Apple Pie Snickerdoodle Cookies

If apple pie and a soft, cinnamon-sugar snickerdoodle had a baby, I’m pretty sure it would be these Apple Pie Snickerdoodle Cookies. 😂 They have that classic soft snickerdoodle cookie on the outside, but when you break one open, there’s a warm cinnamon apple filling hiding right in the center.

I wanted to make something fun for fall that still used pretty basic ingredients. No fancy decorating, no complicated icing, and you definitely don’t need to be an expert baker to make them.

And yes, I actually tested these before putting them here. The flavor on the first batch was a 10/10, but I realized pretty quickly that I had made WAY too much apple filling and the cookies needed a couple more minutes in the oven. So I cut the filling down and adjusted the bake time for the final recipe.

The result is a soft cinnamon cookie with buttery apple pie filling tucked inside and honestly, these might be one of my favorite fall recipes I’ve made this year.

Why You’ll Love These Apple Pie Snickerdoodle Cookies

There is so much going on in these cookies without them actually being difficult to make. The outside is soft, buttery and completely coated in cinnamon sugar, while the center has little pieces of tender apples cooked with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.

They’re also made mostly with pantry staples. If you have an apple sitting on the counter and basic baking ingredients in the pantry, you may already have almost everything you need.

Plus, that apple center makes them SO good when they’re still a little warm. Break one open and you get that soft cookie with the cinnamon apples right in the middle. 🍎

What You’ll Need

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that the ingredient list is pretty simple. You don’t need a bunch of specialty baking ingredients, and we’re only using one apple for the filling.

For the Apple Pie Filling

Apple: You’ll only need one medium apple. Peel it and dice it fairly small so the pieces fit easily inside the cookie dough. Granny Smith is great for a little tartness, but Honeycrisp, Gala or whatever apple you already have will work too.

Butter: A tablespoon of butter gives the apples that rich apple-pie flavor and helps create the sauce around them.

Brown sugar: Just a couple tablespoons sweetens the apples and creates that caramel-like flavor as everything cooks together.

Cinnamon: Apples and cinnamon belong together. We’re using it in the filling AND on the outside of the cookies.

Salt: Just a tiny pinch helps balance all of the sweetness.

Cornstarch: This thickens the liquid from the apples so you end up with a thick filling instead of watery apples that would leak out of your cookies.

Water: Mix this with the cornstarch before adding it to the skillet so you don’t end up with little clumps of cornstarch.

For the Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough

Butter: Make sure your butter is softened, but not melted. Soft butter will cream together easily with the sugars while still giving the cookies structure.

Granulated sugar: This sweetens the dough and is also used for that classic cinnamon-sugar coating.

Brown sugar: I like adding some brown sugar to the dough because it gives the cookies a little extra moisture and a deeper flavor.

Egg: One large egg binds everything together.

Vanilla extract: A teaspoon is plenty to add that warm vanilla flavor to the cookie dough.

All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour is all you need here. I recommend measuring it by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off rather than packing the cup.

Baking soda: This gives the cookies some lift while they bake.

Cream of tartar: This is what helps give a snickerdoodle its classic flavor and texture. I wouldn’t leave this one out!

Salt: A small amount balances the sweetness in the dough.

For the Cinnamon-Sugar Coating

All you need is granulated sugar and cinnamon. Every stuffed cookie dough ball gets rolled through the mixture before baking, which gives these that classic snickerdoodle coating.

How to Make Apple Pie Snickerdoodle Cookies

1. Make the Apple Pie Filling

Start by peeling and finely dicing your apple. You want fairly small pieces here, not big apple chunks, because we’re going to stuff the filling inside individual cookies.

Add the apple to a small skillet with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

Cook over medium heat for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples have started to soften.

Mix the cornstarch and water together separately, then stir it into the skillet. Cook for another 30–60 seconds until the mixture thickens.

Let the filling cool completely before stuffing your cookies. If it’s still hot, it can soften the butter in your cookie dough and make everything harder to work with.

2. Make the Snickerdoodle Dough

While the apples cool, make your cookie dough.

Beat the softened butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix just until everything comes together.

You don’t want to keep mixing once the flour has disappeared. Overmixing can make cookies tougher instead of soft and tender.

3. Chill the Dough

Pop the dough into the refrigerator for about 20–30 minutes.

I know waiting for cookie dough to chill isn’t particularly exciting 😂, but this makes stuffing the cookies SO much easier.

The dough will be less sticky and will hold its shape better when you’re wrapping it around the apple filling.

4. Stuff the Cookies

This is the fun part!

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and gently flatten it in your hand.

Place approximately 1 teaspoon of cooled apple pie filling in the center.

Carefully bring the edges of the cookie dough up and around the filling, then pinch everything closed. Gently roll it between your hands until you have a ball and can’t see any apple filling poking through.

Don’t be tempted to cram a ton of apples into each cookie. More filling sounds better in theory, but it makes the cookies much harder to seal.

5. Roll in Cinnamon Sugar

Combine your granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Roll each stuffed cookie dough ball through the cinnamon sugar until it’s completely coated.

This gives you that cinnamon-sugar crust on the outside that makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle.

6. Bake

Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little room between each one.

Bake at 350°F until the edges are set and the tops no longer look wet.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They’ll continue setting slightly as they cool.

Tips for Making the Best Stuffed Snickerdoodles

The biggest thing is don’t rush the cooling or chilling steps. Your apple filling should be cool before it goes into the cookie dough, and chilling the dough makes the cookies much easier to stuff.

Dice your apples small, too. You want little pieces of apple throughout the center rather than one giant chunk that makes the cookie difficult to close.

And when you’re sealing the cookies, take an extra second to make sure you don’t see any filling. If there’s an opening, pinch a little dough over it before rolling the cookie in cinnamon sugar.

Finally, don’t judge whether they’re finished solely by the clock. Look for set edges and tops that no longer look wet.

What Kind of Apples Are Best?

You have plenty of options.

Granny Smith will give you more of that tart apple-pie flavor, while Honeycrisp or Gala will make the filling sweeter.

But this is Budget Friendly Kitchen, so I’m also going to tell you: use the apple you already have. 😂

I wouldn’t go buy an entire bag of a specific apple variety just to make these cookies. Since the apples are cooked with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon anyway, several varieties will work beautifully.

Can I Make These Ahead of Time?

You can make the apple filling ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make your cookies.

That actually makes assembly really easy because your filling will already be completely cold.

You can also make the cookie dough ahead and refrigerate it. If it gets very firm in the refrigerator, let it sit at room temperature briefly so it’s easy enough to scoop and flatten.

How to Store Apple Pie Snickerdoodle Cookies

Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing them.

For longer storage, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator because of the cooked apple center.

I especially like these when they’re just slightly warm. You can let a refrigerated cookie come back toward room temperature before eating or warm it briefly for more of that fresh-from-the-oven texture.

A Fun Fall Cookie That’s Actually Easy

These Apple Pie Snickerdoodle Cookies look like you put a lot more work into them than you actually did, which might be my favorite kind of recipe. 😂

They’re soft and cinnamon-y on the outside with buttery brown-sugar apples hidden in the middle. You get all those cozy apple pie flavors without making pie crust or spending half the day baking.

And after testing these myself, the taste is officially a 10/10 in my book.

If you’re looking for an easy fall dessert, a fun cookie to bring somewhere, or you just have an apple sitting on the counter that needs to be used, definitely give these a try.