviews from the two tailgates I took the to. Simple and delicious. Thanks!
Mine got flat as they cooled on the sheet..followed recipe exactly. I did use a silpat instead of parchment. I did put the dough in the fridge. I had new baking soda.
Any thoughts?
Mine were definitely not flat. Flat cookies are usually a result of either not enough flour, too much butter, too soft of butter, or too high of an oven temperature. Could it be any of those?
I don’t think so, but will try them again and see. Someone else had the same problem. We loved them, just flat and soggy:( Thanks for the reply!
It looks amazing!!! Does it make any difference if do not use any pudding or cheesecake mix??
Pudding mixes have a cornstarch mix in them that makes it really soft and it has some sugar in it so if you don’t use it they won’t be as soft or sweet.
Hey, I made these recently and they taste fantastic, but they turned out super soggy. I cut the apples into super small cubes and used vanilla pudding mix, I didn’t chill them prior to baking but you said it shouldn’t make a big difference. Got any advice?
Just got done eating one…oh Lord, these are good! I got my copy of your cookbook last week, and can’t wait to try some of those recipes!
Thank you Kristin!
J
Oh my gosh yes! I have made peanut butter snickerdoodles and eggnog. It’s time for a fall version!
I love the smell of maple syrup, but your story about Ja made me smile. Too much maple syrup smell is never a good thing:) Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookies and I love that you added apples. Thanks for sharing!
These look like something I will be addicted too! I can only imagine how awesome the house will smell while baking.
I have gingerbread pudding. I think I have to try it in this.
Beautiful! I can’t wait to try these!
For the love of God girlfriend! For. The. Love. Of. God! I totally pinned this recipe & will be making them very soon.
Christy, what kind of apples did you use in this recipe?
Great question. Usually people use Granny Smith’s in baking because they’re tart and compliment the sweet. I personally like to just use whatever I have. I used Cripps in these.
Also I think I’ll add a few walnuts instead of the white chocolate chips.
I wonder how these would taste with butterscotch pudding?
I think butterscotch would be interesting. Let me know if you try it. Walnuts would be great too.
Would love to know which salted caramel candle you bought and the air freshener for your car =)
Love anything salted caramel!
Yankee for both. I still think the smell great!
I love these – so perfect for fall! Pinned!
These look so thick and perfect for fall. I think I would have a really hard time stopping at just one!