Spiked Oatmeal Apple Cookies, stuffed with fresh apples and cinnamon and fragrant with apple brandy, are the perfect fall cookie. Keep reading to see what else the Creative Cookie Exchange came up with this month!
People! So much driving lately! We have been back to Oxford–fun but exhausting, although I think it was really good for the girls–and then this past weekend we met our brand new nephew/cousin, 18 months old and just adopted by my brother in law and sister in law who live in Maryland. He is adorable, but getting back to my point, I need to just stay at home the next few weekends. It doesn’t help that on the trip to Oxford especially we hit a lot of construction and bad traffic, and everything took much longer than it should have.
I am wiped out!
I am also tired of being gone because I need more time to bake! These cookies were whipped out this past weekend, and it was not the leisurely affair that I usually prefer my baking to be. Happily they did turn out delicious results, even if getting there was frazzled.
I knew I wanted to use fresh apples, and I know using fresh fruit can make things wonky, so I went looking for a recipe to adapt from. I found a great Apple Oatmeal Cookie recipe at Live Well Bake Often, and worked from it. I knew I wanted booze in my cookies, and I knew I wanted cinnamon chips, so I started there and just played with the recipe. Of course at the last minute I had trouble finding apple brandy, so I used applejack brandy, which worked just fine. These cookies turned out thick and chewy and were a big hit with everyone but Sammy, who for some reason swore she could taste coconut in them. Ignore her, she’s crazy!
- 1 medium apple (peeled cored, and chopped into small pieces)
- 1 T apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup (96 g) AP flour
- ½ cup (70 g) white whole wheat flour
- ½ t Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 pinch pinch ground cloves
- ½ t baking soda
- ¼ t fine sea salt
- 1 ¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened,
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 T apple brandy
- 2 oz (scant 1/2 cup) white chocolate chunks*
- ¼ cup cinnamon chips*
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Prepare the apple, and then toss it in the vinegar. Set aside.
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Whisk together the flours, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. Mix in the oats. Set aside.
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Beat the butter (I prefer a stand mixer) until creamy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and beat in the brown sugar. Scrape again and beat in the granulated sugar. Scrape again and beat in the egg and brandy.
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With the mixer on the lowest speed (or using a wooden spoon), add the flour mixture in 3 additions. Before the last addition is fully incorporated, add the apple chunks. Then add in the white chocolate and cinnamon chips. Mix until fully incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed, but do not overbeat.
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Transfer the dough to an airtight container, seal, and place in the fridge for anywhere from 1 hour to 3 nights.
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When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Scoop 2-tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto a silicone or parchment lined cookie sheet. I prefer 6 cookies to a sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until set and starting to brown at edges.
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Let sit for 5 minutes on pan to cool before serving, or let let cool completely on pan.
*I used The Baker’s Kitchen’s cinnamon chips, which are more like shards and really pack into a measuring cup. They are also quite strong with a flavor similar to red hots. If you cannot find them, I recommend skipping the white chocolate chunks and using 3/4 cup traditional cinnamon chips.
One of the best things about fall–in addition to sweaters and football–is all of the delightful seasonal themes that come to mind for baking. Pumpkin, apples, late summer and early fall harvest, Halloween, Thanksgiving…. They are all fun and delicious to play around with, so check out what we have for you this month!
You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
- Apple Cranberry Crumble Bars from All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
- Pecan Pie Thumbprints from Oven Delights
- Pumpkin Date Bars from What Smells So Good?
- Momofuku Corn Cookies from Food Lust People Love
- Apple Cider Cookies with Maple Frosting from 2 Cookin Mamas
- Maple Cookies from A Baker’s House
- Caramel Apple Shortbread Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Caramelized Apple Oatmeal Cookies from A Shaggy Dough Story
- Apple and oat cookies from Flours and frostings
- Spiked Oatmeal Apple Cookies from The Spiced Life
Oh, I love how you snuck brandy in there. What a great idea! I think I could devour the whole stack. 🙂 And glad you’re back home safe and sound.
What rock have I been hiding under that I didn’t even know that “cinnamon chips” were a real thing? I will be on the look out for them to add to treats this season.
These things looks sound amazing, no matter what Sammy says! I just happen to have some Laird’s in my liquor cabinet….
This would be a perfect use for my homemade cinnamon chips! Can’t get apple brandy reliably here, but I’d swap in butterscotch schnapps (my booze of choice these days)
That sounds awesome–report back on the butterscotch schnapps!
I hate baking when I’m rushed, but relieved when my bake turns out well. This cookie is definitely is a fall cookie!
Alcohol in cookies is always a good thing :). It sounds like you have been insanely busy, but I am glad that you had time to bake these cookies. I may be a little bit like Sammy, as sometimes I can taste coconut in food that has no coconut in them. I’ll have to bake these and see if I can taste coconut.
Wow – this is such an interesting recipe Laura. My husband loves Oatmeal cookies and I don’t bake them for him hardly ever. I am so intrigued by the fresh apple and cinnamon chips in these!
I adore oatmeal cookies and the thought of adding apple brandy (which I happen to have) is quite enticing. Too bad the alcohol bakes off – maybe I’ll do a drizzle of brandy icing:)