If you love a good snickerdoodle and want to branch out and try something new, I have the recipe for you! Let me show you exactly how to make apple doodle cookies. They are a classic with a twist that you will love!
Why You’ll Love Apple Doodles
I’m all about snickerdoodle variations and these Apple Doodles are no exception. I have other snickerdoodle variation recipes, like my Simple Snickerdoodle Bars, but there’s something special about this version. It’s an American classic with a twist. Who doesn’t love the flavor of apples?
Want another reason to love these cookies? How about the healthier addition of wheat flour? Don't let this worry you if you have never baked with whole wheat flour before, keep reading below for all the tips you will need to make this bake awesome!
Ingredients
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour - I use whole wheat pastry flour in almost all of my baking recipes.
- All-Purpose Flour - We like a blend of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour for taste.
- Granulated and Brown Sugars - I use a mix of both in this recipe. You want the brown sugar for chewiness, but the granulated sugar adds to the texture and it also is used for the cinnamon sugar on top as well.
- Baking Soda - an absolutely necessary ingredient.
- Cream of tartar - Snickerdoodles just aren’t snickerdoodles without the leavening power of cream of tartar.
- Butter - I love the flavor of butter in my snickerdoodles!
- Eggs - Eggs hold the cookies together.
- Vanilla - It doesn't take much, but is essential.
- Salt - it only takes a pinch, but is worth it.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves - What would a snickerdoodle be without cinnamon?
- Grated Apples - The star of this variation. Make sure to remove the excess moisture from these ahead of time.
How To Make This Recipe
You’ll need to preheat your oven ahead of time so that it’s ready to bake when you are. I like to line my cookie sheets with parchment paper for easy clean-up at this time.
Next, you’ll need to mix all your dry ingredients together and set them aside.
You’ll want to go ahead and cream your butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy!
Once your butter and sugars are creamed, add in apples, vanilla, and eggs until just combined. Be sure not to overmix!
At this point, you should mix your wet and dry ingredients together. If you like walnuts, you can add them at this point, as well.
Just like with traditional snickerdoodles, you’ll want to roll your dough into balls and then coat in cinnamon sugar. Place them on your cookie sheet, being sure to leave space so that they don’t meld into one giant cookie!
Now you can bake them until they are just browned on the edges. Be sure to let them cool for a couple of minutes after you take them out of the oven.
Enjoy your freshly made Apple Doodles!
Tips
- Make sure to remove excess moisture from your grated apple ahead of time. If you don’t, your cookies will end up soggy.
- Be sure to cream your butter and sugars until they are nice and fluffy. This will prevent your cookies from becoming dense.
- I highly recommend using whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe and I will explain more about that below.
Baking With Whole Wheat Flour
If you’ve had a bad experience with whole wheat flour or have just been hesitant to give it a try, I can help you through the process. Whole wheat flour can be a little tricky to work with, but I have the inside scoop.
It’s important that you use whole wheat pastry flour for cookies like this. Not all flours are equal and that’s because the proteins in the flour have an effect on the whole bake.
So be sure you get the right type of flour. A whole wheat pastry flour has a lower amount of protein making the final quick bread nice and soft.
It’s important not to overmix or overbake your cookies with whole wheat flour, as well. These can lead to tough baked goods.
Also, whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture than all-purpose, so it is important to underbake JUST A TOUCH.
FAQ
You can! I love to freeze cookie dough so I can pop in a pan of cookies on a day when I don’t have time to bake. These don’t last long in our house, though, so I generally make them all at the same time.
You don't. I love to use a blend of whole wheat pastry flour and all-purpose flour, but some people don’t like the taste of wheat flour at all and prefer to use all-purpose flour. Some people like to use whole wheat flour exclusively. It really comes down to your personal preference.
You could give it a try. I haven’t tried this myself, so I can’t guarantee how the results will come out, but if you are okay with a slightly more crumbly texture, you could give this a shot and see if it works for you
More Whole Wheat Bakes
- Whole Wheat Biscuits
- Bran Muffins
- Multigrain Bread
- Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars
- Snickerdoodles
- Honey Oatmeal Bread
How to make apple snickerdoodle cookies
Equipment
- baking sheet
- stand or hand mixer
- portion scoop (recommended)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour You can also use 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour if you want a more even ratio. The cookies will look differently, but still be really good. This recipe can also be 100% whole wheat if you prefer!
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar a classic leavening used in snickerdoodles for their chewy texture
- 1 teaspoon baking soda also helps with leavening
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup softened butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cup grated apples make sure and squeeze to remove moisture.
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts optional, but really good!
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set these aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix well, and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix until they are light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, and apples. Mix only to combine. Do not overmix!
- Next, combine the wet with the dry. If you are using the chopped walnutes, add them here as well. Again, only mixing to combine.
- Scoop the cookies into the cinnamon sugar and roll to coat. Then, place the cookies on a baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes. You want the edges to be very lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for a minute or 2 on your baking sheet. Then transfer gently to a cooling rack.
- They are delicous eaten right away or you can let them cool!
- Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!!
How to make apple snickerdoodle cookies
Equipment
- baking sheet
- stand or hand mixer
- portion scoop (recommended)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour You can also use 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour if you want a more even ratio. The cookies will look differently, but still be really good. This recipe can also be 100% whole wheat if you prefer!
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar a classic leavening used in snickerdoodles for their chewy texture
- 1 teaspoon baking soda also helps with leavening
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup softened butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cup grated apples make sure and squeeze to remove moisture.
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts optional, but really good!
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set these aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix well, and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix until they are light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, and apples. Mix only to combine. Do not overmix!
- Next, combine the wet with the dry. If you are using the chopped walnutes, add them here as well. Again, only mixing to combine.
- Scoop the cookies into the cinnamon sugar and roll to coat. Then, place the cookies on a baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes. You want the edges to be very lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for a minute or 2 on your baking sheet. Then transfer gently to a cooling rack.
- They are delicous eaten right away or you can let them cool!
- Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!!