Apple Snickerdoodles | The Speckled Palate

Want to make the most unique snickerdoodles around? These Apple Butter Snickerdoodles are bursting with warming fall spices and taste incredible! Learn how to make this chewy snickerdoodle recipe — they’re perfect for sharing this time of year! Makes 20 cookies.

I made and developed this recipe as a part of a charitable collaboration with FinaMill to support Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer, a 501©3 organization that helps raise awareness and funds for new, improved and less toxic treatments for pediatric cancer.

Appledoodles 

OK, friend. I am going to do my best not to be completely obnoxious about this, but when I tell you that these are the best and most unique snickerdoodle cookies, you’ve GOT to believe me.

I shared ‘em with several friends during the development process and was told that I needed to sell them… and one foodie friend told me that they were the best snickerdoodles he’d ever eaten. Another friend gave theses cookies an 11 out of 10 on the awesomeness scale.

So.

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They come with accolades from my people. 

These Appledoodles — AKA Apple Butter Snickerdoodles or just straight-up Apple Snickerdoodles — are the cookie for fall.

I am so happy to have been able to make this recipe to support one of my favorite charities, Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer, during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. C4KC and I go back for years, and we always support them during The Sweetest Season, so I was thrilled when they reached out and connected me with FinaMill for this charitable collaboration.

Why I love this recipe:

When I set out to develop these Apple Snickerdoodle Cookies, I had a few things I knew I wanted it to incorporate. Specifically, I wanted to elevate my classic Snickerdoodles by adding a fresh apple pie spice blend, as well as apple butter.

It took a few tries to knock it out of the park, but let me just say: this recipe is spectacular, and I am so excited to be sharing it with the world today.

The cookies are bursting with flavor. The apple pie spice blend combined with the apple butter just really shine and give so much yumminess to an already delicious template. They have an interesting depth of flavor because of this, too, and instead of being a one-note blend of spices, there are a lot of flavors that shine together.

The texture of these cookies is also super satisfying. You might think that they would be super crispy, but they are not. The insides are soft and chewy while the exterior has a nice crispiness.

They strike the perfect balance, and honestly, they taste like autumn. And that makes me so incredibly happy because it still feels like the surface of the sun in Texas, and I need a seasonal break… even if that means I just bake things that taste like a crisp autumn day should feel.

Here are some more things to adore about these cookies:

• Making the apple pie spice blend with freshly ground spices adds SO MUCH fragrance and flavor to the ‘doodles! It strikes a beautiful balance between the sweetness of the cinnamon, the sharp zinginess of the ginger, the fragrance of both nutmeg and allspice, the pepperiness of cardamon and the licorice of star anise. 
• Apple butter (the store-bought kind or the homemade kind) adds more of those warming spices to the mix and apple flavor to the cookie dough, too.
• The final cookie is beautifully chewy and crispy on the exterior. My kids told me that I should’ve baked them for longer, but I felt like they were utterly perfect as they are in these here images. You can choose your own adventure on this, though, and tell me what you think in the comments!

More cookie recipes to try with fall flavors: Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze | Quebec Maple Pecan Drop Cookies | Caramel Corn Cookies | Pumpkin Drop Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

What you need to make this recipe:

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Here’s what you’ll need to grab at the grocery store:

• Spices — in order to make the freshest spice blend, I recommend grinding your own spices. This apple pie spice mixture combines cinnamon with ginger, nutmeg, allspice, green cardamom and a tiny bit of licorice-y star anise.
• All-purpose flour— also known as AP flour, this is the base of our dry ingredients. I have not tried making this recipe with a different type of flour or a gluten-free flour blend and do not recommend that at this time.
• Cream of tartar — this is a must-have ingredient for snickerdoodles!
• Baking soda — this is our levener. Make sure yours is fresh!
• Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt is what I use in all my recipes. You may use a similarly sized sea salt. This helps balance out the sweetness of the recipe, so please do not skip it.
• Unsalted butter — unsalted butter is the best butter for cookies because you can control the salt level of your cookies.
• Sugars — we use a combination of granulated sugar (AKA white sugar) and brown sugar in this recipe, which is a departure from a classic snickerdoodle. The brown sugar was added to this recipe to give the cookies some more chewiness, as well as help them spread. There is no replacement for these, and if you choose to use one or the other, the texture and mouthfeel of your cookies will be different than what is shown here. You also need a little of the granulated sugar to make the sugar-spice mixture to roll the cookie dough in before baking.
• Apple butter — this is one of our shining star ingredients for these cookies, and it adds both moisture and flavor. Most commercially made apple butters are lightly sweetened, so look for one sweetened with sugar (not corn syrup) and that has been spiced with an apple pie spice blend so that it can pass along these flavors to the cookie dough itself.
• Vanilla extract — always use the best vanilla you can afford! It’s expensive these days, but it really does level up your baking.
• Egg — set it out with the butter to come to room temperature about 30-45 minutes before making the batter. You’ll need a singular large egg.
• Apple pie spice — this is that magical blend from above. If you have a store-bought blend of apple pie spices, that could also work in a pinch. Please note that this combined with a little sugar is going to take place of the classic cinnamon-sugar mixture used for rolling the cookie dough in, and it adds a TON of flavor. 

