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Soft, buttery cookies melt away with puddles of concentrated apple butter in the middle. These apple butter cookies are such a treat, and an ideal way to use up a spare jar of apple butter!
My Favorite Apple Butter Cookie Recipe
If you’re a canner, then chances are that you have a stash of apple butter in your pantry.
I make crockpot apple butter every fall, which we use to top oatmeal, bowls of yogurt, and, of course, to make the most delicious cookies.
You’ll mix apple butter into the cookie dough and dollop some in the middle, so you get a slightly chewy, shortbread-like cookie with the baked apple butter in the middle. Totally irresistible!
If you love baking with apples, try my this old-fashioned apple crisp recipe we served at our wedding! Or, bake this moist cinnamon apple cake studded with fresh fruit in every bite.
Ingredients for Apple Butter Cookies
- Cookie dough – To make the cookie dough, you’ll cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add some vanilla extract and apple butter to get just the right texture, then add all purpose flour until just combined.
- Cinnamon sugar coating – We’ll mix apple pie spice with sugar, instead of regular cinnamon, for even more of that apple flavor.
- Apple butter – This will be added to the cookie dough, and also dropped into the center of each cookie before baking. You can use store-bought apple butter in a pinch, but homemade is always better!
How to Make Apple Butter Cookies
Prepare the Cookie Dough
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Either preheat the oven to 350F now or wait until the cookie dough is chilling in the fridge.
- In a medium bowl, cream room temperature butter with white sugar with an electric hand mixer. The butter should noticeably lighten and increase in size when properly creamed.
- Add the salt, vanilla extract, and ¼ cup apple butter and whip into the mixture. Then, add the flour and mix until the cookie dough brings itself together.
Roll and Shape
- In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon sugar.
- Roll the cookie dough into 1-ounce balls (about two tablespoons) and then roll in the cinnamon sugar.
- Place the cookie dough balls on the lined baking sheet and use your thumb, a measuring cup, or the rounded end of a rolling pin (my preference) to create a divot in the middle. Be careful not to go too far down; you still want a bit of a base.
Fill and Chill
- Spoon about 1 tsp of apple butter into each hollow. The cookies will spread out a bit, so it’s okay to really fill the indentations all the way.
- Place the sheet pans in the fridge to firm up for about 15-20 minutes.
Bake and Cool
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, then let the cookies firm up on the trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storage Suggestions
Since there is cooked apple butter in the middle, I prefer to store these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just let them come to room temperature first to bring out the fullest flavor.
Tips & Variations
Chill first. I prefer to shape and fill them before chilling, even though it is a little messy, because the dough cracks less during shaping. You can certainly refrigerate the dough first if you prefer!
Measure precisely. This recipe has so few ingredients that adjusting the quantities here or there can totally change the outcome. There’s no egg, no baking powder, and no baking soda. Again, this is more of a shortbread-style cookies, but with a little apple butter include for texture and flavor.
Use a scoop. To get consistent sized cookies, I recommend using a cookie scoop. I actually prefer a cheap lever-style scoop from IKEA. The cookies are always just the right size and it works better than fancy cookie scoops that break any time you look at them funny!
Use an infused sugar. Instead of cinnamon sugar, roll the cookies in my cardamom sugar for an aromatic note.
FAQs
Absolutely! I’ve made these with pear butter, and they turned out great. It’s really all about keeping the moisture content just right. You can even try using your favorite jam, like my caramel apple jam or cranberry sauce.
More Fall Dessert Recipes
- Apple Cider Crinkle Cookies
- Pear Butter Cookies
- Apple Crumble Scones
- Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Oatmeal Cranberry Walnut Cookies
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.
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Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup apple butter
- 2 cups flour
For the Cinnamon Sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tbs apple pie spice, or cinnamon
For the Filling
- ½ cup apple butter
Instructions
Make the Cookie Dough
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Either preheat the oven to 350F now or wait until the cookie dough is chilling in the fridge.
- In a medium bowl, cream room temperature butter with white sugar with an electric mixer. The butter should noticeably lighten and increase in size when properly creamed.1 cup unsalted butter, ½ cup white sugar
- Add the salt, vanilla extract, and ¼ cup apple butter and whip into the mixture. Then, add the flour and mix until the cookie dough brings itself together.1 pinch salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ¼ cup apple butter, 2 cups flour
- In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon sugar.¼ cup white sugar, 1 tbs apple pie spice
Roll and Shape
- Roll the cookie dough into 1-ounce balls (about two tablespoons) and then roll in the cinnamon sugar.
- Place the cookie dough balls on the lined baking sheet and use your thumb, a measuring cup, or the rounded end of a rolling pin (my preference) to create a divot in the middle. Be careful not to go too far down; you still want a bit of a base.
Fill and Chill
- Spoon about 1 tsp of apple butter into each hollow.½ cup apple butter
- Place the sheet pans in the fridge to firm up for about 15-20 minutes.
Bake and Serve
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, then let the cookies firm up on the trays before transferring to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
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🍂🍪 Want more cozy fall recipes?
My brand new recipe ebook, The Cozy Season Bakebook, has 20 seasonal bakes that taste like a love letter to fall!
You can expect all the most iconic fall flavors, like cinnamon apple, pumpkin spice, maple, pecans, and more.
It’s also intentionally low-tech and beginner-friendly, so anyone can bake along!
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