Apple Oatmeal Cookies
These thick and soft apple oatmeal cookies are guaranteed to be your new favorite cookie for fall. These cookies are perfectly spiced and incredibly easy to make too!
When it comes to cookies, one of my favorites would have to be oatmeal cookies. There’s something so comforting about biting into one that they’re almost impossible to resist. So today I wanted to share a fall inspired version with this apple oatmeal cookie recipe!
Why You Will Love These Cookies
- They’re super soft and delicious
- You get chunks of apples in every bite
- There’s no dough chilling required
- These cookies are made with simple ingredients
Not only are these cookies incredibly easy to make, but they taste incredible too. I’m also sharing everything you need to know for how to freeze this cookie dough and change up the recipe to make it your own!
How To Make Apple Oatmeal Cookies
To make these cookies, you’ll start by whisking together some flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Then, stir in some old-fashioned rolled oats. Set the mixture aside and prepare the wet ingredients.
For the wet ingredients, you’ll mix together a stick of butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for one to two minutes or until they’re well combined. Then, you’ll mix in a room temperature egg and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. I suggest stopping and scraping down your bowl, then mixing again to ensure that all of the wet ingredients are well combined.
Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix the two together until just combined. Then, just peel, core, and chop a medium apple into bite-sized pieces (about 1 cup) and mix in into your cookie dough.
Once the dough is ready, scoop it onto two baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. I prefer to use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop for these cookies because it’s the perfect size. The cookies will take about 12 to 15 minutes in the oven, you will know they are done when the tops of the cookies look set.
I prefer to let my cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before I transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. But let’s be honest, these cookies are really delicious while they’re still warm too!
Freezing Instructions
I get a lot of questions about whether or not it’s okay to freeze the cookie dough or baked cookies since these have chopped apples in them. These answer is yes!
How To Freeze The Cookie Dough:
Once the cookie dough is ready, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop the cookie dough onto it. Slightly flatten each ball of cookie dough, then place the baking sheet with the cookie dough in the freezer. Once the dough is frozen, store it in a freezer bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake the cookie dough, you can bake it from frozen and just add 1 to 2 extra minutes of baking time if needed.
How To Freeze The Baked Cookies:
Once the cookies have cooled completely, store the cookies in a freezer bag. For extra reassurance that they don’t stick to each other, you can place a piece of parchment paper between each layer of cookies. When you’re ready to enjoy the cookies, place them on the counter for a few hours and allow them to come to room temperature.
Recipe Variations
While these apple oatmeal cookies are fantastic just the way that they are, there are a few ways that you can change them up! Here are some of my favorite variations:
- Make sandwich cookies and use my homemade vanilla buttercream frosting in the center
- Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cinnamon baking chips to the cookie dough
- Once the cookies have cooled completely top them with a maple cinnamon glaze
Baking Tips
- When measuring your flour, make sure to spoon and level it into your measuring cup. Too much flour can lead to super thick cookies that won’t spread very much in the oven.
- Any kind of baking apple is fine in these cookies! My favorite options are Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Granny Smith.
- I suggest peeling and coring your apple first, then chopping it into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Don’t have any nutmeg on hand? You can omit it from the recipe or replace it with another 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Keep in mind that the chopped apples add moisture to these cookies, so they’re best eaten the same day you make them. However, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
More Cookie Recipes To Try!
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Lemon Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Classic No-Bake Cookies
Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 3/4 cups (175 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120 grams) chopped apple
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Stir in the old-fashioned rolled oats and set aside.
- Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes or until fully combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract, making sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped apple until fully incorporated into the cookie dough.
- Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
I just made these using Namaste GF Flour Blend and they were spectacular GF cookies! Thanks for a great recipe!
Glad to hear that the gluten-free flour worked well for you, Sue! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I don’t have old fashioned rolled oats on hand, but I have the Quick 1 Minute Quaker Oats. Do you think using the Quaker Oats will make a big difference?
The cookies won’t be quite as chewy and it may make the cookie dough a little drier.
