Apple Cookies – Яблочное Печенье

Apple cookies are a wonderful treat any time of the year. The buttery cookies have bits of soft apples all throughout and are absolutely perfect with a warm cup of coffee or cold glass of milk. I love packing them up for a lunch box treat.

Apple Cookies

Apple cookies are just the thing to make when you need a quick treat. On my parents property, they have numerous apple trees. As I was growing up, we would pick so many apples in the autumn and make all kinds of great things from apples – apple sauce, dried apple chips and Apple Sharlotka. To this day, I still love baking with apples. Whenever the kitchen starts to smell sweet from baked apples, it brings me back to those warm memories of picking apples with my siblings in the crisp and sunny autumn days.

These cookies have such an uncomplicated loveliness – simple and quick to make and taste just as straightforward but enticingly tasty. I found the recipe from a Russian recipe forum and have been making them for years. They aren’t too sweet, have a wonderful buttery vanilla flavor and are medium soft. With a dusting of powdered sugar and soft bits of baked apples throughout the cookies, you will find yourself reaching for more than one handful.

Pack them up in your kids’ lunchbox, enjoy them both at home and at work and since apples are available all year long, you can enjoy them during the cold and warm seasons.

Ingredients For Apple Cookies:

  • eggs – large eggs, make sure they are room temperature
  • granulated sugar
  • vanilla extract
  • butter – melted and slightly cooled
  • all purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • salt
  • apples – any type of apples will work in this recipe
  • powdered sugar, to dust the cookies
Ingredients for Apple Cookies

How To Make Apple Cookies

  1. Mix the eggs and sugar. In a stand mix with a whisk attachment or using a large bowl and a hand mixer, mix until the eggs are pale yellow and fluffy and the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the vanilla and butter. The butter should not be too hot. Mix until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix to combine. The batter will be really thick and stiff.
  5. Chop the apples into small pieces. (If you chop the apples too big, they will be harder to mix into the dough and won’t bake through all the way in the cookies.) Using a large wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, mix the apples into the batter. They will be harder to mix at first, but as the apples get interspersed in the batter, the batter will get softer and you’ll be able to mix it all in evenly.
  6. Drop the cookies by heaping Tablespoon amounts onto a parchment lined baking sheet. A cookie scoop is perfect for this. Flatten them out slightly on top.
  7. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes in the preheated (375 degrees Fahrenheit oven). They will still look really pale on top and will be golden on the bottom. Don’t over bake the cookies.
How to make Apple Cookies, step by step photo tutorial

Serving and Storing the Cookies

Dust the cookies with powdered sugar when they have cooled off. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days, although they will taste the best and have the best texture the first 1-2 days. You can leave them uncovered the first day and then store in a paper bag or wrapped in a clean kitchen towel or container.

Just like most cookies, you can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Apple Cookies - soft buttery cookies with apples and a dusting of powdered sugar.

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Apple Cookies

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4.8 from 6 reviews

Simple apple cookies that are such a treat any time of the year. They are wonderful to enjoy with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. Buttery, not too sweet and with bits of soft apple throughout the cookies, these cookies are great to enjoy at home or to pack in a lunchbox.

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 55 mins
  • Yield: 55 cookies 1x
  • Category: Sweets

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 – 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 8 oz. (1 cup) butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 3 cups of finely chopped apples)
  • Powdered sugar, to dust the cookies

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, mix the eggs and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the vanilla and butter. Mix to combine.
  4. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the dough just until incorporated. The batter will be stiff.
  5. Cut the apples into very small cubes right before adding to the dough to prevent browning as much as possible. Add the apples and mix with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to combine.
  6. Place heaping tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. (A cookie scoop is great to use for shaping the cookie batter and dropping onto the baking sheet.)
  7. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until just beginning to brown around the edges. They will still be pale on top.
  8. Dust with powdered sugar. Store at room temperature for about 5 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Did you make this recipe?

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Apple Cookies copy

This is an updated version of the Apple Cookies recipe that was published originally on May 14, 2012. The recipe is the same; I updated the photos and clarified the instructions

56 Comments

      • Natalia Lazarchuk

        Thank you so much! By the way, love your recipes so far ( I’m new to this blog). I appreciate the directions with pictures posted for every step because I am a novice when it comes to baking. You are very thorough. I made your “Spartak” cake last weekend along with the bees and it was gorgeous. Was gone in one day. This weekend I’m planning to make the lady fingers cake for our 4 yr anniversary. Looking forward to eating it! God Bless….

  • Marina

    I made these cookies yesterday for kids as an after school snack. They were so quick to make. Instead of chopping the apples I just shredded them on the shredder. Kids really loved them warm. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!!!

  • Alla

    I was making this and realized it called for baking powder, but the instructions said baking soda, which one did you use? Thanks

  • Ilona

    I just made these and they came out delicious.. I love baking with apples as well and love that these are so easy to make and so moist..Thanks for sharing this!

  • Diana

    I was wondering if you could share the recipe for Sharltka?? I am definitely going to try these cookies out!! especially in the fall and winter months:) I was looking through your recipes and more than half of them my mom makes exactly the same!!

