Apple Cider Cookies

These Apple Cider Cookies blend browned butter, cinnamon sugar, and a cider glaze for a true fall flavor punch. Think apple cider donuts turned into chewy cookies. Elevate them with a drizzle of salted caramel for the ultimate autumn treat.

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Cookie dough chill time2

Total Time3 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Briana

Equipment

digital food scale
hand mixer (or stand mixer with the paddle attachment)
mixing bowls
stockpot
Rubber Spatula
metal sieve (or sifter)
large baking sheets (18x13-inch)
cooling racks
parchment paper
large cookie scoop #20
pastry brush

Ingredients

Butter (will be made into brown butter)

3 & ¼ sticks unsalted butter (This is 1.5 cups + 2 tablespoons, or 26 tablespoons. When browning butter, the amount reduces by about 20-25% due to water evaporating, so we start with more than we will actually need. Please see notes.*)

Apple cider reduciton

6 cups apple cider (this gives us the delicious apple flavor, we know it seems like a lot, but we need a very concentrated apple flavor!)

Cookies

1 cup brown butter, melted and slighly cooled (can sub melted, unsalted butter)
1 & ¼ cups dark brown sugar
½ cup apple cider reduction, cooled (from above)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
3 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Cinnamon sugar

½ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (to taste)

Apple cider brown butter glaze

¼ cup brown butter (can swap melted, unsalted butter)
¼ cup apple cider reduction (from above)

Optional garnishes

salted caramel sauce (optional, and to taste!)

Instructions

Apple cider reduction

Start by reducing the apple cider. In a large stockpot bring 6 cups of apple cider to a boil. Boil for 45 minutes to an hour until the apple cider has reduced to about ¾ of a cup and will have a thicker consistency, like syrup. Use a fine mesh skimmer to remove any sediment that occurs when boiling. Allow it to cool off until it's room temperature before using. This can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in the fridge.

Brown butter (optional step)

In a small saucepan, melt 3 and ¼ sticks of unsalted butter over medium heat. Stir constantly. The butter will begin to bubble up and get foamy, and then it will stop making so much noise. Keep a very close eye on it now, as it will brown very quickly.
When the butter is a golden amber color and gives off a nutty aroma, remove it from the heat and weigh it using a food scale. It should weigh about 277 grams (or the equivalent of about 20 tablespoons). This is because some of it will evaporate when cooking. Place in the fridge to cool for about 10-15 minutes before moving on. It can be warm, just not hot.** See notes on brown butter for more tips.

Cookie dough

We start with the wet ingredients and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1 cup of melted and cooled brown butter (reserving the rest for the apple cider glaze) and 1 & ¼ cups of dark brown sugar for 8 to 10 minutes until very light in fluffy in color.
Add in ½ cup of the cooled apple cider reduction (reserving the rest for later), along with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, and cream together for another 1-2 minutes until smooth, then add the egg and the egg yolk and cream together until just combined.
Now for the dry ingredients. Sift in 3.5 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to combine the ingredients. Then, switch to a rubber spatula to finish to avoid over-mixing.
Allow the cookie dough to chill in the fridge (covered) for at least two hours but up to overnight. When it's time to bake and the cookies have chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix together ½ cup of white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons (to taste) of ground cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar. Set aside.
Roll the cookie dough 12 to 16 large balls of dough using a number 20 cookie scoop. Scoop the cookie dough using the cookie scoop then use your hands to form a round shape and roll the cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture until very well coated. Place the cookie dough on the prepared baking sheet. Pro tip. Make sure you leave plenty of room on the baking sheet for the cookies to spread. We recommend adding only about 4 to 5 cookies per baking sheet.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the edges are set and the cookie looks slightly underdone in the middle. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Brown butter apple cider glaze

In a separate small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup of reduced apple cider with the remaining ¼ cup of brown butter. Mix together to form the apple cider butter.

Assembly

Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the cookies with the apple cider butter and then sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Drizzle with salted caramel, if desired, and enjoy!
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days. See notes for freezing.

Notes

*Browned butter. Brown butter can be made in advance and stored in the fridge. On the day of baking, make sure it is at room temperature or warmed slightly before baking. Please check out our extensive guide of how to make brown butter for guidance! If the final volume isn't close to 277 grams, you can add tablespoons of cold butter to melt in with the brown butter until the correct volume is reached.
Always use a food scale. Always use a food scale when measuring dry ingredients especially! This is crucial to ensure you have the correct amount of each ingredient. Too much flour can make cookies dense and dry. Digital scales are much more accurate and much less messy than using cups. Cups can vary in size depending on the manufacturer.
Reducing apple cider. When reducing the apple cider, it's important to keep an eye on it, especially as it nears its final volume. You don't want it to reduce too much and become too thick or, even worse, burn. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Creaming the butter and sugar. The process of creaming butter and sugar is vital for the correct cookie texture and cookie spread. Ensure you cream for the full 8-10 minutes.
Browned butter can be warm, just not hot. We want to dissolve the sugar slightly but not melt it, or the structure of the dough will be far too greasy.
Use fresh baking soda. Baking soda should be replaced every 1-2 months, or when it no longer fizzes when mixed with an acid. To test if it's fresh, pour a few tablespoons of vinegar or fresh lemon juice into the bowl or cup. Add in a half teaspoon of baking soda. If it's fresh, it will bubble and fizz. If it doesn't, toss it and get a new one!
Use room temperature eggs. This is essential as it ensures even mixing. Cold eggs can also cause the browned butter to solidify in the batter.
Avoid overmixing the cookie dough. Once you add the flour, be cautious not to overmix. Overmixing can lead to tougher cookies. Mix just until you can't see streaks of flour.
Chilling the dough. This step is crucial. Chilled dough will spread less during baking, ensuring thick cookies. If the dough isn't adequately chilled, your cookies might spread too much. In the case of this recipe, the dough is a bit wet, so it really needs time to firm up in the fridge!
Spread out the dough while baking. Give your cookies enough space, because they will spread during baking. If they're too close, they might bake into each other. We recommend about 5 - 6 cookies on a large baking sheet (8x13 inch size) at a time.
Underbake the cookies slightly. Slightly underbaking ensures a softer center. They will continue to cook a bit once out of the oven due to the residual heat.
To freeze. It is preferable to freeze the cookie dough before being baked and then continue on with the rest of the steps to make the apple cider butter and bake as normal to freeze fully baked cookies. Allow them to cool off a room temperature completely before transferring them to a parchment lined baking sheet and freezing them solid, and an even layer in the freezer. Once frozen transfer to a freezer bag, where they will keep for up to three months in the freezer.

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