These delicious applesauce cookies are quick and easy to make, meaning they’re a delightful treat whenever you need something for dessert or a bake sale in a hurry.
If you’ve got apple sauce you’re trying to use up in the pantry or refrigerator these flavorful cookies are just the thing to help you prevent waste and make sweet treats at the same time.
Just because these are made with an applesauce mixture instead of butter, they should not be considered health food – these soft cookies should be considered dessert, plain and simple.
Simple Pantry Ingredients
These are indeed a simple cookie. There’s nothing fancy here in terms of ingredients or process in this easy recipe. And yet that old-fashioned flavor is so very delightful and comforting.
The ingredients are likely already in the pantry. Even if all of the spices aren’t on hand, they can easily be switched or skipped all together.
Applesauce
Do use an unsweetened applesauce here, there’s plenty of sugar in the cookies. If you use a spiced version, skip the additional spice called for in the recipe.
I simply run my chunky homemade applesauce through a blender to puree it for the cookies. If you use store-bought applesauce simply look for something with very few ingredients (apples, water, some kind of acid to prevent browning) and no added sugar.
Flour
I went with basic all-purpose flour for ease, however you could likely substitute whole wheat flour for some or all of it for a whole grain crunch if desired.
A gluten-free blend from the grocery store would work if you need to skip gluten.
Oats
The recipe was tested with rolled oats, simply because that’s generally what I have on hand.
Quick oats should work just fine if that’s all you have on hand.
Spices
Ginger and cinnamon combine so well with apples but those aren’t your only choices.
Skip the ginger, for simple cinnamon applesauce cookies.
Substitute any other spices you might prefer more – ground cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, apple pie spice, etc. would all work well.
If you’re not a fan of spice, skip it and you’ll still have a wonderful plain applesauce cookie recipe.
Sugar
Becuase appleasuce has plenty of natural sweetness, there’s not a ton of additional sugar but these are still meant to satisfy a sweet tooth and so some sugar is added.
There’s a mix of brown and white sugars for a great balance. Use dark or light-brown sugar as you prefer it won’t matter much in the final result.
Naturally Dairy-Free
There’s no butter in these cookies, meaning they’re ideal for anyone skipping dairy. It also means, there’s no need to wait for the butter to soften before making cookies.
Optional Additions
Bulk up the cookies by adding up to 1 cup of chopped nuts, dried fruits (raisins), even chocolate chips – be sure to try my applesauce chocolate chip cookies.
Drizzle the baked and cooled cookies with some vanilla glaze for a pretty presentation and an even sweeter cookie.
How to Serve
The great thing about cookies is that they are a perfect treat just as they are, there’s no reason to feel like it has to be a big presentation.
Serve them with a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa on a cold night. A cold glass of milk and cookies is never a bad idea.
You serve them with a bowl of ice cream for an even more indulgent dessert, if desired.
These are great to send in care packages to loved ones near and far because they do stay fresh so well.
An apple a day is easy to achieve with these to help you make the most of your harvest!
How to Store
These are a very moist cookie meaning that they will stay fresh when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days.
For longer term storage, place in bags or freezer containers and freeze for up to 6 months. Let frozen cookies thaw on the counter before serving.
You could easily tuck a frozen cookie into a lunch box in the morning and it would likely be thaw by Noon.
Looking for more easy cookie recipes? Try these favorites from our archives:
Yield: 18 Cookies
Oatmeal Applesauce Cookie
Sweet and crunchy applesauce oatmeal cookies come together quickly and easy for a simple dessert from the pantry.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Additional Time15 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Unbleached, All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Rolled Oats
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened, Pureed Applesauce
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the applesauce, egg, and sugars until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until completely combined.
- Drop cookie dough by large spoonfuls (or use a cookie scoop) onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and set.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
1 cookie
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 72Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 40mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
We try our best but cannot guarantee that nutrition information is 100% accurate.
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