  • Olga G

    Hi Olga! I wanted to try making these without the apples. Do you think the batter will still be ok without them? My kids don’t like fruit in cookies. I’ve made them once before and they picked all the apples out and ate the cookie part.

    • olgak7

      Ha ha!
      I’ve never made them without apples, but I’m pretty sure the cookies will be fine without them. You could try them with nuts, raisins or chocolate chips, etc.

  • bella

    Hi Olga! I made these cookies yesterday, they are amazingly delicious!! my parents plant apple trees as well so we have apples in the house all year round 🙂 and this was a wonderful way that made even those who don’t like apple, including my 2y.o. son, fall in love with them! can’t wait to try other recipes from your blog! Thank you for sharing 🙂

    • Maggie Mae

      Hey there, this is probably a silly question. But is it 1 3/4 cup of sugar or just 3/4 cup? I’m so excited to try these cookies! Thank you so much!

      • olgak7

        The amount of sugar depends on how sweet you like your cookies. I use 3/4 cup, but you can use more. I think 1 3/4 is way too sweet, but that’s just my opinion.

  • Olga

    Olga, what kind of flour did you use? ….cause I used all purpose flour…and 4cups were kinda too much…so nxt time will just add less…or maybe eggs were smaller…don’t know. But still cookies were tasty 🙂

  • Lena

    I made these today and they are good! Very quick and easy to make. Mine weren’t as pretty though. How did u make yours nice and round? Ps cook time on the printable part says 40 min

    • olgak7

      Hi Lena!
      I’m so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the cookies.
      To make them round, just roll the dough around in your hands to make a round shape before placing them on the baking sheet.
      As for the cooking time, 40 minutes would be the total baking time, since you are baking multiple baking sheets of cookies, not just once, for 12-14 minutes. It would actually take slightly longer if you bake them for 14 minutes.

  • Beth

    Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. My Girl Scouts have Russia for World Thinking Day and trying to come up with Russian food was not going so well, until I found your blog! The cookies are sure to be a hit. I did end up using a Granny Smith apple and they turned out great!

  • Irina

    So delicious , will be making them again and will add chopped nuts for a little crunch. Thanks for the post.

  • Elena Mae

    Hi Olga! My son is getting married to a wonderful Russian girl and I wanted to represent her country at the cookie table. What cookies would you suggest and do they freeze well; I’m sure we will have to make some ahead of time because of time restraints!
    Thanks!

  • Ilona

    We loved these cookies! The only problem is that with our oven it took several check and over 20 minutes of baking in total. For some reason it just takes longer to bake anything.
    I know this is an old recipe, so you probably already heard it, but just in case – I’ve read somewhere that you can sprinkle cut apples with lemon to prevent browning. I tried it once, works pretty well.

    • olgak7

      I’m not sure, Maria, since I’ve never frozen these cookies myself for sure. I usually freeze the cookie dough, which works GREAT, but have never tried freezing the baked cookies. If you try it, please let me know if it works:).

  • Inna

    Hi Olga! These cookies are delicious and soft and easy to make it. Everyone loved them. Just baked them about 30 minutes. Thank you for wonderful recipe.

  • Andrew Baalman

    Hi Olga, I just had some Russian Apple Jam from a Russian Military Ration; and it was amazing. I’ve been curious about eating and trying some ancestral food from Russia, so got some Rations, and it was amazing. Where can I find the Apple Jam in the United States? I’ve been searching, but haven’t found it yet. Bought some Apple Butter and love that stuff. If you can let me know, that will be a great help.

  • Lori Kurochkina

    Olga! These cookies were perfect, thank you for sharing! We will call them печенье шарлотка 🙂 My husband dislikes cinnamon, so it is hard for me to find apple recipes that do not include cinnamon. This was easy to make, and I actually prefer this with tea, more so than Charlotka.



  • Valentina Kolker

    my husband who is not a fan of baked apples ate 3 huge cookies. This recipe is a keeper! Highly recommend to try it.



  • Inna

    Hello Olga,
    Do you think it would be OK to use coconut oil in place of butter? (love the recipe, but need it to be dairy free). Thanks a lot in advance.

    • olgak7

      I have never tried it, but I don’t think it will work. Coconut oil will most likely give these cookies a completely different texture and flavor. I would recommend trying vegan butter instead. It usually works much better in baking recipes if you need to substitute. Butter is a pretty significant ingredient in this recipe, so that’s what I would start with, although I haven’t tried it myself.

  • Debbie

    Hi Olga. My husband loved the combination of apple and cinnamon, how much cinnamon should I add to this recipe? Thanks



  • SD

    These were good but definitely adding more sure next time per my kids and the neighbor kids. I would use 1 1/4 C (maybe even up to 1 1/2C). I also switched the powder sugar to powered sugar with cinnamon and I think it gave it that extra flavor.



  • spotify premium app

    I just made these apple cookies and they turned out amazing! The flavors are so comforting and perfect for fall. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe, Olga! Can’t wait to try more from your blog!

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