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Apple Pie Cutie Cookies

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 17, 2013

Time

2¼ hours, plus 1 hour chilling and 30 minutes cooling

Yield

Makes 24 cookies

Apple Pie Cutie Cookies

Ingredients

PASTRY

2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/35 grams) all-purpose flour 13 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and frozen for 15 minutes3 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 4 ½ tablespoons ice water, plus extra as needed1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 large egg, lightly beaten

FILLING

¼ cup water 1 teaspoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ½ pounds (680 grams) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces¼ cup packed (1 ¾ ounce/50 grams) light brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt

Before You Begin

Plan ahead because both the dough and the filling need to chill.

Instructions

    for the pastry

  1. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, butter, 1½ teaspoons sugar, and salt and beat on low speed until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 3 minutes. Add ice water and mix until dough begins to come together, about 1 minute, adding extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 4-inch square, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine cinnamon and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in small bowl; set aside.
  2. for the filling

  3. Combine water and cornstarch in small bowl. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
  4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll 1 square of dough into 12 by 8-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick, on lightly floured counter. Spread evenly with apple mixture.
  5. Roll remaining dough into 12 by 8-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. Using fluted pastry wheel, cut dough into sixteen 12 by ½-inch strips. Arrange dough strips diagonally in lattice pattern over filling, trimming as needed.
  6. Cut into twenty-four 2-inch squares, brush tops with egg, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Space cookies 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking; refrigerate second sheet while first is baking. Let cookies cool completely on sheets. (Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)
Apple Pie Cutie Cookies

Apple Pie Cutie Cookies

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

2¼ hours, plus 1 hour chilling and 30 minutes cooling

Yield

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients

PASTRY

2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/35 grams) all-purpose flour
13 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and frozen for 15 minutes
3 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 ½ tablespoons ice water, plus extra as needed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten

FILLING

¼ cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ pounds (680 grams) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
¼ cup packed (1 ¾ ounce/50 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt

Ingredients

PASTRY

2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/35 grams) all-purpose flour
13 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and frozen for 15 minutes
3 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 ½ tablespoons ice water, plus extra as needed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten

FILLING

¼ cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ pounds (680 grams) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
¼ cup packed (1 ¾ ounce/50 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt

Ingredients

PASTRY

2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces/35 grams) all-purpose flour
13 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and frozen for 15 minutes
3 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 ½ tablespoons ice water, plus extra as needed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten

FILLING

¼ cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ pounds (680 grams) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
¼ cup packed (1 ¾ ounce/50 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt

Why This Recipe Works

Apple pie is a holiday favorite, and these cookies transform it into a bite-size affair. A pastrylike dough forms the base, and we thicken a filling of tart Granny Smith apples with cornstarch and flavor it with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. A lattice top brings to mind traditional apple pie, and a final dusting of cinnamon sugar seals the deal.

Before You Begin

Plan ahead because both the dough and the filling need to chill.

Instructions

    for the pastry

  1. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, butter, 1½ teaspoons sugar, and salt and beat on low speed until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 3 minutes. Add ice water and mix until dough begins to come together, about 1 minute, adding extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into 4-inch square, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine cinnamon and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in small bowl; set aside.
  2. for the filling

  3. Combine water and cornstarch in small bowl. Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
  4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll 1 square of dough into 12 by 8-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick, on lightly floured counter. Spread evenly with apple mixture.
  5. Roll remaining dough into 12 by 8-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. Using fluted pastry wheel, cut dough into sixteen 12 by ½-inch strips. Arrange dough strips diagonally in lattice pattern over filling, trimming as needed.
  6. Cut into twenty-four 2-inch squares, brush tops with egg, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Space cookies 1 inch apart on prepared sheets. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking; refrigerate second sheet while first is baking. Let cookies cool completely on sheets. (Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

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