These 5-Ingredient Apple Cookies Will Make You Forget All About Pumpkin Spice
To kick off the start of autumn, you've probably dropped by your local apple orchard and stocked up on a few pecks of the seasonal fruit. But after a few days, you'll likely come to realize that no matter how many apples you snack on, the pile in your fruit bowl isn't shrinking. So how are you supposed to use them up before they start to spoil? Make these five-ingredient cinnamon apple cookies, which are sure to please everyone's taste buds and make your kitchen smell like a legit bakery.
Free of refined sugar, gluten, and dairy, this apple cookie recipe has a base of oats, a whole grain that's rich with fiber, which helps keep your number twos regular and your stomach feeling full long after you've wolfed down the treats, according to the Mayo Clinic. Oats also boast iron, a mineral that helps your red blood cells transfer oxygen from your lungs to your tissues and supports muscle metabolism, and manganese, a nutrient that helps support a healthy immune system. The hearty ingredient also offers a variety of antioxidants, which may reduce the risk of developing heart disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Talk about one tough cookie. (Use up the rest of your oats with this three-ingredient energy bite recipe.)
Courtesy of Nicole Crane
While most cookies are concocted with white and brown sugars, these apple cookies are sweetened with cinnamon and honey, which is less processed than other sweeteners and contains disease-fighting antioxidants. You'll also use coconut oil — not eggs — to bind all the ingredients together. That means this apple cookie recipe can easily be made vegan; just swap out the honey with pure maple syrup for a plant-based treat.
The type of apples used is entirely up to you: Granny Smiths are one of the best options, as their tartness and acidity blend well in these treats, but Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Pink Lady varieties will all work perfectly in this apple cookie recipe, too. And by grating (vs. dicing) the fruit, the apple cookies have a more subtle hint of fruit within each bite.
Ready to make a dent in your apple supply and treat yourself to a seasonal dessert that isn't pumpkin-flavored? Whip up a batch of these cinnamon apple cookies, stat.
Courtesy of Nicole Crane
5-Ingredient Cinnamon Apple Cookies
Makes: 18 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 11 to 14 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups gluten-free old fashioned oats
2 medium apples
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
Directions
Microwave coconut oil in a medium mixing bowl until melted and smooth, about 30 to 40 seconds. Set aside.
Pour 1 cup of oats into a food processor and blend until they form a flour-like consistency. Set the food processor bowl aside.
Peel, core, and grate apples, then set aside on a plate or cutting board. You should have roughly 1 3/4 cup of shredded apple.
Add honey to the mixing bowl with the coconut oil. Whisk together until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Add oat flour, remaining oats, and cinnamon into the mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until well-combined.
Use hands to squeeze out excess moisture from shredded apples, then add to the mixing bowl. Stir until combined.
Transfer the mixing bowl to the fridge and chill the cookie dough for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or coat it with cooking spray.
Once dough is chilled, spoon out roughly 2 tablespoons of dough into your palms and roll into a ball. Flatten cookie dough between your palms to create a disk, then place each piece on the baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. (Note: The dough won't expand a lot in the oven, so it's important to flatten them to prevent a thick cookie.)
Bake for 11-14 minutes, until bottoms of cookies are golden brown.
Remove baking sheet from oven and allow cookies to cool, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!
Nutrition facts per 2 cookies: 205 calories, 9g fat, 7g saturated fat, 29g carbs, 3g fiber, 18g sugar, 2g protein
