Homemade Apple Pie Crumble Cookie recipe with maple glaze.

This fun recipe for homemade apple crumble cookies is absolutely delicious, and a must-try for your apple desserts! 

We wanted to develop a recipe that is soft, cakey, and spiced. This is it!

Jump to Recipe

When wondering what direction to go with this recipe, I considered the apple pie cookies (that look like mini apple pies) but when my brain heard “Apple pie cookie” I thought of a soft spiced cookie, not a cookie that involves a sheet of pie crust, cookie cutter, lattice tops, or  look like mini pies. 

I’m sure those are wonderful too, but I wanted something different.

This apple pie cookie recipe is less like a traditional apple pie, and is more like a dutch apple pie featuring a crumble on top. YUM!

These are such delicious apple pie cookies, you are going to love them!

The first step is to make a batch of apple pie spice for that flavor of apple pie goodness. I really like this one, because it includes cardamom. 

Start by assembling all the ingredients before beginning. 

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together the dry ingredients, featuring 3 cups all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and a healthy tablespoon of that apple pie spice mixture.

Mix together the crumble ingredients in a smaller bowl (1/3 Cup each of brown sugar, flour, and rolled oats) and set aside.

Begin by creaming together the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.

I decided to use only brown sugar instead of white sugar. I love that deep richness that comes from brown sugar. The brown sugar gives it a chewy softness, while a granulated sugar gives a more crispy finish. We wanted soft and chewy here.

Next add in your eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.

Add your hefty tablespoon of vanilla extract. 

Then you’ll add in half of the dry ingredients.

Then add in half of your wet ingredients. (If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use a little milk with a splash of vinegar)

Add your other half of the dry ingredients, then finish with the last of your buttermilk.

Now pause.

Take out a scoop of your cookie dough (1/3 Cup) and mix it up with the crumble ingredients in a medium bowl (reserved all purpose flour, brown sugar, oats, and salt). Once this comes together in a crumbly consistency, set it aside.

It’s much easier to mix with your fingers. Clean fingers only please!

​Which apples are the best apples?

Now you can add your dried chopped apple to your cookie dough.

We tested “dehydrated” apples and “apple chips” separately. 

The dehydrated apples were more toothy and much more “in-your-face”. This would be great if you are serving these to people who would appreciate having chunks of apple in their apple pie cookies.

If you decide to use dehydrated apples, for best results chop the pieces nice and small. 

The apple chips were our favorite option, as they crushed into tiny pieces and added a lovely apple flavor but didn’t affect the texture much at all.

I especially like the chips made from granny smith apples. The tartness pairs so perfectly with the warm spices and sweet maple glaze.

Don’t get hung up on the kind of apples you’re using. Any kind will be lovely! (As long as it’s dehydrated and not fresh apples)

Once you have your apple pieces incorporated (I like to mix with a rubber spatula), then you’re ready to start scooping.

You can use parchment paper for easier cleanup. I happen to be out of parchment paper, so I just went without. Also, you don’t need to spray the pan (you can if you want, though!) 

Scoop out the dough onto the cookie sheet, and leave plenty of space for the cookies to expand (about 2 inches apart).

Then, top each cookie dough ball with a sprinkle of your crumble. You may have to break up the crumble into smaller pieces as you work along, and that’s okay! 

I like to scoop all the cookies and top each one with crumble before putting any in the oven to make sure I get an even amount of crumble on each cookie dough ball.

As the cookies expand in the oven there will be plenty of space for the crumble, so go ahead and liberally sprinkle on your crumble topping! 

Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown, turning the pan halfway through the baking process.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. *Do not glaze while hot!

As the cookies are cooling, mix together your glaze ingredients (powdered sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream) in a small bowl.

You will want a medium thickness consistency. Not too thick, because you want it to “drizzle” nicely, but not too thin because you want to actually see it after it cools.

If you get it too thin or too thick… don’t worry! It’s still going to be absolutely delicious!

If you want to do the drizzle on a wire rack, that will work beautifully to contain the mess. 

Once they’re completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Enjoy!!

This full recipe is available here for the perfect addition to your apple recipes.