Spiced Apple Thumbprint Cookies are soft cinnamon cookies with gooey, spiced apples on top. Drizzle caramel on top and serve these delicious apple cookies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Now that fall is almost here, we are cooking with apples and cinnamon. The combination is incredible and makes your house smell amazing too! It does take a little bit of extra work to make the homemade apple filling, but the effort is worth it.

WHAT ARE THUMBPRINT COOKIES?

The origin of thumbprint cookies is not entirely clear, but it is believed that they were first made in Sweden in the early 1900s. The cookies became popular in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s, and they have remained a favorite ever since.

Thumbprint cookies are versatile and can be made with a variety of flavors and fillings. These thumbprint cookies are made by making a soft and chewy cinnamon sugar cookie. The cookies are indented and filled with a homemade apple pie filling. Drizzle a little caramel on top and add a little extra brown sugar just before serving.

Ingredients in Spiced Apple Thumbprint Cookies

COOKIE DOUGH

Butter – Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before adding to the other ingredients. For best results, use real butter.

Sugars – You will need granulated sugar and brown sugar. For best results, make sure the brown sugar is soft and fresh. Use light brown sugar in this recipe.

Egg – One large egg will bind all of the other ingredients together.

Vanilla extract – The higher the quality of the vanilla, the better.

Flour – All-purpose flour works great.

Cinnamon – A little bit of cinnamon adds a lot of flavor to the cookies and pairs so well with the apple filling.

Baking powder – This is the leavening agent in the cookies. For best results, make sure it isn’t old or expired.

Salt – A little bit of salt will intensify all of the other flavors in the cookies.

APPLE FILLING

Apple – You will need one large apple. I prefer to use Honeycrisp or Fuji apples, but you can use a Granny Smith apple if you prefer.

Brown sugar – This is necessary for caramelizing the apples. Make sure the brown sugar is soft and fresh.

Butter – A little bit of butter adds flavor and liquid to the apple filling.

Cinnamon – Don’t leave this out! It really makes the apple filling perfect!

Water & cornstarch – You will need a little bit of water and cornstarch to thicken up the apple filling.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

Sugar – Roll each ball of cookie dough in a little bit of sugar before shaping and filling them.

Caramel ice cream topping – A drizzle of caramel ice cream topping is decorative and adds a bit of extra flavor too.

Brown sugar – A sprinkle of brown sugar on top is completely optional, but definitely a good idea!

HOW TO MAKE SPICED APPLE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH

 In a large bowl add the butter, sugar, and brown sugar and mix with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and mix just until combined.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

MAKE THE APPLE FILLING

About 10-15 minutes before you take the dough out begin making the apple filling.

Peel the apple and chop it into small pieces.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the apples, butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar and stir until the mixture is melted and begins to bubble.

Combine the water and cornstarch together and stir. Pour into the saucepan, stir, and let simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat until the mixture becomes thick. After the 5 minutes is up, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes. 

ASSEMBLE THE COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 350°.

While the apples are cooling roll out the cookie dough balls. Add 1/4 cup of sugar to a small bowl and set aside. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Scoop out 9 balls of dough and roll each into a smooth ball before dipping each one into the bowl of sugar, coating all of it. Place on the baking sheet.

 Slightly flatten the cookies with your hand and make a big indent with your finger in the middle of the cookie for the apples to sit in.

Add the apple mixture (about 1 tablespoon) into each indentation.

Add to the preheated oven and bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Drizzle caramel topping over the top of the cookies and sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on top!

