These Apple Spiced Gooey Butter Cookies have a rich, buttery flavor with a soft, gooey center, a hint of warm spices, and packed with sweet, tender bites of caramelized fresh apples. It doesn’t have to be apple season – to make these apple cookies year round!
Tips for Making Gooey Apple Cookies
Soften, don’t melt, the butter and cream cheese – this ensures the dough is fluffy and creamy rather than greasy.
Cool the apples completely before folding them into the dough; if they’re too warm, they can melt the butter and make the dough spread too much.
Chill the dough for at least an hour (or even overnight) to make the cookies easier to roll and to deepen the flavor.
Use a fine dice on the apples – smaller pieces bake more evenly and prevent soggy spots in the cookies.
Roll generously in powdered sugar – it gives the cookies their signature crinkle look and keeps them soft inside.
Don’t overbake – the cookies should look slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven; they’ll firm up as they cool.
Ingredients in Apple Spiced Gooey Butter Cookies
- Unsalted butter – softened
- Whipped cream cheese (I use Philadelphia Whipped) – creates a pillowy texture
- Granulated sugar
- Egg yolk – Adds moisture without the extra water that’s in egg whites, so the result is tender
- All-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar melts and forms a delicate, slightly crisp coating on the outside while keeping the inside soft.
- Finely diced apples (peeled) – Apple skins can stay tough or chewy. Peeling makes the apple pieces soft all the way through.
- Pumpkin pie spice – classic fall flavors
- Brown sugar – caramelizes apples
- Optional: caramel drizzle
Instructions
- Peel, core, and finely dice the apple. Add butter to a small skillet over low to medium heat until just melted. Add the apples, brown sugar and spices and stir together well. Cook until just softened. Remove from heat and allow to cool
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or an electric mixer, cream the softened butter and cream cheese on medium speed until thoroughly combined, making sure there are no lumps.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour mixture, baking powder, and spices
- Add Sugar and Vanilla
- Add the egg and egg yolk, and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure even mixing
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined
- Gently fold the diced apples into the mixture until they are evenly distributed
- Refrigerate for 1 hour
- Using a large cookie scoop or your hands, roll batter into dough balls and place on a prepared baking sheet or parchment paper 2 inches apart
- Roll each cookie dough ball in powdered sugar and place back on sheet, then gently press them down to flatten
- Bake in the oven at 325°F for 18-20 minutes, checking for doneness. The cookies should look set but not browned, and still a little undercooked. Leave them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to allow them to continue baking before moving to a wire rack
Storing Apple Spiced Gooey Butter Cookies
This cookie recipe will stay fresh at room temperature for 3-4 days kept in an airtight container. Make sure the container is sealed properly to prevent air from getting in, which can dry out the cookies.
Apple Spiced Gooey Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup softened butter
- 8 oz block softened or whipped cream cheese I
- 1 -1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 -1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp cloves
- 1 cup powdered sugar for rolling
- Sauteed apples
- ½ cup finely diced peeled apples peeled
- 1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Peel, core, and finely dice the apple. Add butter to a small skillet over low to medium heat until just melted. Add the apples, brown sugar and spices and stir together well. Cook until just softened. Remove from heat and allow to cool
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and spices
- In the bowl of a stand mixer on med-high, cream the softened butter and cream cheese on medium speed until thoroughly combined, making sure there are no lumps.
- Add Sugar and Vanilla to the wet ingredients
- Add the egg and egg yolk, and mix until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure even mixing
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined
- Gently fold the diced apples into the dough until they are evenly distributed
- Refrigerate for at least one hour
- Using a large cookie scoop, or your hands, drop batter onto a prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart
- The batter is a bit sticky, so you may need to rinse the cookie scoop in hot water in between scooping cookie dough onto the baking sheet.
- Roll each cookie dough ball in powdered sugar and place back on sheet
- Bake at 325°F for 18-20 minutes, checking for doneness. The cookies should look set but not browned, and still a little undercooked. Leave them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to allow them to continue baking.
Leave a Reply