While apples are enjoyed year-round in Amish homes, autumn is true "apple season" in Amish country, specifically, late August through October. Apples can be enjoyed in so many different ways, transformed into sauces, jams, spreads, spreads, cut into salads, and packed into pies, cobblers, and tarts. Oh, and we can't forget about cider. I've been to some small Amish apple orchards where the owners have small cider presses where they blend multiple apple juices into a delicious cider. Yes, apples are revered in Amish country!
🍏 The Amish and Apples
Apples are a common sight in Amish country in the autumn. Apple orchards are especially common among the Amish in Michigan, Ohio, and New York.
he Amish do grow a lot of apples. In fact, apple orchards are a common sight in many Amish communities. The Amish have a long tradition of growing apples, and they have developed a reputation for producing some of the finest apples in the world.
There are several reasons why the Amish are so good at growing apples. First, they use traditional farming methods that are gentle on the land. This helps to ensure that the soil is healthy and fertile, which is essential for growing good apples.
Second, the Amish are very careful about selecting the right varieties of apples to grow. They choose varieties that are well-suited to the climate and soil conditions in their area.
Third, the Amish take great care in tending to their apple trees. They water them regularly, fertilize them, and prune them properly.
📜 Step-By-Step Amish Apple Cookies
Ideally, you’d be using some wonderful autumn apples in this recipe. A Granny Smith apple would do really well in this as far as taste. But I just used Gala apples, and this was fine. We keep apples on hand as a quick, easy snack for the girls.
There are versions of this recipe that have nuts and dried cranberries or raisins in it, but we just made these as a clean, crisp apple cookie. We did chill the dough for a good hour before making them into cookies.
I remember making these cookies with my young daughters for the first time a few years ago. Beatrice was impatient to make them or I would have chilled the dough longer. You'll do fine if you don't chill the dough, but I think chilling the dough is a good idea. Most Amish bakers are keen on chilling their cookie dough and it really does improve the flavor.
And the star of this show? The frosting! It has apple juice in it which really pairs well with the more muted apple flavor of the cookie. While this Old-Fashioned Amish Apple Cookies would do well without frosting, you're cheating yourself if you don't!
I used a cheese grater for the apples, because the instructions said to chop into these tiny pieces so that they would do better during the baking process and I was like," no way I have time to do that." So I grabbed the grater and it actually worked well. In fact, I'll never chop apples again, I'll just grate them.
I went easy on the cloves in this recipe, I'm not a clove fan. I think the cinnamon and ground nutmeg add enough flavor on their own. A hint of allspice wouldn't be bad. I would just stick with all-purpose flour in this recipe. Some Amish cooks like to use wheat flour, but I think all-purpose does best. You could add a cup or two of oatmeal and make these apple oatmeal cookies, but, again, this recipe is fine as is. Perfectly Facebook or Pinterest worthy!
The grated apples did a pretty good job. Ah, I remember when my daughter had those blue glasses several years ago. They grow up so fast. But you can use a wooden spoon to mix the batter, but if you have a fancy stand mixer, use that. But if you are using a spoon, just scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to get all the good stuff combined.
Line your baking sheet with parchment paper for less mess.
This is after we baked the first batch. I think flattening the cookies before baking was a good idea, the frosting spreads better. In fact, the cookies didn't spread out at all during baking so if you don't flatten them, you'll end up with "apple rounds", which is OK, but I like a flatter cookie.
We added the glaze right away, but I'd let the cookies cool and use an knife or an ice cream scoop to just drizzle the glaze on. Add a little caramel to the glaze to make them caramel apple cookies!
I really, really liked these cookies. Usually for a cookie to "make the cut" with me, it has to involve chocolate, but these were easy, and delicious, and I would make (and eat) them again. Deliciousness is every bite! Store any leftovers in an airtight container and store at room temperature. This is a good soft cookie, not a chewy texture.
🍏 Apple Cookie Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- 1 apple peeled, cored and finely chopped
🧁 Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp. apple juice
📋 Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Vigorously mix the butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon. Add the egg and combine until completely mixed. Add the apple sauce.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Stir in the apple.
- Scoop or spoon the cookies onto the parchment-lined sheets, about 2-inches apart. Press flat with the back of a spatchla or spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until set and bottoms are lightly browned.
- While the cookies are baking, make the frosting by beating the butter, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until well mixed. Add the apple juice and mixx1.
- Remove cookies from the oven and cool completely on a rack.
🍎 More Amish Apple Recipes
Gloria's Apple Goodie - So amazing!
Baked Apple Pudding - Delicious!
Apple Dumplings - A classic
Paperbag Apple Pie - Wow!
🖨️ Old-Fashioned Amish Apple Cookies
Old-Fashioned Amish Apple Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- 1 apple peeled, cored and finely chopped
Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 . Tbsp. apple juice
Instructions
Cookies
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Set aside. Vigorously mix the butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon.
- Add the egg and combine until completely mixed.
- Add the apple sauce.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
- Stir in the apple.
- Scoop or spoon the cookies onto the parchment-lined sheets, about 2-inches apart. Press flat with the back of a spatchla or spoon.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until set and bottoms are lightly browned.
Frosting
- beat the butter, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until well mixed. Add the apple juice and mx. Remove cookies from the oven and cool completely on a rack.
Diane Buscaglia
What's the oven temp for the apple cookies? It just said "a preheated oven". Thanks so much!
Kevin Williams
350, sorry about that omission, Diane, good luck with them!