Hi Danielle, I let my dough chill a couple of hours, but it still seemed *very* moist! I baked some anyway (only 3 as a test batch) and they definitely seem overly cakey and didn’t spread much or get rounded like yours. I used an average size Honeycrisp apple, didn’t measure or weigh it since I like apples alot, but pretty sure I added too much and thats why the dough is too moist. Any ideas how to fix? I saw this recipe post then the alattafood one for whoopie pies, but decided to use this recipe to make these into “pies” since I don’t like the processed ingredients of using cake mixes. I added a little extra butter, tablespoons of flour, and brown sugar, and another test is in the oven now. Hmm!
If the dough is too moist, it’s likely that there’s just too much chopped apple in it. The only thing I could suggest to fix it is to make more cookie dough (minus the apple) and mix it in with the dough that you have. These cookies are also a little cakey since the chopped apples add some moisture to them. If you make them again you can measure out the chopped apples, it should come out to about 1 cup. You can also slightly flatten them to help them spread too.
Juts found this recipe, I too am in the South Of England where we have had a bumper crop of apples this year, so was looking for recipes to help me use them all up. Like a previous user I too needed to add extra egg as the dough was too dry, I think she’s right, its in the translation. I’ll take her advice and add a little milk next time too. Love this recipe, would be interested to know the average nutrition per cookie?? (especially carbs and sugar)
Hi, Lindy! I’m glad you liked the cookies! It may just be because of the difference in the size of the eggs, but the cookie dough certainly shouldn’t be dry. I’m not sure on the nutrition, but you can plug it into an online calculator to get an estimate.
I just made these and HOLY MOLY they are good! I’m not much of a baker, but if you tasted these you’d have no idea. Thank you thank you!
So glad you liked the cookies, Katie!
Would these freeze ok? Hoping to make a batch in advance of when I need them. Looks delicious!
Yes, you can thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter until they come to room temperature.
can you leave the peel on the apple?
That would be fine! I just prefer the pieces of apples without the peel in these cookies, but it would still be fine to leave it.
These cookies are delicious! They were a big hit with my three kids and at the get together we brought them to.
So happy to hear that, Rebecca! This is one of my favorite cookie recipes 🙂
OMG these are amazing!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked the cookies, Colette!
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!!
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!
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!
Thank you, Chris! I’m glad you liked the cookies!
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.
Apple pie spice would work great in these cookies, David! I’m glad you liked them.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yum! These sound great!
Thank you, Stephanie!
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
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.
Sorry *can I add raisins in this too?
That would be fine! I would start with 1/2 cup and then add more if needed.
Thank you!
Made these cookies today. Saw cinnamon chips at the store, and threw them in. These cookies are awesome!!!! This is a keeper. Thanks.
Cinnamon chips are a great idea, Karyn! I’m glad you liked the cookies!
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. 🙂
Caramel is always a great idea, Tina! I’m glad you liked the cookies!
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.
Oh no! You could try mixing the caramel with some powdered sugar and that should help it set up as more of a glaze.
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.
I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies, Maddy! Granulated sugar is just another term for regular white sugar 🙂
Thanks for this receipe, absolutely delicious. Wanted to do something different with the apples we got from the farm. Will definitely make these again.
So glad you liked the cookies! These are one of my favorites!
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!
That’s so wonderful to hear, Megan! So glad you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
Just made these to welcome autumn in our home! They’re delish!!! Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
So glad you liked the cookies, Anna! Definitely a great way to welcome fall 🙂
The perfect complement to these is a drizzle of brown butter icing. Amazing cookies!
Love the idea of using some brown butter icing on these cookies, Vanessa! So glad you liked the cookies too! 🙂
Hi! Thank you so much for this recipe. Made them last night and they were soo good =)
So glad you enjoyed the cookies, Mara! 🙂
Hi, does it matter if I skip on the nutmeg?! I don’t have any!
That will be fine, Mary!
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.
So glad you enjoyed the cookies, Susannah! The sugar glaze sounds like a great touch!
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.
Love that you made these with your toddler, Jen! I’m so glad you liked the cookies too 🙂
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!
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!
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?
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 🙂
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.
So glad you enjoyed the cookies, Julie. As long as they taste delicious, that’s all that matters! 🙂