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Picture this: a crisp fall day, a Harry Potter marathon in the background, and a batch of these warm Salted Caramel Apple Cookies fresh out of the oven. This cookie recipe is completely fall-coded and so cozy for your next bake.
It starts with a basic cinnamon-spiced vanilla dough. But as soon as you start folding in the salted caramel chips and apple jam, the basic dough is turned into the most delicious, warm treat. The swirls of apple jam in each cookie add a sweet, slightly tart flavor, and the salted caramel chips add the right amount of salt to keep you reaching for another cookie. As they bake, the jam settles into little pockets throughout the cookie, and the caramel chips become soft and gooey. They feel cozy without being too complicated.
These warm, spiced cookies are a little indulgent and basically everything we want in a fall cookie – they’re a little extra but not overly sweet. They’re perfect for your next weekend bake or for making a batch for your next fall dinner party.
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
- They’re soft and chewy! If you love a soft and chewy cookie, you’re going to love these. Our cookie dough bakes up to the perfect texture without being too cakey or getting too crisp. It’s just right!
- Warmly spiced and not too sweet! Adding cinnamon to the vanilla dough instantly gives these cookies fall vibes. It adds a delicious warmth and adds some depth to the cookies.
- Pockets of warm apple jam throughout. Possibly the best part!! Dollops of apple jam are layered throughout the dough. As the cookies bake, it creates little pockets of warm jam throughout the cookie and is such a treat to bite into.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Salted caramel chips
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Apple jam
How to Make These Salted Caramel Apple Cookies
Step 1. Prep a baking sheet and preheat the oven.
We always recommend prepping your baking sheet and preheating the oven before you start to make the dough. This is just one less step you’ll have to do after making the dough! That way, when you’re ready to pop the cookies in the oven, your baking tray is ready, and your oven is heated.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F. Set the baking sheet to the side while you make the dough.
Step 2. Cream the butter and sugars.
Start by creaming the butter and sugars together. This step is very important because it whips air into the cookies, making them fluffy, so you don’t end up with a flat cookie.
In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat cold butter on medium speed until it is smooth and creamy. Add in the sugars and beat again until the mixture returns to a creamy, whipped texture.
After the butter and sugars are creamed, mix in eggs and vanilla extract until evenly blended.
Tip: Use cold butter and room-temperature eggs! This will create an even batter and a perfectly chewy cookie.
Step 3. Mix in dry ingredients and white chocolate chips.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice add some fall warmth to these cookies. Pour the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture and mix until it’s evenly incorporated.
If you see any loose flour, make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to briefly mix it into the dough, careful not to overmix.
Once the dough is evenly mixed, pour in the salted caramel chocolate chips and stir them into the dough.
Tip: Make sure you don’t overmix the dough. This is a thick dough, so stop mixing once the dough is evenly mixed.
Step 4. Add dollops of apple jam, scoop dough balls, and chill dough for 10 minutes.
There is a certain way to add the apple jam into the dough to get those pretty swirls and pockets of jam in each cookie.
Do not fold the jam into the dough. It will make the dough too soggy.
Instead, do this….
Layer the dough and jam. Pour half of the dough into a large mixing bowl. Add 4-5 spoonfuls of jam on top of the dough. Pour the other half of the dough directly on top of the jam-covered cookie dough. Top the dough with an additional 4-5 spoonfuls of apple jam.
Use a cookie scoop to pick up both some jam and cookie dough. Line a cookie sheet with the dough balls and continue scooping until you have scooped all the dough. Each time you scoop the dough, try to get some jam in each dough ball.
Chill the dough for 10-15 minutes in the freezer. Chilling the dough will solidify the fats in the dough so that they don’t spread super wide while baking.
Step 5. Bake until golden brown, cool and enjoy!
After the dough balls have chilled, place 4-6 dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 375ºF for 12-15 minutes.
Make sure each cookie is spaced a couple of inches apart from one another. When the cookies are nice and golden on the edges, they are done!
Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before enjoying. Repeat this step for the rest of the cookies. While the cookies are warm, sprinkle the tips with some flaky sea salt.
They are best if enjoyed warm with a side of coffee or over some vanilla ice cream.
Tips for Making Salted Caramel Apple Cookies
- Use cold butter for thick, chewy cookies. Cold butter helps keep the dough firm and limits spreading in the oven. This means they bake to a perfectly chewy texture!
- Don’t fully mix the jam into the dough. Layer the jam between portions of dough and then scoop through it to create the pretty pockets and swirls of apple jam throughout each cookie.
- Freeze the dough balls before baking. Once you’ve scooped the caramel apple cookies, freeze them for at least 10 minutes in the freezer. This helps firm the jam and helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.
- Let the cookies rest before digging in. These cookies will be super soft when they come out of the onen let them cool on a baking sheet or the sheet pan for at least 10 minutes before eating. They will still be soft and slightly warm!
Recipe FAQ
Storing Salted Caramel Apple Cookie Dough
We recommend scooping and freezing the dough balls. Once they are firm, you can place them in a freezer-safe container or plastic bag and store them for up to 3 months.
If you are baking from frozen, you will likely need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time as needed.
How to store leftover Salted Caramel Apple Cookies
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3-4 days. For the best texture, warm them in the microwave until slightly warm.
More cozy bakes to try next:
Salted Caramel Apple Cookies
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 20–24 cookies 1x
Description
These caramel apple cookies are made with warm spiced cookie dough, salted caramel chips, and swirls of apple jam for the ultimate cozy fall cookie. An easy apple cookie recipe perfect for autumn baking, snacking, and sharing.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 sticks cold butter, cubed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup salted caramel chips
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/2 cup apple jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice- to a bowl and whisk to blend.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cold butter and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Mix in sugars until evenly combined. Next, mix in eggs and vanilla.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-low speed until just combined. Gently mix in caramel chips until just combined.
- Pour half the dough into a large bowl. Add several spoonfuls of apple jam over the top of the dough. Pour the other half of the dough on top and add several more spoonfuls of jam to the top of the dough. Do not mix the jam into the dough.
- Use a cookie scoop to scrape through the dough and jam – it should make a jam swirl-like effect in each dough ball. Continue to scoop cookie dough balls onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Line them up closely with a small gap between dough balls. Once all the cookie dough. Freeze the dough balls in the freezer for 30 minutes so that the jam solidifies.
- Add 5-6 frozen dough balls to a separate parchment-lined cookie sheet and return the rest of the dough balls to the freezer while those bake. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown on the edges. Transfer the cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool and repeat baking batches of cookies until all the cookies are baked.
- Let the baked cookies rest for at least 8-10 minutes before enjoying. They’re best if enjoyed warm right out of the oven.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
