by Nicole Crocker 4 Comments
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Apple Pie meets cookie. This buttery melt in your mouth Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookie Recipe is the perfect Fall treat.
Thumbprint Cookie Recipes are a family favorite in our home. There is just something about that buttery melt in your mouth flavor that makes you want to keep going back for more.
The great thing about a good Thumbprint Cookie Recipe is once you have a good base the variations are endless. Some of our favorite Thumbprint Cookie Recipes are Lemon Curd, Salted Caramel Turtle and Peppermint Kiss.
However with Autumn in the air I was craving a Festive Fall Flavor Thumbprint Cookie.
Here in the Northeast everyone has traded in their flip flops and bathing suits for plaid shirts and boots. Corn Stalks, hay bales, pumpkins and mums adorn front entryways. And orchards are brimming with apples.
So I thought what better festive flavor than an Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookie Recipe.
How do you make the perfect Thumbprint Cookie?
Thumbprint Cookies are very simple to make. There are a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned though.
To prevent getting too many cracks in my cookies there are a couple things I like to do.
First of all many recipes will ask you to chill your dough before baking your cookies. I actually like to chill my cookies on the cookie sheet after I’ve already rolled, pressed my thumbprint in them and filled them.
I find that when the dough is soft I get less cracking when I roll and press them. It’s also easier to fix any small cracks when the dough is soft.
Another trick to making the perfect Thumbprint Cookie is baking them with the filling in them. This tip is really only when you are using fruit and jam type fillings.
You can fill them after, however the issue with that is they will rise a bit during baking. Therefore you will need to press your thumbprint in again. This can sometimes cause some cracking . Baking with the filling in them will also set the filling.
What’s the best variety of apple to use for Apple Pie Filling?
I used Macintosh apples to make my Apple Pie Filling however there are many varieties that work well. Some other choices are Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Roma, Jonathan, Jonagold, and Braeburn to name a few. For more on good apple varieties for baking click here.
Apple Pie meets cookie. This buttery melt in your mouth Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookie Recipe is the perfect Fall treat.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword apples,butter,cinnamon
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes minutes
Cooling Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 32 minutes minutes
Servings 40 Cookies
Calories 91kcal
Author Nicole Crocker
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- 2 Sticks Unsalted Butter ,softened
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 Cups All purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
For the Apple Pie Filling
- 2 Medium Apples ,peeled, cored and diced
- 1/4-1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
- Juice from half a lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon Corn Starch
Topping
- Store bought or homemade Caramel topping to drizzle on top ,optional
Instructions
For Apple Pie Filling
Place apples,lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon in a small sauce pan. Cook on medium high heat until it begins to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until apples are tender. * Cook time may vary depending on apple variety.
Mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water and mix to dissolve. Stir into apple mixture and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
For the Cookie Dough
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
Cream butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Add yolks and vanilla, and beat for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour and salt until combined.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet. Press finger or thumb into center of each dough ball to make an indentation.
Fill about 1 teaspoon of Apple Pie Filling in each cookie. Place tray in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
Remove from fridge and bake for 12-15 minutes on center rack of oven.
Remove from oven and let cool for 3 minutes.
Use a spatula to remove cookies from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack and cool completely.
One cooled top with a drizzle of caramel sauce. Store bought or homemade recipe can be used. Click here for my homemade Salted Caramel Recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 20mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Are you craving a little Festive Fall Flavor? Whip up a batch of these Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookies and feed your craving!
