Apple pie cheesecake cookies featuring the softest brown sugar cinnamon spiced cookies that are topped with a cream cheese frosting and apple pie filling.
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apple pie cheesecake cookies
These might be the BEST fall cookies. I absolutely love apples and all of the apple bakes that come along in the fall, hence, these cookies right here. They’re made with a ridiculously soft and delicious brown sugar cookie (the same you see in my twix cookies), that’s spiced with cinnamon. Then, they’re topped off with a cheesecake frosting and apple pie filling to combine three delicious desserts into one.
why you’ll love these apple pie cheesecake cookies:
- They’re easy to make: you *do* need a hand mixer (or stand mixer – unless you’re looking for an arm workout) but the cookies come together super easily in one bowl, and the frosting comes together super easily in one bowl as well.
- Loaded with flavor: the cookies themselves are nicely spiced, along with the apple pie filling.
- Cream cheese frosting: it’s sooo rich and creamy and the perfect balance to the sweet cookies.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Use room temperature ingredients:
It’s important that your ingredients are at room temperature so that they can easily incorporate with each other. Take out your egg and butter about an hour before starting the cookies, and the cream cheese about an hour before making the cream cheese frosting.
Mix the dough carefully:
When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Over mixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookies thicker and more tough in texture.
Under bake for perfect cookies:
Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. Once the edges turn slightly golden brown, and the cookies look just a little wet on top still, they are ready to come out. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
The secret to perfectly round cookies:
Wanna know the secret to perfectly round cookies? It’s cookie scooting! Right when the cookies come out of the oven, take a bowl, cup, or biscuit cutter that is just slightly larger than your cookies and place it over one of the cookies. Gently swirl the bowl around the cookie to make the cookie perfectly round (and slightly thicker). And that’s all there is to it!
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for apple pie cheesecake cookies:
brown sugar cookies:
- All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness. AP flour ranges from about 10-12% protein. If you use a flour closer to 10%, the cookies will be slightly less chewy. I use and love King Arthur Flour, which is 11.7% protein.
- Baking powder: for helping the cookies rise.
- Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the cookies
- Ground cinnamon: for flavor.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the cookies.
- Light brown sugar: for sweetness and for moisture. You could also sub in dark brown sugar for more molasses flavor.
- Egg: for binding and for moisture.
- Vanilla: for flavor. I use and love this vanilla extract!
cheesecake frosting:
- Cream cheese: the tanginess from the cream cheese compliments the sweetness of the frosting and cookies so well.
- Unsalted butter: a little bit of butter helps thicken up the frosting.
- Salt: a little bit of salt helps balance the sweetness and bring out the flavor of the frosting.
- Vanilla & heavy cream: for flavor and for thinning out the frosting.
- Powdered sugar: to sweeten and thicken up the frosting.
apple pie filling:
You can use store-bought filling or make your own! I have a link to my batch that makes way more than you’ll need for these cookies, as well as a note on how to scale it down in the recipe card.
how to make apple pie cheesecake cookies
Here are a few images of the process of making apple pie cheesecake cookies. You can find the full recipe at the end of the blog post.
- Beat together the butter and brown sugar, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Mix in the dry ingredients, then chill the cookie dough.
- Bake the cookies.
- Once the cookies cool to room temperature, top them with cheesecake frosting and apple pie filling, then enjoy!
apple pie cheesecake cookies recipe q&a
can I double this recipe?
Definitely – I’ve tested this recipe up to quadrupling it with no problem. Please be sure to use grams for the best results.
can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Definitely – cookie dough really only gets better with time. You can keep the cookie dough tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking. For longer term storage, you can also freeze the cookie dough balls. Just be sure to take the dough out of the fridge at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before you want to bake, so that it becomes soft enough to scoop again. I would recommend waiting to make the frosting until you would like to bake and frost the cookies.
store the cookies in the fridge
Because the frosting is made with cream cheese, these cookies do need to be stored in the fridge once they are frosted. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you’re not a fan of cold cookies, you can let them sit out for 30 minutes before eating them!
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Apple Pie Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Cookies
- 90 g unsalted butter room temperature (6 ⅓ tbsp.)
- 150 g light brown sugar (¾ c.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 160 g all purpose flour (1 ⅓ c.)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Cheesecake Frosting
- 100 g cream cheese room temperature (½ c.)
- 42 g unsalted butter room temperature (3 tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 160 g powdered sugar (1 ⅓ c.)
- ½ tsp. vanilla
Apple Pie Filling
- 8 tbsp. apple pie filling*
Instructions
Brown Sugar Cookies
- With a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (2-3 min.)
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Cover the dough and leave it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 days.**
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or with a silicone baking mat.
- Use a 3 tbsp. cookie scoop to dish out the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheet. Evenly space the cookies apart to allow room for spreading. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the sides of the cookies start to turn golden brown.
- Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, take a bowl that is slightly larger than the cookies and swirl it around over the cookies to make them a little more uniform and circular.
Cheesecake Frosting
- In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter and salt until smooth.
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Then, mix in the vanilla.
- Wait for the cookies to cool down to room temperature before frosting. Generously frost each cookie with the cheesecake frosting, then top each cookie with 1 tbsp. of apple pie filling. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.