Cholee is a stay-at-home mom who enjoys creating family and budget-friendly recipes from scratch.

Warm, spicy, gooey, moist, and topped with streusel, these cookies are perfect. A hint of nutmeg and cinnamon fills your kitchen and will have you thinking it's autumn and nearing Thanksgiving in no time. What I love about these cookies is the scent of fall that fills the kitchen when mixing up a batch. Not only is fall my all-time favorite season, but I just love when I can bring out the smells in my baking. Some of my favorite fall smells and flavors are apples, cinnamon, and warm spices like nutmeg. These cookie pack a punch of flavor and fill the whole house with my all-time favorite smells, too.

I created this recipe from scratch with a couple of leftover Granny Smith apples I wanted to use up. Everyone has heard of and probably tried apple cinnamon muffins. My husband and children vastly prefer cookies to muffins, so I threw some ingredients together and here we are: apple cinnamon streusel cookies. They taste identical to the muffins with the same name, and they are a guilt-free way to eat cookies for breakfast. Nothing is more enticing to my family than thinking they are getting away with eating sweets during mealtime.

Cook Time

Ingredients for Cookie Dough

• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups diced apples (approximately 4 apples)

Ingredients for Streusel

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup of graham crackers
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl cream together both sugars and butter.
2. Add eggs and beat until blended.
3. Combine dry ingredients and mix into creamed mixture, just until blended.
4. Peel and mince apples. Fold into cookie dough (I used a mini chopper to mince my apples to my desired size).
5. Place the cookie dough on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Mix together streusel ingredients and sprinkle onto cooling cookies. (You can also put the streusel onto the cookies when there are about 5 minutes of baking time left. The streusel will bake slightly into the cookies.)

Photo Tutorial

Sugars and margarine ready to be creamed.

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Baking With Apples

Apples range in flavor from sweet to tart, depending on the variety. Apples make a great snack, but they can also be used to dress up a salad or sauce, as well as for baking. Traditionally apples have been used in breads, muffins, cakes, pies, and tarts. However, today we are using them in cookies because, why not?

Buying and Storing Apples

You can buy apples year-round, however, most varieties have a peak season. Although most varieties have a peak season Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious are year-round apple varieties. When buying apples buy ones that are firm and have smooth and unblemished skin. Unwashed apples can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. It is recommended to keep them away from other vegetables with strong aromas as apples can absorb odors. Always wash before using.

Types of Apples

Note: Not all varieties of apples work well for baking, so it's best to know which types of apples perform best with the desired use you want them for.

No One Will Be Able to Resist

These cookies are sweet yet savory and will have your whole house smelling like baked apples. No one will be able to resist these delicious cookies, and you will find yourself going back for more. They are incredibly soft and melt-in-your-mouth perfect.

© 2012 Cholee Clay

Comments

Cholee Clay (author) from Wisconsin on May 18, 2012:

cardelean-Hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we do. They are delicious and super soft:) Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

cardelean from Michigan on May 18, 2012:

Yummy! These sound absolutely delicious. We always have tons of apples from our trees on our farm so this will be the perfect for our harvest. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.

Cholee Clay (author) from Wisconsin on May 05, 2012:

theclevercat--I do love streusel:) I'll have to look through my recipes or maybe make up a new one, I'm sure I can think up something. Thanks for the vote!

Rachel Vega from Massachusetts on May 05, 2012:

Butterfly, you are the Streusel Queen! What's next??? I can't wait.

Mmm, voted useful.

Cholee Clay (author) from Wisconsin on May 05, 2012:

Thanks K9! I found it in a cookbook years ago and it has definitely brought out the best flavors in the apples I decide to use and when.

India Arnold from Northern, California on May 05, 2012:

I gotta say, your apple chart is a priceless addition to this hub!! I want to to print it out and place it on the fridge for future reference! Top notch work!

HubHugs~

Cholee Clay (author) from Wisconsin on May 05, 2012:

Thanks chef stella!:) These cookies are very yummy and the softest cookies I have ever ate.

chef stella on May 05, 2012:

Looks really delicious ;)

Cholee Clay (author) from Wisconsin on May 05, 2012:

Thanks for the vote and sharing Teresa! Enjoy.

Teresa Coppens from Ontario, Canada on May 05, 2012:

Sound delicious. I will be trying these out for sure!!! Voted up and shared!

Cholee Clay (author) from Wisconsin on May 04, 2012:

KJhusak-Mine too:) I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine does.

KJhusak on May 04, 2012:

Yum...that about covers my thoughts on this hub(: Definitely going to try these!

Cholee Clay (author) from Wisconsin on May 04, 2012:

Hope you enjoy them PurpleRaven! I made them today and between everyone eating them they are half gone already:)

PurpleRaven on May 04, 2012:

My mouth is watering just reading this reciepe! Can't wait to try this one.