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These soft and chewy Apple Oatmeal Cookies are everything I want in a cozy treat—warm, comforting, and just sweet enough. They’re loaded with fresh Granny Smith apple bits and warm cinnamon spice, and they make the perfect after-school snack, lunchbox surprise, or late-night bite with a cold glass of milk.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Great cookies! These came out nice and soft. Highly recommend.” – Teergear
“Turned out great. I added raisins too! Yum!” – Lauraine
“It was sooooo good like slay!” – Hey
Why I Love These Cookies
If a cookie could be cozy, this would be the one. The texture is perfectly chewy thanks to old-fashioned oats, and the diced apple gives each bite a little tart pop. I especially love making these in the fall, but truthfully, they’re great year-round. They disappear fast in my house!
This time of year I am crazy about adding apples to all kinds of dishes. I am also making our Panera Bread Fuji Apple Salad, Homemade Apple Pie, Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars, and Apple Bread Pudding in the next several weeks.
🩷 Kelsey
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter – For richness and moisture.
- Granulated sugar & brown sugar – A sweet combo that helps the cookies stay soft.
- Eggs & vanilla – For binding and flavor.
- All-purpose flour – The base of the dough.
- Baking soda, salt & cinnamon – The essential trio for structure and warm flavor.
- Old-fashioned oats – For that signature chewy oatmeal texture.
- Granny Smith apple – Peeled and finely diced.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Raisins – A classic oatmeal cookie mix-in.
- Butterscotch or chocolate chips – Sweeten things up!
- White chocolate or dark chocolate chips – Great for variety.
- Flax seed – For an added boost of fiber.
How to Make Apple Oatmeal Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add to wet mixture and stir to combine.
- Mix in the oats.
- Peel and finely dice the apple (you’ll need about 1 cup).
- Gently fold apples into the dough.
- Roll or scoop dough into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 11–12 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges.
- Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Recipe Tips
- Use old-fashioned oats or rolled oats for the best chewy texture—avoid quick oats if possible.
- Dice apples finely so they bake evenly and blend well into the dough.
- Don’t overbake! Cookies continue to cook as they cool. Pull them when edges are just golden.
- Chill the dough for 15–20 minutes if it feels too soft before rolling.
- Use a cookie scoop if you want uniform cookies (but hand-rolling works fine too!)
Frequently Asked Questions
I love using Granny Smith apples for their tartness. They balance the sweetness of the cookie and hold their shape well when baked.
Yes! Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour and make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.
Peeling the apple helps it blend into the dough better and gives a smoother texture, but you can leave the peel on if you prefer a little extra fiber.
Absolutely! Store the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it in scoops for quick baking anytime.
This can happen if the butter is too warm. Try chilling the dough for 20–30 minutes before baking.
Storing and Freezing Cookies
To store:
Once completely cooled, place cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay soft and chewy for 3–4 days.
To freeze baked cookies:
Let cookies cool fully, then layer in a freezer-safe bag with parchment between layers. Press out extra air and seal. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp before enjoying.
To freeze dough:
Scoop dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet. Once solid, transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen—just add 1–2 extra minutes to the baking time.
More Cookie Recipes
- Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Jack Jack Cookies
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Italian Easter Cookies
- Cookie Dough Mix
- Taylor Swift Cookies
- 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas (with Pictures + Simple Recipes)
Did you make these apple oatmeal cookies? I’d love to hear what you thought. Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out or if you added and fun mix ins! 🍎💛
Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats or rolled oats
- 1 Granny Smith apple
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl or electric mixer, blend butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add this dry mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and blend well. Mix in the oats.
- Peel and finely dice the apple. You should get about 1 cup of apple pieces.
- Stir the apple pieces into the dough.
- Roll or scoop dough into 1-inch balls and place evenly on a lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browning on the edges of the cookies. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- The cookies will look a little unbaked on the top when they come out, but they will continue to cook on the pan.
- This oatmeal cookie recipe is a great base for other mix-ins like butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, or raisins. If you use a mix-in other than apples, just bake for 10 minutes instead of 12.
- Use old-fashioned oats for the best chewy texture—skip the quick oats.
- Finely dice the apple so it bakes evenly into the dough.
- If dough feels soft, chill it for 15–30 minutes before baking.
- Freeze baked cookies or dough balls for up to 2 months.
Turned out perfect after adding more flour and oats. I had the same problem as others with the dough being sticky and impossible to shape into a ball. I chilled the dough too so that helped. Also had to cook for 17 min.
I wonder if elevation/humidity had something to do with it. We may have to revisit the recipe to see what is going on?
I followed this recipe as written. They were a little flat, but good flavor… I am going to use them for topping on an apple crisp or crumble and press as a pie crust.
Sorry this didn’t work at as you had hoped– we will try to investigate and see what that could have happened with your cookies, Have you tested your oven lately to make sure it heats evenly and at the correct temperatures?
Turned out great. I added raisins too! Yum
Raisins are perfect for this one. 🙂
Great cookies! These came out nice and soft. Highly recommend.
My cookies flattened out a lot. Taste was good I was just hoping for more apple.
Substitute 1/2 cup peanut butter for 1/2 cup butter
Substitute white & dark sugar – only 1 cup and add 1 cup raisins
it was sooooo good like slay
I added a little more flour and ground flax. They had a really good taste!