Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Make the oat crumble
- Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then cut in the cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm to the touch.
Make the apple cookie dough
- Preheat the oven to 375F and line baking sheets. Beat butter and both sugars until smooth, then add eggs, vanilla, and applesauce.
- Fold in the dry ingredients and diced apple (patted dry) until evenly combined. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes, until it holds shape when scooped.
Bake and finish
- Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon rounds on the lined baking sheets. Press a generous pinch of the oat crumble topping onto each cookie.
- Bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes, until the tops are golden and the edges look set. Let cookies cool briefly on the sheet.
- Drizzle with caramel while the cookies are warm so it melts slightly and clings to the crumble. Serve once the drizzle firms up.
Notes
Pro tip: pat the diced apple dry before folding it in—this helps prevent spreading and keeps the cookies soft. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature and rewarm 5 minutes if you want the crumble to feel crisp again. For a gluten-free swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in both the cookie dough and crumble.