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Chewy Iced Apple Cider Caramel Oatmeal Cookies. These homemade brown sugar cookies are made with browned butter, oatmeal, homemade apple cider caramels, and Honeycrisp apples. They’re the best fall cookies! And while they’re amazing on their own, the secret ingredient that makes these cookies better than the rest is an over-the-top vanilla glaze that’s sweet, thick, and creamy. It’s the yummiest and makes these cookies melt in your mouth!
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The first day of fall is this coming Sunday. As you can all tell, I’m excited. It will be a busy but fun autumn and holiday season, and I just can’t wait!
I’ve been brainstorming my fall recipes for weeks. These cookies have been at the top of my list since day one. I mean, come on, how delicious do they sound?
Inspired by our new apple cider candle, I wanted to bring those crisp, cozy autumn scents to life in cookie form!
Batch after batch, I worked endlessly on these cookies to make them just right. I lost count, but dozens of cookies have been coming in and out of my oven for the last week.
I’m so happy I stuck with my idea because these might just be one of my best fall cookies yet!
They’re the ideal crisp-around-the-edges cookie, with a gooey caramel apple swirled center, and topped with a sweet vanilla glaze.
These are the details
Step 1: make the cider caramel
With just three ingredients, this is a pretty no-fuss caramel. All you need to do is boil apple cider with brown sugar and butter.
Boil for about 10 minutes for a soft, chewy caramel. The longer you boil the caramel, the harder it will become. Ideally, you want a soft, chewy caramel, so stick to around 10 minutes on the stove.
The sauce will bubble and thicken. Then, add sea salt and pour the caramel onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let it set.
Step 2: dry out the apples
This is optional; you can add apples, or you can leave the apples out of your cookie.
If you decide you want bits of apple, thinly slice Honeycrisp apples, dice them, and spread them out in an even layer on a baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. Drying the apples first will prevent the cookies from having too much moisture.
Step 3: brown the butter for the cookies
Next, brown the butter in a medium skillet. Just let the butter cook until it bubbles up and foams on top. This is when I turn the heat off and continue to allow the butter to cook in the pan.
Little brown bits will form on the bottom of the pan. Those are the nutty little bits that will make your recipes extra delicious.
Step 4: mix together the wet ingredients
Once the butter is browned, the rest goes pretty much as you would think. I don’t use a mixer for these, just a good old-fashioned spatula will do the trick. Mix the butter with brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 5: the dry ingredients
After you’ve added your wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking soda, and a small pinch of salt.
Then mix in the bits of caramel and the dried apples – and bake.
Step 6: finally the vanilla glaze
The glaze really melts in your mouth. It’s not needed, but if you’re looking for something special, this glaze is beyond delicious and easy to make. It’s made with powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.
Drizzle the glaze over each cookie, then eat them warm and gooey. You can also let them cool and store them. With or without the glaze, these cookies are certainly great either way!
Looking for cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Glazed Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown Sugar Maple Ginger Cookies
Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Iced Apple cider Caramel Oatmeal Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Iced Apple Cider Caramel Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
Caramel
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cookies
- 1 honeycrisp apple, sliced thin, then diced, (optional)
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Icing
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. To make the caramel. Add the butter and brown sugar to a large pot set over medium heat. Let the butter melt, and add the cider. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is dark, bubbling, and thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt. Carefully pour the caramel out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let it set, then cut/tear it into pieces. The longer you cook the caramel, the harder it will become when cooled. 2. To make the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.3. If using, arrange the apples on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes to dry the apples out. 2. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool for 5 minutes or so.3. To the brown butter, mix in the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the caramel chunks and dried apples. 4. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon-size balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet. Bake another 3-4 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges.5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet.6. Meanwhile, if desired, make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Thin with water if needed. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies! Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
So yummy 😋
Thanks so much, Tracy! Love to hear that you enjoyed these cookies! Have a great weekend! xT
These are so yummy, let the caramel rest until it was hard & put the butter in the freezer for 15min before mixing with the other ingredients turned out great! I doubled the recipe, do you think the rest of the dough is fine to bake tomorrow? I tossed it in the refrigerator for now.