Print

SPICED APPLE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Spiced Apple Thumbprint Cookies are soft cinnamon cookies with gooey, spiced apples on top. Drizzle caramel on top and serve these delicious apple cookies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Course Cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword Spiced Apple Thumbprint Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Chill Time 1 hour hour

Servings 9 cookies

Calories 339kcal

Author Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

COOKIE DOUGH

• ½ cup unsalted butter room temp
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

APPLE FILLING

• 1 large apple of your choice
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup caramel ice cream topping
• ¼ cup sugar
• Brown sugar for topping

Instructions

MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH

• In a large bowl add the butter, sugar, and brown sugar and mix with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and mix just until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

MAKE THE APPLE FILLING

• About 10-15 minutes before you take the dough out begin making the apple filling.
• Peel the apple and chop it into small pieces.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the apples, butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar and stir until the mixture is melted and begins to bubble.
• Combine the water and cornstarch together and stir. Pour into the saucepan, stir, and let simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat until the mixture becomes thick. After the 5 minutes is up, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes.

ASSEMBLE THE COOKIES

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• While the apples are cooling roll out the cookie dough balls. Add 1/4 cup of sugar to a small bowl and set aside. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Scoop out 9 balls of dough and roll each into a smooth ball before dipping each one into the bowl of sugar, coating all of it. Place on the baking sheet.
• Slightly flatten the cookies with your hand and make a big indent with your finger in the middle of the cookie for the apples to sit in. Add the apple mixture (about 1 tablespoon) into each indentation.
• Add to the preheated oven and bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Drizzle caramel topping over the top of the cookies and sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on top!

Nutrition

Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 439IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

CAN I MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH IN ADVANCE?

Yes, you can make the dough and keep it in a well-covered bowl in the fridge for up to a day in advance. So make the dough one day and bake it the next. Perfect for parties and occasions where you want fresh cookies but without being in the kitchen for too long.

DO I HAVE TO CHILL THE COOKIE DOUGH?

When recipes request that you chill your cookie dough it is usually for a good reason. That reason is that the flavor gets a bit more time to develop and the cookies taste even more incredible. But the biggest reason is because of the butter/fats in the dough. By chilling the dough we allow the fats to solidify which means your cookies will not spread out as much while baking, so the texture turns out perfectly. This is especially important on warmer days or when your butter is warm or softened.

How to store Spiced Apple Thumbprint Cookies

Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

WHAT ARE SOME VARIATIONS OF THUMBPRINT COOKIES?

Thumbprint cookies are a versatile treat that can be customized in many ways. Here are some popular variations:

Filling Variations. The filling is the most customizable part of thumbprint cookies. Here are some popular filling variations:

• Fruit preserves: The classic filling for thumbprint cookies is fruit preserves. Popular flavors include raspberry, strawberry, and apricot.
• Chocolate: For a chocolatey twist, fill the thumbprint with melted chocolate or chocolate ganache.
• Caramel: For a rich and buttery flavor, fill the thumbprint with homemade or store-bought caramel.

Topping Variations. The topping is the final touch on thumbprint cookies and can also be customized. Here are some popular topping variations:

• Chopped nuts: For a crunchy texture, sprinkle chopped nuts on top of the filling.
• Powdered sugar: For a sweet and simple topping, dust the cookies with powdered sugar.
• Glaze: For a shiny and sweet topping, drizzle the cookies with a simple glaze made of powdered sugar and milk.

MORE DELICIOUS APPLE COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY:

• CHUNKY CINNAMON APPLE COOKIES
• CARAMEL APPLE CAKE MIX COOKIES
• SNICKERDOODLE APPLE PIE COOKIE CUPS
• APPLE CINNAMON SCOOKIES
• CARAMEL APPLE SNICKERDOODLES
• APPLE CINNAMON OATMEAL COOKIES
• APPLE SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES
• APPLE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
• CARAMEL APPLE GINGERBREAD COOKIES
• VANILLA GLAZED SPICED APPLE COOKIES
• BUTTERSCOTCH APPLE COOKIES
• CARAMEL APPLE OATMEAL COOKIES
• APPLE PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES
• SPICED APPLE COOKIES

Spiced Apple Thumbprint Cookies are soft cinnamon cookies with gooey, spiced apples on top. Drizzle caramel on top and serve these delicious apple cookies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

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