Chewy Apple Cider Cookies
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These Apple Cider Cookies are soft, chewy, and full of delicious fall flavor! They’re made with reduced apple cider, melted butter, brown sugar, and warm spices, then rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. The apple cider gives them a wonderful flavor, and the centers stay perfectly chewy with lightly crisp edges. If you love snickerdoodles and apple cider doughnuts, I think you’re going to love these cookies!
Why I Made These Apple Cider Cookies
After a recent trip to the apple orchard, I came home with some fresh apple cider and immediately started thinking about what I could bake with it. Of course, drinking it is delicious, but I wanted to turn it into something a little different.
I love baking with apples this time of year. My Apple Pie Bars are another favorite when I want those cozy apple and cinnamon flavors, but this time I wanted to experiment with the cider itself.
That’s when I started looking into reducing apple cider. I had never done it before, and now I’m wondering why I waited so long! Simmering apple cider until it becomes a concentrated syrup brings out so much apple flavor without adding too much liquid to your baked goods.
I knew I wanted to make a cookie similar to a snickerdoodle, with a cinnamon sugar coating and a soft, chewy center. Not cakey, not crispy, just a really good chewy cookie.
It took me two batches to get these right, but I’m so happy with how they turned out!
Getting That Perfect Chewy Texture
My first batch of apple cider cookies was really good, but something wasn’t quite right. The centers were a little too doughy, and the cookies tasted more flour-forward than I wanted.
So, back to the kitchen I went!
I adjusted the sugar ratios to create a better balance between the granulated sugar and brown sugar. The result was exactly what I was hoping for: cookies with a slightly crisp cinnamon sugar exterior and soft, chewy centers that didn’t taste underbaked.
A couple of ingredients make a big difference here.
Melted butter helps create a denser, chewier cookie rather than a light, fluffy one. I also use an extra egg yolk, which adds richness and helps give the centers that wonderful chewy texture.
I use dark brown sugar because I love the deeper molasses flavor it brings to these cookies. It also helps keep them soft and chewy. However, light brown sugar works perfectly well if that’s what you have in your pantry.
And don’t skip the cinnamon sugar coating! It gives the outside of the cookies just a little texture and makes them taste almost like an apple cider doughnut. If you’re a fan of that cinnamon sugar flavor, you’ll also love my Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies. They’re another delicious fall treat with a soft, chewy texture.
How to Make Apple Cider Cookies
Here’s a quick look at how they come together.
A Few Things I Learned While Making These Cookies
Be Patient When Reducing the Apple Cider
If you’ve never reduced apple cider before, don’t let this step intimidate you. It’s really just simmering cider until most of the liquid evaporates, leaving behind a concentrated apple flavor.
But it does take some time!
You’re starting with 2½ cups of apple cider and reducing it all the way down to ¼ cup. Depending on your saucepan and heat, this can take around 30–45 minutes, sometimes longer.
My biggest advice is to be patient. Keep the cider at a gentle boil and give it a little attention, especially toward the end when it starts reducing more quickly. You want it syrupy and concentrated, but not so thick that it becomes sticky like caramel.
Here’s a little time-saving tip: Make the apple cider reduction ahead of time! You can prepare it the morning you’re baking or even the night before. Just store it covered in the refrigerator and let it come closer to room temperature before adding it to the cookie dough.
Chilling the Cookie Dough Makes a Difference
I know, I know. Waiting to bake cookies isn’t always fun, especially when you have a bowl of cookie dough sitting in the refrigerator.
But I really think chilling makes these cookies better.
During testing, I found that giving the dough more time in the refrigerator helped the flavors develop. The cinnamon, brown sugar, and concentrated apple cider had more time to come together, and I loved the results.
Chilling also firms up the melted butter in the dough, which helps control how much the cookies spread in the oven.
My recommendation is to chill the dough for at least a couple of hours, or overnight if you have time. You can refrigerate it for up to 48 hours, tightly covered.
If you’re short on time, an hour in the refrigerator is a good compromise. You can even bake the cookies right away, although the dough will be softer, the cookies may spread more, and the flavor may not be quite as developed.
Don’t Over-bake the Cookies
This is especially important if you want chewy apple cider cookies rather than crispy ones.
During testing, I found that the cookies were best when baked just until the edges were set and the centers still looked slightly soft.
I recommend checking them around 10–11 minutes, since ovens can vary. They should not look wet or raw in the middle, but you don’t want to wait until the entire cookie looks firm, either.
Let them rest on the baking sheet for several minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. They’ll continue setting as they cool, giving you those wonderfully chewy centers.
If you enjoy baking cookies throughout the fall, my Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies are another fun one to try. They’re a little different with their creamy cheesecake centers, but they’re just as perfect for fall baking.
I hope you give these apple cider cookies a try! They’re such a fun way to use fresh apple cider, and that cinnamon sugar coating makes them especially delicious. Just give yourself a little time to reduce the cider and chill the dough. The extra patience is worth it!
Chewy Apple Cider Cookies
If you love a soft, chewy cookie, you're going to love these Apple Cider Cookies! Made with reduced apple cider for a delicious apple flavor, they're buttery, perfectly chewy, and rolled in cinnamon sugar for a little sweetness and crunch. Think apple cider doughnut meets snickerdoodle—such a fun cookie to bake in the fall!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup reduced apple cider, cooled (you will need 2 1/2 cups apple cider)
- 2¾ cups (344 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. Reduce the apple cider. Pour 2½ cups of apple cider into a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and simmer for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until reduced to exactly ¼ cup. Stir occasionally, watching closely toward the end to prevent burning. The cider should be concentrated and slightly syrupy but still pourable. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
2. Mix the butter and sugars. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ¾ cup melted and cooled butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup dark brown sugar until smooth and well combined.
3. Add the wet ingredients. Whisk in 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and ¼ cup cooled apple cider reduction until smooth.
4. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2¾ cups flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¾ teaspoon salt.
5. Make the cookie dough. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
6. Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for as long as you can up to 24 hours. The longer they chill, the more flavor they will have. This helps control spreading and allows the dough to firm up before baking.
7. Prepare the cinnamon sugar. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix together ⅓ cup granulated sugar and 1½ teaspoons cinnamon.
8. Scoop and roll. Divide the dough into 22 portions, approximately 2 tablespoons each. Roll into balls, then generously coat each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
9. Bake the cookies. Bake at 350°F for 11–12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers look slightly soft but no longer wet or shiny. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
10. Cool completely. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before enjoying.
Notes
Storage: Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Freeze baked cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
22Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 181Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated. Use as an approximation only.