Hey Crystal,
Happy Thursday! Thank you so much for trying these cookies:) Yes, the dough should be just fine for you to bake tomorrow! So glad they were enjoyed! xT
Did anyone try using a GF flour such as almond flour or even ground up more oats to make oat flour? I’d love to make these for my upcoming Halloween/ Bunco party if I can convert to GF flour option.
Hey Becky,
If you want to use an equal amount of gluten free flour, that should work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
These looked delish, but fasten up, because they are a lot of work. The cookie is also very sweet.
Hi Amber,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you didn’t love the cookies! xT
I just came back to adjust the rating. My family loved them, and the giant plate of cookies is almost gone. It’s worth the effort if you have a lot of caramel, oatmeal, and maple-loving people!
Tip- use a light-colored bottom p0t/pan for the caramel and brown butter.
Thanks again, Amber!!
I made this and they came out SOO YUMMY! Very flavorful and sweet. The caramel was perfect! I did not include the apple bits. It made about 30 cookies (they came out a little bit smaller than in the picture you used for the post). I received lots of compliments from our neighbors and my coworkers. Thanks again! 🙂
Thanks so much, Cassandra! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and I appreciate you trying it! x
Looking forward to trying these! Any suggestions on how to prevent the caramel from leaking out like it did in the batch featured on your instagram stories?
Hey Chelsea,
You could allow the caramel to harden more, but it’s really just the nature of the cookie:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Made these and got good feedback from my “testers”. Everyone is impressed how light they were. I enjoyed making the caramel chips and will certainly be experimenting to add these to other cookie recipes. I thought they might be a little to sweet with he icing but they ended up the perfect level. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Sam,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for trying it! Have a great week! xT
I have to say these were a lot of effort for 2 dozen cookies (actually got 20 cookies). I did not dry the apples myself, I used store bought dried apples from trader joes and cut them up. The caramel step is confusing. Is it suppose to be broken apart (a harder caramel) and put in the cookies or should it still be fairly soft when you put it in the cookies? Mine was on the softer side and I just cut pieces with a scissor and put them into the cookie batter. The caramel did re-melt and leak out and burn around the edges of the cookie a little. I like the concept of this cookie but the recipe needs some work. My kiddos gave them a thumbs down.
Hi Blake,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love them. The caramel should not be super hard, I’m sorry that the ended up burning a little on the edges. xx
If I substitute apple butter for the apples as I can not have them, how much would you say I could use?
Hi Natasha,
The apples are optional, so you do not need to add any apple butter in place of them:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Can you use apple juice instead of apple cider? Cider only comes in large amounts & I would prefer to buy small apple juice cans.
Hi Linda,
Yes, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Could you use dried apples slices (like you find in the snack aisle) cut into pieces?
Hey Barbara,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Do you think you could freeze these cookies?
Hey Pamela,
You bet, that should work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Could this be made into a sheet pan bar cookie? How would the cooking be affected if I did that?
Hey Rebecca,
Sure, I think that would be great! I would start with baking 25-35 minutes. Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
What a unique recipe! Looking forward to giving it a try. Do you think you could freeze these cookies or the dough?
Thanks so much, Megan!! Yes, I would go ahead and freeze the cookies and then save the glaze to add once they are thawed. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
These look delicious. I have one question. When the caramel cools on the parchment does it harden enough to break into caramel bits or do I need to chop it up or somehow cut it into pieces?
Hey Sara,
Thanks so much! The caramel will harden enough for you to tear it into bits:) The longer it sits, the harder it will become. Let me know if you give these cookies a try, I hope you love them! xT
Could you clarify the caramel step? Your recipe says: Boil for about 10 minutes for a soft, chewy caramel. The longer you boil the caramel, the harder it will become. Ideally, you want a soft, chewy caramel, so stick to around 10 minutes on the stove.
The instructions also use 10 minutes but say: Let it set, then break it into pieces. The longer you cook the caramel, the harder it will become when cooled.
Is it 10 minutes on the stove or does it need to be longer?
Hi Jo,
Sorry for any confusion! I would aim for 10 minutes and then go ahead and pour it onto the baking sheet. You want to be able to tear the caramel once it sits, the longer it sits, the harder it gets. Let me know if you need anymore help! xT
You stated in the instructions that ideally the caramel should be a “ chewy “ consistency. To me that would mean it isn’t brittle, correct?
Correct:) It should be a consistency where you can tear it with your hands or cut it. I hope this helps! x