Amish Apple Cookies
Super soft cake-like cookies with apples and fall spices. You won't need the frosting to love these, but you'll want it anyway.
Servings: 36 cookies
Equipment
- Baking sheets
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ⅓ cups light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 2 small apples (peeled and shredded)
- 1 cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup applesauce
Icing
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 dash cream or milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Then, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray them with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cream sugar and shortening: In a large mixing bowl, beat ½ cup of shortening and 1 ⅓ cups of packed light brown sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add egg: Add 1 large egg to the sugar mixture and beat at medium speed until well combined, for about 1 minute.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves until well combined.
- Combine ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture, mixing at low speed until dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Add apples, raisins, and applesauce: Gently fold in 1 cup of golden raisins, 2 small shredded apples (about 1 cup), and ¼ cup of applesauce using a spatula. The dough will be very wet, almost like a thick cake batter.
- Scoop and bake the cookies: Using a 1½ tablespoon-sized cookie scoop or two spoons, drop scoops of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and baked through in the center.
- Let it cool: Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the icing: In a medium bowl, beat together 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of softened butter, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1-2 tablespoons of cream or milk (start with 1 tablespoon and add more as needed) until smooth and spreadable but thick.
- Frost the cookies: Once the cookies are completely cool, use a knife or offset spatula to frost them with the prepared icing.
Notes
Use firm, tart apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. They hold their shape and add a nice balance to the sweetness of the cookies.
Shred the apples right before adding them to the dough to prevent them from browning and releasing too much juice, which can make the dough too wet.
If you prefer plumper raisins, soak them in warm water for about 10 minutes, then drain and pat them dry before adding to the dough.
Make sure you fully bake them! They will be quite brown when done, and shouldn't appear wet at all in the center.