With the onset of fall and the chill in the air arriving, these Applesauce Drop Cookies with Browned Butter Icing are the perfect little afternoon snack to have with a hot cup of tea!
These soft and tasty Applesauce Drop Cookies are a delicious and warming cookie to serve guest with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Kids love them and they make a great afternoon snack as well as a part of your Thanksgiving Dessert table!
The origin of Applesauce Drop Cookies
This month is my last post for the Secret Recipe Club. I have been with the club since it started when Amanda, over at Amanda's Cookin' started it from a group of us who used to chat in a Yahoo Group forum.
It took off like a storm and became so popular that there had to be 4 groups of bloggers who would post a different Monday of the month each week. I always have been in group A and I'm ending in group A.
Today, my last secret recipe surprise is Anna's blog, Cheese with Noodles. I seriously considered making Amazing Stove Top Mac & Cheese from her blog considering her name, however I ran out of time and had to find something I had ingredients for right in my pantry and not have to make a store run.
That is when I came across the Applesauce Drop Cookies with Browned Butter Icing. Anna found the recipe from a Betty Crocker Cookie book. I wonder if she and I have that same cookbook? The Applesauce Cookie I knew would be a soft one which was a plus in Grumpy's direction and the browned butter icing was the deciding factor. These cookies were going to be my post!
Variations to the recipe
- Add 1 cup raisins, chocolate chips, or cinnamon chips or a combination of all!
- Dice up an apple and stir it into the batter.
- Add a cup of chopped toasted walnuts.
- Stir 1 teaspoon of cinnamon into the icing
Steps for a successful Applesauce Drop Cookie
- Don't skip the straining of the applesauce. If you do, the batter will be thinner and not work as a drop cookie.
- Watch the butter carefully as it is browning. It doesn't take long for browned butter to become burnt butter.
- Parchment paper or a silpat works best for preventing the cookies from sticking to your baking sheet.
Soft Cookie Recipes are the bomb!
We are huge fans of soft cookies. I grew up with my Grandmother making them on a regular basis! My very favorite soft cookie recipe is Soft Blueberry Cookies with Lemon Glaze. We also love Nanny's Pineapple Cookies with Orange Glaze!
Applesauce Drop Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups strained applesauce
- 3-½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
For the icing
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1-½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add applesauce and mix until combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to applesauce mixture gradually stirring until combined.
- Drop dough using small cookie scoop onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until cookies bounce back to the touch and no longer look wet.
- To make frosting: in a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook until particles start to turn brown.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla, powdered sugar and heavy cream. Stir until creamy.
- You may need to add a little more cream as you go along as this frosting will thicken more as it cools.
- Frost cookies. Store in airtight container.
bellini
These are the perfect seasonal cookie Shelby.
honeyb
Bethany, that was a mistake on my part! A typo...they bake at 350. Sorry about that!
Patsy K
the browned butter icing is what has me drooling over these cookies! perfect for fall!