Live Well Bake Often

learn to bake like a pro!

Join over 11,202 other bakers on my exclusive e-mail list!

  • Receive easy to follow recipes
  • Simple tips for easier, more successful treats
  • PLUS, you'll receive my guide 5 Baking Shortcuts Every Baker Needs to Know - all for free!

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

~ 115 Comments

Pin82.24K
Share1.72K
Yum691
Stumble

These thick, soft, and chewy apple oatmeal cookies are guaranteed to be your new favorite cookie for fall!

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Do you ever have those days where you feel like nothing is working in your favor?  I think I can honestly say that I felt this way this past weekend.  I went to the store early to get some groceries and got to work in the kitchen testing recipes.  After a few failed recipe attempts, I was about to throw in the towel when I saw a few apples and a container of oats sitting on my kitchen counter.

My mind immediately went back to the delicious Apple Spice Whoopie Pies my friend Michelle posted and these Cinnamon Caramel Apple Cookies another friend Jess posted.  I immediately knew that an apple oatmeal cookie had to happen and immediately.

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

I quickly gathered some oatmeal cookie ingredients and made a batch, then tossed in some chopped apple.  Once these came out of the oven, I felt like I finally had a winning recipe.  But once I took a bite of the cookies?  I immediately knew I had a winning recipe!

I won’t admit how many cookies I actually ate, but lets just say I had to take the rest to work to get them out of the house as quickly as possible.  The verdict?  Everyone else loved them too!

Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Just like some of my other cookie recipes, I let the dough chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.  Not only does it make the dough a bit easier to work with, but the cookies also bake up thicker too.

I usually bake most of my cookies for about 10 minutes, but I found that these need to bake just a bit longer (mine were perfect right at 13 minutes).  But no worries about over baking these, the chopped apple in these cookies helps to keep them super soft for several days!

4.8 from 20 reviews
Apple Oatmeal Cookies
 
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Print
 
These thick, soft, and chewy apple oatmeal cookies are guaranteed to be your new favorite cookie for fall!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 and ¾ cup (175 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 medium apple (120 grams), peeled, cored, and chopped into small pieces
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla, making sure to mix well after each ingredient.
  3. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in the oats, then the chopped apple until fully combined.
  4. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silipat mat.
  6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and scoop two tablespoon sized pieces of dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
  7. Baked at 350 for 12-14 minutes.
  8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Store cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days.

This recipe will make about 22-24 cookies.

 

Pin82.24K
Share1.72K
Yum691
Stumble

Comments

  5. I totally have those days or even weeks when recipes I’m developing just don’t go right and it’s a real downer! These cookies definitely look like winners. Oatmeal cookies are one my favorite, and with chopped apples they look irresistible! Pinned. 🙂

    Reply

  7. These do look like the perfect cookies! I hate when I have kitchen fails, it can be so disheartening but it looks like something great came out of it! I’ve never put apples in cookeis before but I love these )

    Reply

  8. These apple oatmeal cookies look just gorgeous, Danielle! I made a similar version last year, though I will have to try your recipe out. I love how thick and chewy these are! At least your recipe fails resulted in these amazing cookies, right? 🙂

    Reply

  22. I’m trying this recipe out because it looks and sounds so yummy. Is it OK to make the cookie dough the night before and leave in the fridge till the morning to then bake?

    Reply

    • Hi Joann! Normally I would say it’s okay to refrigerate cookie dough overnight. But since this recipe has chopped apples in it, I’m not sure because I haven’t tried it. I didn’t have any problems refrigerating it for 30-45 minutes, so it may work. I wish I could be more help.

      Reply

      • Danielle,

        To confirm, the cookies were FANTASTIC! Even leaving the dough in the fridge overnight……I baked them about 4pm and they were a total success!

        Than you for the aweso

        Reply

          • So glad to hear that, Joann! It’s always great when readers comment back to let me know if something works and it’s also helpful for other readers too. Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂

  24. GREAT cookie for the whole family!
    I used to make a cookie like this in college so I was looking for a similar recipe when I found yours.
    They were a great hit! Thanks for posting.

    I used a little less cinnamon and nutmeg for this batch because it seemed like a lot to me (and I haven’t tried your recipes before), but I’ll trust your measurements next time! 🙂

    Reply

  25. I just came across this recipe and it looks fantastic! Thank you for sharing.

    Do you know if these cookies freeze well?

