These Toffee Apple Pie Cookies combine nutty brown butter, apple pie spread, and chocolate-covered toffee chunks for a soft and chewy cookie perfect for fall! The apple pie spread brings a warm, spiced apple flavor while the toffee adds bits of buttery goodness throughout.
As a professional baker, I’m often asked what my favorite thing to bake is. Hands down, it's cookies! I’m always looking for new flavor combinations, and when I came across Trader Joe’s apple pie spread, I knew I had to find a way to add it into a batch of cookies.
One of my favorite things about baking cookies is experimenting with different flavors and textures. I've always loved the combination of nutty brown butter and crunchy toffee (especially in my brown butter toffee cookies) so I couln't resist bringing those flavors into this recipe.
I also went back and forth with the amount of brown sugar and granulated sugar in these cookies. Too much spreading was an issue in my earlier batches, but once I got the sugar ratios right, I had the soft, chewy texture I was after.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter because I like to control the amount of salt in my cookies. If you only have salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
- Apple pie spread: This is a seasonal Trader Joe’s find, so stock up while you can! You could try using apple butter, but keep in mind that it’s usually thicker than the apple pie spread, and it may change how much the cookies spread and also their final texture.
- Toffee: I love using chocolate-covered toffee for these cookies. I’ve tried both milk and dark chocolate, and you really can’t go wrong with either. You’ll want to chop the toffee into smaller pieces. Larger chunks tend to melt into pools and make your cookies spread unevenly.
- Flaky sea salt: An optional addition, but I love how a sprinkle of flaky sea salt balances the toffee’s sweetness. I’ve made these with and without it, and both versions are delicious.
Please see the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and measurements.
How to Make These Cookies
- Brown the butter. Look for golden-brown bits at the bottom of your pan. I actually prefer mine a shade darker for a more pronounced nutty flavor. Just be careful not to burn it!
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk everything together before adding them to your wet ingredients.
- Combine the butter and sugars. Once the butter has cooled slightly, you can add both sugars and whisk to combine. Mix long enough so that the melted butter incorporates fully into the sugars and you don’t see pools of butter.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Whisk the egg, yolk, and vanilla into the butter mixture.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. You’ll find that the mixture is on the drier side of traditional cookie dough, which is expected.
- Add the best part! Fold in the apple pie filling and toffee pieces until combined. You’ll want everything to be pretty evenly distributed for even spreading.
- Scoop and chill. Scoop the dough onto a plate or small parchment-lined sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. If you have time, I recommend leaving it overnight. The flavor gets even better!
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 11-12 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
My Best Tips for These Cookies
- Don’t skip the chill time! It’s really important for the butter to firm up again. The flavors will also continue to develop and deepen as the dough rests. I usually make the dough the night before and bake the next day.
- My cookies usually take about 12 minutes to bake, but every oven is different. Look for lightly golden edges and tops that look set. You don’t want the centers to look underbaked or the cookies will end up too gooey.
- I can’t guarantee that these cookies won’t spread into a mismatched shape. The toffee melts as the cookies bake and depending on the size of your toffee pieces some of your cookies may spread unevenly. I use a round cookie cutter (you could use a large coffee mug too) to scoot around the hot cookies and they reshape into perfect circles.
- These are definitely best enjoyed the day they're made. You can keep them at room temperature for a few days, but they’ll soften as they sit. And if you have extra cookies, crumble them over a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream for a delicious treat.
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Toffee Apple Pie Cookies
- Total Time: 45 minutes + 4 hours chill
- Yield: 17 cookies 1x
Description
These Toffee Apple Pie Cookies combine nutty brown butter, apple pie spread, and chocolate-covered toffee chunks for a soft and chewy cookie perfect for fall! The apple pie spread brings a warm, spiced apple flavor while the toffee adds bits of buttery goodness throughout.
Ingredients
Scale
- 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter
- 260 (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 130 g (⅔ cup) light brown sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 110 g (⅓ cup) Trader Joe’s Apple Pie Spread
- 80 g (⅔ cup) roughly chopped chocolate-covered toffee
- Flaky sea salt, optional
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the butter has brown specks throughout. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool but not thicken.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add both sugars to the butter and whisk until smooth, with no visible pools of butter.
- Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla, and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Fold in the dry ingredients until just a few streaks of flour remain.
- Fold in the apple pie spread and chopped toffee until evenly combined.
- Use a 2-tablespoon scoop to scoop the dough into balls and place on a small sheet pan or plate. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Line two baking sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Arrange the cookie dough on the sheet pans, leaving 3 inches between each cookie.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 11-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt and let them cool for 5 minutes on the hot sheet pan. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Apple pie spread: I use Trader Joe's Apple Pie Spread for these cookies, but you can substitute an apple butter. However, depending on the thickness, it could alter the overall texture of these cookies and their spread.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days (the longer they sit, the softer they will be).
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
- Freeze the dough: Scoop the cookie dough into balls, store in a freezer-safe bag or container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
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