Well Fed Network

When I first saw this recipe for Apple Pie Cookies on Baking Bites, I knew I had to make it pretty much immediately. And then I remembered the mountain of apples from a recent apple picking trip, which gave me further justification for heading into the kitchen. Conclusion: the cookies are excellent, and it really is possible to turn the essence of just about any sweet confection — whether it’s pie or candy — into something resembling a cookie. And vice versa.

Because necessity is the mother of invention and because I am admittedly impatient and impulsive at times, I had to make some adjustments. Fabulous though it looked, the original recipe called for pecans, which I don’t ever put in my apple pie, but whose presence did have some intrinsic logic. However, I just did not have pecans. Or walnuts. Or almonds, even. I had cinnamon chips, but I did want something to add a sweet, nutty crunch though, so I looked in the freezer and pulled out the chopped hazelnuts I had hiding in there (I’m a big believer in the freezer). Ok, it wasn’t an obvious or perfect match, but it worked in a pinch. I upped the cinnamon (use less if you’re not into vigorously spiced things), and used about 1/2 cup of Hershey’s cinnamon chips and 1/4 cup of hazelnuts instead of the 3/4 cups of chopped toasted pecans. These cookies are big, pleasantly soft and, like gingerbread, seem to become more moist with each passing day, thanks to the generous helping of both apples and brown sugar. But you probably won’t discover how moist they get because they won’t last that long, trust me.

Apple Pie Cookies

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
3/4 cup brown sugar (I used about 1/2 cup light and 1/4 cup dark)
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1-1/4 cup diced fresh apples (about two medium)
1/2 cup cinnamon chips
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts (or other nut of your choice)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment.

Using a wire whisk, combine all the dry ingredients (flour through ginger) in a medium sized bowl.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix on low speed until incorporated; add the maple syrup and mix to combine.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour until it’s just incorporated. Stir in the apples and then the chips and nuts.

Drop about 1/4 cup on the baking sheet; I put about 4 to a standard sheet, just to be safe. A 1/4 cup ice cream/cookie scoop works well here. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and let them cool for five minutes and set on the sheet before transferring them, on the parchment, to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: About 16 large cookies.