    Reply

    • Hi, Jackie! I haven’t tried freezing them yet, I’m not quite sure how well they would freeze with the chopped apples in them. If you do give it a try, I’d love to hear!

      Reply

      • Hi Danielle,

        I finally was able to try out your recipe. The cookies turned out DELICIOUS! I am so happy I made them. I have frozen several of them and they freeze well. I honestly don’t notice much of a difference between fresh and frozen. I will definitely be making these cookies again! Thank you again!

        Reply

        • I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Jackie! I’m happy to hear that they freeze well too, that will be so helpful for others who may want to freeze them too! Thanks for sharing 🙂

          Reply

    • I typically use a Gala or Granny Smith apple, but any kind will work! Feel free to use your favorite 🙂

      Reply

  28. These cookies are awesome! My husband loved them so making a batch for him to take to the office. Thanks for the recipe, now a family favorite!

    Reply

  29. Hi Danielle,

    I just found your recipe and I want to try these right away ! ! ! They look so yummy !

    What apples did you use for this recipe ? Or which one do you recommend ?

    Thank you !

    Reply

    • Hi Vera! I typically have Granny Smith or Gala apples on hand and use either one of those. Feel free to use your favorite though 🙂

      I’d love to hear how you like them too!

      Reply

  30. Having received an abundance of apples from my brother’s trees this year, I’ve tried some new apple recipes.
    I made these last night and they are absolutely delicious!!! Recipe is a keeper 🙂

    Reply

  31. Danielle, you and your site are now my best friend! I made these a couple weeks ago and ever since then I’ve had nothing but those apple cookies on my mind! I’m making them again right now! I found an apple I want to use called a Sweetie Apple! I’m so excited to make them and top them with a Browned butter frosting…oooohhhh…it’s heaven! I ate more of the last batch then all 3 of my kids…combined!! Thank you for ALL these perfected yummy treats you have infused with your time, energy, and love! As my husband always says..you can tell when it’s made with love! Thank you a million times over! You’re amazing!

    Reply

    • Stephanie, thank you so much for the kind comment! I appreciate this SO much! And now I think I need to go make another batch of these cookies and some browned butter frosting to go on them because that sounds incredible!

      Reply

  32. Hi. 🙂 I made these last night and am having some right now with my coffee. Mine aren’t as pretty as in your pictures, but they taste delicious. I’ll certainly make them again.

    Reply

  33. Do these need to be refrigerated after cooking? I wasn’t sure with the apples. And are they supposed to come out on the softer side when done?

    Reply

    • I usually just store them on the counter, they’ll keep for 2-3 days. But you can certainly refrigerate them if you like! And they are on the softer side because of the apples in them 🙂

      Reply

  34. Hello! I’m looking to make these in a few days for a housewarming party, and I’m super excited about it! I do plan to double the recipe for the number of people that will be there. My question is, what should be considered a medium size apple? I have an extra large (395 g) apple, but I want to make sure I’m not adding too much or too little.

    Thank you for your lovely blog post and recipe!

    Reply

    • Hi, Kierra! I weighed a few of my medium sized apples (with the peel and core) and they were about 180-200 grams. When I do peel, core, and chop them I usually end up with about 1 cup. So if you’re doubling this recipe it would probably be okay to use the whole apple you have, since it’s about twice the size of mine. Hope your housewarming party goes well!

      Reply

  35. Made these sometime last year, and was craving them again this weekend. Whipped up a batch (with the help of my sidekick-toddler) and they were a hit yet again! Used honeycrisp apples (our favorite!) and everyone at the office wanted the recipe. Perfect texture and just enough sweet that isn’t overwhelming.

    Reply

  36. Greetings from the sunny south coast of England! I have just made these – delicious! Maybe it was something in my translation from cups to weight, etc, but the dough ended up a little tight, so I added another egg and some milk. They taste fabulous – chewy and gorgeous. I also drizzled them with a sugar glaze, as I had some icing sugar in the cupboard. Many thanks for the recipe – will certainly be doing them again.

    Reply

    • Love the idea of using some brown butter icing on these cookies, Vanessa! So glad you liked the cookies too! 🙂

      Reply

  40. Went apple picking a few weeks ago and still have a few left so I wanted to bake some kind of cookie using apples. I just whipped this up in 15 minutes let sit in the fridge while oven preheated. Already on my 4th cookie! Hopefully there are still some left for my kid when she gets home from school! Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!