Please note that we are not including caramel or chopped apples in this snickerdoodle recipe, so if you’re craving one that involves either of those, you need to find it elsewhere.

How to make Apple Butter Snickerdoodles

Combine the dry ingredients. Measure the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and kosher salt into a medium bowl, and whisk before setting aside.

Cream the butter and sugars. Measure the softened butter, ½ cup granulated sugar and the brown sugar into another bowl.

Cream with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the apple butter, egg and vanilla extract to the other wet ingredients.

Mix until combined, about 2 minutes.

Add the flour mixture on top of the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. 

The mixture will be very wet. This is how they are supposed to be.

Chill. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the snickerdoodle cookie dough for at least two hours. These can also chill overnight.

Make the apple pie spice blend. Use a spice mill to grind the spices. Use a measuring spoon to measure the ingredients into a jar.

Once the chill is over… Preheat the oven. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper. Personally, I like to use parchment paper, but you can use nonstick baking mats if you prefer. Set aside.

Make the sugar-spice mixture. Combine the remaining granulated sugar and the apple pie spice in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Scoop the cookies. Use a 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop, then roll the dough balls between your palms to make them round and place them in the bowl with the sugar-spice mixture.

Roll the cookie dough in the sugar-spice mixture until coated. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan. You can sprinkle the top of the cookies with a little extra sugar-spice mixture.

Repeat with the remaining dough until all the cookies have been scooped and rolled.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown and delicious. (If you’re making 1-tablespoon cookies, they’ll bake for closer to 8-9 minutes, so keep an eye on them.)

Transfer to a wire rack, and cool, then enjoy.

How to store

Store these cookies in a food-safe, airtight container on the countertop for 3-4 days. 

Do not store them with other cookies because the spices used in these will creep into others.

You can freeze cookie dough balls that have not been rolled in the sugar-spice mixture. Transfer to a resealable freezer bag once frozen solid. When ready to bake, let them sit out for 30 minutes. Roll in the sugar-spice mix, then place on the prepared baking sheets.

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

These cookies are PERFECT for any fall gathering or celebration, be they a birthday party, tailgate at home or anything else. 

They really capture those fall flavors we all know and love, and to me, sharing a recipe like this is simply the best. Also, I can see these being a huge hit because they are such a fun fall twist on a classic cookie recipe.

Here are some ways I’d make it easier on myself if I were planning to entertain with this cookie recipe:

• Make the cookie dough the day before. Let it chill in the fridge before rolling in the sugar-spice mixture and baking the day of.
• Lots of guests? Make a double batch. If you’re using a kitchen scale, you can safely double this recipe without the fear of it going haywire. If you’re using traditional cups and measuring spoons, please make it twice so that the cookies turn out. 
• Create a dessert table! Who wouldn’t love a spread of their favorite desserts? Take inspiration from my ‘how to make a cookie tray’ post and use it to create a whole table. Ask guests to bring a dessert, too!

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick tips and tricks to making the best Apple Butter Snickerdoodles

• Let ‘em chill. This dough is really soft, so letting it chill for at least two hours (or overnight) is really important so that you don’t have a sticky mess on your hands…
• Grind your own spices. I’ve made this recipe several times, and I’ve switched it up to see about the flavors… and the freshly ground spices add SO much more flavor than the storebought spices or the spice blends that are pre-made. I know it’s a pain in the tush to have to do this, but trust me when I say that it makes an immense impact on the flavor.
• Share ‘em with someone you love. This recipe was created to share joy and raise awareness during Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. Bake these cookies and give your people a squeeze. 

More fall desserts to try:

Here’s how you make this recipe…