THE BEST applesauce cookies recipe (seriously though) that is easy and makes a soft low fat cookie. An apple cookie full of apple flavor and the perfect recipe for fall with reduced calories & fat. The best part is they don't taste like a low fat cookie. They are full of flavor and the applesauce just adds to the taste. Warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg bring a fall comfort to any day of the year.
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Applesauce Cookies
Lower calories and fat without compromising taste.
Looking for a delicious apple cookie recipe to serve this fall (or any day really? These applesauce cookies drizzled with vanilla glaze are everything that's wonderful about fall. You get the incredible flavor of apple along with the cinnamon and nutmeg notes familiar to your taste buds as soon as September hits.
These applesauce cookies are perfect served on a cool fall evening along with a warn mug of cider. They also make a great addition to your buffet at Thanksgiving. If you love the fall season and the fall flavors, you simply must try this apple cookie recipe. The flavor combination will leave you reaching for more and more. Don't forget to make these for fall bake sales. They're sure to be a big hit.
What Applesauce Should I Use?
The kind of applesauce you choose for this cookie recipe will affect the flavor's end result. Cinnamon, Regular & Unsweetened are the 3 most common types of applesauce found on grocery store shelves. The effect of each seems obvious- cinnamon, more cinnamon flavor, unsweetened, less sweet and regular, balanced.
Suggestions for this Recipe
We DO suggest using cinnamon applesauce. When we made this recipe we used my very highly cinnamon infused homemade applesauce.
We DO NOT suggest adding more sugar if using unsweetened applesauce. It can affect the texture of the cookie.
We DO suggest using more cinnamon or any of the spices to taste. I really love when the spice comes through strong, but not everyone does. So, this recipe is written from the normal, basic kitchen tested version and can easily be elevated with more spices.
We also suggest not over baking the cookies. The softer they are, the better. This recipe will not produce a crunchy cookie, so longer cook time will just make them dry.
How Does Applesauce Reduce Fat & Calories in a Recipe
Applesauce can reduce fat & calories in a recipe, because it replaces the fat ingredient. For example, instead of oil for cakes applesauce can be used. Additionally, for this applesauce cookie recipe it replaces the butter. Since applesauce tends to be a non-fat food, calories and fat are drastically reduced.
More Amazing Apple Recipes
- Cranberry Apple Oats Parfait
- Apple Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Recipe Video
- Apple Pie Sugar Cookie Cups
- Stuffed Homemade Monkey Bread Recipe
Making Our Recipe for Applesauce Cookies
The only apple cookie recipe you will need.
Amazing Applesauce Cookies
These amazing applesauce cookies are soft, moist and low fat, even though they don't taste like it. Adding applesauce to a recipe to reduce fat has been used for years, in this apple cookie it just brings out the flavor even more.
Ingredients
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup applesauce ( See note* )
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice (or cinnamon)
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- FOR THE GLAZE:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Milk (regular, almond, cream, any dairy)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla (clear or regular, we had cinnamon, color doesn't matter)
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. This is a One Bowl Recipe
- With Electric Mixer- In a large bowl, beat sugar, egg, vanilla. Add applesauce and mix.
- Add dry ingredients and continue mixing just until combined. Do not over mix.
- Scoop onto sheet pan, bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and set up. Cookies should not spread.
- Drizzle with icing or Cover in Cinnamon Powdered Sugar
- To make the glaze simply mix all glaze ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
Notes
What Applesauce Should I use for My Cookies?
The kind of applesauce you choose for this cookie recipe will affect the flavor's end result. Cinnamon, Regular & Unsweetened are the 3 most common types of applesauce found on grocery store shelves. The effect of each seems obvious- cinnamon, more cinnamon flavor, unsweetened, less sweet and regular, balanced.
We DO suggest using cinnamon applesauce. When we made this recipe we used my very highly cinnamon infused homemade applesauce.
We DO NOT suggest adding more sugar if using unsweetened applesauce. It can affect the texture of the cookie.
The NON Low Fat Version- As many requested, we made this recipe low fat. People were expecting an applesauce cookie to be without butter. Because of the demand the new recipe was tested and took priority over the old version. However we still want to provide that way for others. Here are the changes: 1 full cup brown sugar (not ½) and 4 ounces of butter. No vanilla.
We DO suggest using more cinnamon or any of the spices to taste. I really love when the spice comes through strong, but not everyone does. So, this recipe is written from the normal, basic kitchen tested version and can easily be elevated with more spices.
We also suggest not over baking the cookies. The softer they are, the better. This recipe will not produce a crunchy cookie, so longer cook time will just make them dry.-
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 132Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 2g
Nutrition facts are auto- populated by the app for this recipe card, numbers may vary. For best results, input your exact brand ingredients into a recipe analyzer like Verywell or MyFitnessPal.
Owner & Lead Recipe Developer for It's Simple! since 2015, where you will find our best Family Favorites & Keto Low Carb Dishes with Helpful Cooking Tips & Hints in each post. Many Thanks for Stopping By, Enjoy!
Ummmm, I had the original version of this recipe, which called for 1/2 cup butter and more total sugar (1 cup light brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar)... is that recipe still available? I made them back in the day and they were delightful, added a tsp of vanilla as the instructions said cream ingredients with vanilla until fluffy, but no vanilla was mentioned in the ingredients list.
Hi! Thanks for the catch on the vanilla, it was supposed to be added to the ingredient list after testing the new recipe. The original is listed in the NOTES section, these are recent-ish changes so your browser was probably caching the old version. There was just too much demand for the recipe to be low fat, but we are glad you liked the original cookies. Thanks for commenting!
Cookies came out good! Used 1 tsp of vanilla which is not listed.
I can't wait to go apple picking again. These sound so good!