    Reply

  41. Thanks for this receipe, absolutely delicious. Wanted to do something different with the apples we got from the farm. Will definitely make these again.

    Reply

  42. These are delicious! I doubled it, left out the granulated sugar (wasn’t sure what that was) and added another apple. Almost left out half the butter too, but caught that just before adding the oats. Quickly creamed some up and stirred it into the mixture.

    Reply

  43. These were very good! I was searching for a recipe that used fresh apples instead of dried, and called for ingredients that you always have on hand. These were so easy and I love that you get a little morsel of fresh apple with each bite. They baked up perfectly, following your recipe as written, no substitutions! I had some caramel topping on hand and drizzled a teaspoon or so on the top of each cookie after they cooled. Caramel apple cookies. They were pretty amazing. 🙂

    Reply

      • Just in case anyone thought about trying the caramel idea, please note that the drizzled cookies were good for the first few hours, then the caramel topping soaked into the cookie. 🙁 They still tasted good, but they were rather sticky! Next time I’m going to make a caramel glaze to drizzle over them.

        Reply

        • Oh no! You could try mixing the caramel with some powdered sugar and that should help it set up as more of a glaze.

          Reply

  44. Made these cookies today. Saw cinnamon chips at the store, and threw them in. These cookies are awesome!!!! This is a keeper. Thanks.

    Reply

  46. I thought that I saw alternative ingredients for gluten free apple oatmeal cookies. Could you please email or post those ingredients. The cookies are so good and make a great breakfast cookie. A friend needs gluten free for her daughter who loves cookies. Thank you so much. My grandchildren love these cookies

    Reply

    • Hi, Sandy. I’m so glad your grandchildren loved the cookies! I don’t have much experience with gluten-free baking, so I can’t really give any suggestions for substitutions. You may be able to use gluten-free flour and oats, but I haven’t tried it before so it’s hard to say how they will turn out.

      Reply

  48. I made this recipe yesterday and I was not overly impressed. Although my wife toughly enjoyed them. I thought them to be lacking in apple, cinnamon and oatmeal flavor. They were also too fluffy, like a cake. If I were to use this recipe again I would definitely tweak it so it would not rise as much. I realized after making this recipe I prefer flatter and crisper oatmeal cookies. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

    Reply

    • Sorry to hear that you didn’t like the cookies as much, Arlo. The moisture in the apples is what makes these cookies softer and gives them a slightly cakier texture. I haven’t tried it yet, but you may be able to use freeze-dried apple pieces to get the apple flavor but keep the flatter, crispier cookie.

      Reply

  49. Oh my! Made these and they turned out exactly like the ones pictured. They are absolutely delicious!!! I used ruby frost apples. Next time I am going to try using white whole wheat flour and a little less sugar to make them a tad healthier so I can feel less guilty eating four of them at a time, lol.

    Reply

    • I’m glad you liked the cookies, Katy! I haven’t tried ruby frost apples yet, I’ll have to keep an eye out for them! I think white whole wheat flour would be fine and you can reduce the sugar by 2-3 tablespoons too next time if you like.

      Reply

  50. Got my gf to make these and they were awesome. Used two honey crisp apples, may add some apple pie spice next time and leave our apples little more coarse. But great recipe. Thanks.

    Reply

  51. I have never written to comment on anything but after making these cookies I just had to say thank you. I followed the recipe exactly and can say these are the best cookies I have ever had. I am not much of a baker and was browsing for something easy to make with ingredients I had on hand. I’m so happy I came across this recipe. Everyone loves them. Kudos!

    Reply

  52. These are truly delicious! My 3 year old son woke me up wanting to bake and his choice was apple cookies. I googled and found your recipe first and am so glad we chose it. Next time I make them I’ll be turning some into ice cream sandwiches with a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two. They taste like, if not better than, apple crumble. Yum!!

    Reply

    • How fun to bake these cookies with your son, Christin! I love the idea of turning these into ice cream sandwiches too. The cookies are kind of soft, so I think they would work perfectly!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

healthy favorites

These easy Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies have no butter or flour! These cookies are also sweetened with coconut sugar and are perfect for a healthier dessert.
This Blueberry Banana Baked Oatmeal is easy to make and perfect for a quick, healthy breakfast or snack throughout the week!
These Chocolate Espresso Almond Clusters are filled with semi-sweet chocolate, espresso powder, and crunchy almonds. These clusters are perfect for an easy dessert or snack!
Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars