The 4-Ingredient Apple Pie Cookies I’m Making for Thanksgiving and Beyond

I blame my love of all things apple cinnamon on my mom. I can’t even tell you how many hours the two of us spent perusing boutique holiday stores in my childhood, and every single one of them seemed to have a giant, shiny silver carafe of warm apple cider at the ready. I would fill tiny paper cup after tiny paper cup with the warm, spiced liquid until my tummy hurt, but it was always worth it.

Anytime I smell the scent of apples and cinnamon, all those lovely holiday feelings come rushing back. That’s why I love these apple pie cookies—they’re like taking a bite of nostalgic holiday memories.

Why You’ll Love These Fall-Inspired Cookies

These cookies only require four ingredients: store-bought sugar cookie mix, butter, an egg, and canned apple pie filling. They’re also ready in just 30 minutes. To make them, you’ll place the cookies on the baking sheet, par-bake them, then add a divot to the center. You dollop the apple pie filling inside of each indentation, then pop the cookies back in the oven to finish baking.

I love these warm, buttery cookies just as they are, but an optional cinnamon glaze really takes them to the next level. They’re best served warm, with their crispy edges and gooey apple topping reminiscent of a freshly baked apple pie.

Tips for Making My Apple Pie Cookies

• Measure and roll: I like to use a tablespoon measuring spoon to portion the dough to be sure each cookie is roughly the same size. And if I want my cookies to be more perfectly round, I will take the extra time to roll each tablespoon into a ball before placing it onto the baking sheet. 
• Work quickly: Since these cookies are par-baked, topped with the apple pie filling, and then baked again, it’s important to work quickly through these steps. The apple pie filling needs to be added to the hot cookies and placed straight back into the oven with no time to cool. This allows the cookies to continue baking with no interruptions that could potentially cause an uneven bake.
• Keep the glaze thick: The recipe for the optional cinnamon glaze creates a thick, textured glaze. Since it will be added to warm cookies, it will melt some when it’s drizzled onto them. A thicker texture will allow most of the glaze to stay on top of the cookies instead of melting off and pooling around the bottom. (Although some pooling is totally okay!)

Easy Tweaks

You can change up this cookie recipe by swapping out the apple pie filling for another flavor. Cherry or peach pie filling works great for summer, while blueberry or strawberry are both delicious in the spring.

Serving Suggestions

These apple pie cookies are fantastic on their own, but they really shine when you add the cinnamon sugar drizzle. If I’m serving them as a formal dessert, I like to top them with vanilla ice cream and candied pecans for a cookie sundae. They’re also amazing with homemade or store-bought caramel drizzled on top.

If you have a little apple pie filling left over after topping the cookies, I love to serve it on a nice stack of pancakes.