📋 Toffee Apple Pie Cookies Recipe
These award-winning Toffee Apple Pie Cookies combine apple pie and toffee flavors with a fresh lemon glaze. They won Grand Prize in the Home Baking Cookie Category  at "Canada’s Baking and Sweets Show 2015". A unique and tasty dessert recipe that’s the perfect way to use up those apples.
Servings 36 cookies
Calories 242kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces about 1 cup
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (from concentrate)
- â…“ cup whipped cream not whipping cream, it has to be whipped- you can use the spray can of 'real whipped cream'
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 egg
- â…” cup toffee bits *I use Skor
- ¾ cup finely chopped pecans
Fresh Lemon glaze:
- 2 cups powdered/icing sugar
- 4 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F/175 degrees C. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper.
- Mix cinnamon, ¼ cup of the brown sugar and white granulated sugar together. Set aside.
- Cook apples in butter in microwave on high for 1 minute. Combine apple mixture with sugar and cinnamon sugar mixture until coated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- With electric mixer, beat cream cheese and remaining ½ cup brown sugar together until smooth, then add apple sauce, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, vanilla and whipped cream and milk. Beat for 30 seconds longer. Add egg and mix until incorporated.
- Gradually add half the flour mixture, then fold in chopped pecans, toffee bits and apple/sugar mixture. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir until incorporated.
- Drop cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheet with cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon sized).
- Bake cookies in prepared oven for 18-22 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown (these cookies will not brown on top like typical cookies). This will depend on how big you make the cookies. If you do a heaping tbsp. with the large OXO cookie scoop, 21 minutes was perfect for me. But if you want a smaller cookies, like in the photos, do a level tbsp, and bake 18 minutes
- Cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack and let cool for another 5 minutes.
Glaze:
- Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Glaze should be thick, yet pourable. (Add more or less sugar or lemon juice to achieve desired consistency).
- Once cookies are cooled, drizzle glaze over cookies using the back of a spoon (or put glaze in a Ziploc bag and snip off a small corner then drizzle.)It helps if you leave them close together, on the wire rack, and put parchment paper underneath, then drizzle across in large batches.
Garnish:
- Sprinkle lemon zest over cookies, dividing evenly between all cookies.
Notes
*NOTE: You'll need 2 whole lemons to get enough zest and juice for this recipe
Expert Recipe Tips:
- Dice apples small for even baking – Cut the apple pieces into small, uniform cubes so they soften quickly and blend well into the dough without creating wet pockets.
- Cook apples just until tender – Microwaving the apples for about a minute helps release their juices and prevents them from being too firm once baked into the cookies. Don’t overcook, or they’ll turn mushy.
- Use room-temperature cream cheese – Softened cream cheese incorporates smoothly into the batter and prevents lumps, giving you a silky cookie dough texture.
- Measure flour correctly – Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife instead of scooping directly from the bag. Too much flour will make the cookies dense and dry.
- Check doneness from the bottom – These cookies don’t brown on top like typical cookies. Look for golden-brown bottoms to know they’re ready.
- Cool completely before glazing – If the cookies are warm, the lemon glaze will melt and soak in. Cooling them fully ensures the glaze sets beautifully on top.
- Glaze in batches for less mess – Place cooled cookies close together on a rack with parchment underneath, then drizzle across several at once to save time and keep cleanup easy.
- Balance sweetness with tart apples – If using very sweet apples, the cookies can become overly sweet with the toffee. A tart variety like Granny Smith adds balance.
- Avoid overmixing – Once you add the flour, stir just until combined. Overmixing develops gluten, which can make the cookies tough instead of soft and tender.
- Freeze without glaze for best results – For make-ahead baking, freeze cookies unglazed. Add glaze and zest once thawed so they taste fresh and look bakery-perfect.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
