Chewy spiced apple cookies glazed green and filled with salty-sweet Medjool date caramel, it’s a sandwich cookie spin on the caramel apple!
SPONSORED BY NATURAL DELIGHTS
Feasting on fruit doesn’t get anymore fall than the caramel apple – tart, sweet, crispy, crunchy, sticky – they’re a perfect autumn treat. I am a big big fan of the classic, but I couldn’t resist creating a cookie twist! These sweet sandwiches start with a chewy spiced cookie filled with tart little nibs of granny smith apple. Next comes the green glaze with two different ingredient options, both naturally colored with matcha to a beautiful shade of apple green. And then the gooey delicious caramel filling, naturally flavored with Medjool dates as the base, a big pinch of salt, and coconut milk for ultra creamy texture. Finish with a chocolate stem and dig into these sticky messy magical cookie sandwiches.
How To Make Caramel Apple Sandwich Cookies
To pull off the full presentation there are a few different elements we need to prep. But you can absolutely skip the glaze and stem and still enjoy a slightly less cute but still DELICIOUS caramel apple cookie sandwich situation. Let’s start with the only part that needs an oven…
Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Spice Cookies
These cookies bake up to be thick and soft, but golden on the bottom edges and subtly crispy outside with the perfect amount of spread. They are made with gluten-free flour, flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg, and sweetened only with coconut sugar for extra coziness. You will need:
- Coconut oil. Or vegan butter. Using all applesauce won’t get the same spread.
- Peanut butter. Or almond butter, but I love the peanut flavor with apples!
- Applesauce. I used unsweetened, but since we want the apple flavor you could even used sweetened or cinnamon applesauce here.
- Coconut sugar. Or brown sugar would work too.
- Vanilla and lemon juice. For flavor and a little tartness.
- Gluten-free flour. If you don’t need them to be gluten-free then regular all purpose flour would work as well.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg. For a touch of that apple pie spice vibe.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Granny smith apple. Or any kind of apple you love, but I went with the caramel apple classic choice. You could also crumble up apple chips and fold them in.
This batter does need to chill briefly before baking so the dough isn’t too sticky for rolling and the cookies don’t spread too much. You can either refrigerate for 30 minutes, or freeze for 15 (if you are impatient like me!)
Naturally Green Glaze
In the spirit of keeping this recipe refined sugar free, I created a creamy green glaze with coconut butter and agave (or maple syrup) naturally colored with matcha powder. It works, tastes delicious, and sets beautifully, but I realize coconut butter can be a little tricky to find and pricey too. So I also included a powdered sugar glaze option with an extra infusion of apple flavor and still the same natural green. I do recommend using a high quality matcha otherwise the color will be a dull (kinda ugly) green.
The Creamiest Medjool Date Caramel
My basic date paste recipe uses water blended with Medjool dates. But when you want a ridiculously creamy caramel, swap the water for full-fat coconut milk and WOW. The ratio is approximately the same, but the texture and richness is incredible. Add in some vanilla extract and salt, and you have the perfect salty-sweet caramel for cookie sandwich filling (or just dipping apples!)
Whether I’m making the classic date paste to bake with or this ultra creamy caramel, I always use Natural Delights Medjool Dates. I have been creating recipes with their Medjool dates for a while and there is truly no comparison other brands you can buy. When you crack open a new pack and the sweet smell hits you, the fresh gooeyness is unmistakeable, and best of all they are already pitted for you…nothing better.
Tips For Easy Apple Sandwich Assembly
- Let the cookies cool COMPLETELY. Or even chill them so they’re slightly cold, the glaze will set faster with less runoff. But I still recommend glazing them on a wire rack with a sheet of wax paper underneath to catch the drips.
- Only add as much coconut milk as absolutely necessary to get the caramel to blend, the thicker the better. This layer will also benefit from chilling so it’s nice and thick before you pipe it.
- Keep them cold until right before serving, both the glaze and the caramel will melt/soften if they are kept at room temperature for too long. Caramel apples are meant to be messy, but we can still try to minimize!
More Sticky Sweet Apple Recipes You’ll Love
- Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake
- 5-Minute Caramel Apple Butter
- Vegan Apple Tart Tatin
- Spiced Apple Crisp Bars
Caramel Apple Sandwich Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 44 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies (6 sandwiches) 1x
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
Chewy spiced apple cookies glazed green and filled with salty-sweet Medjool date caramel, it’s a sandwich cookie spin on the caramel apple!
Ingredients
Apple Spice Cookies
- 1/4 cup (50g) coconut oil
- 1/4 cup (65g) almond or peanut butter
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup (70g) coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp (227g) gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tap baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (~50g) finely diced Granny Smith apple
Green Glaze*
- 1/2 cup (115g) coconut butter
- 1/4 cup (80g) agave
- 1–2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp matcha powder
Medjool Date Caramel
- 200g (~10) Natural Delights Pitted Medjool Dates
- 3/4–1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Dark chocolate chunks for the stems
Instructions
Apple Spice Cookies
- Combine coconut oil, almond/peanut butter, applesauce, coconut sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Microwave 30 seconds to melt, then whisk until smooth.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Fold in the diced apples.
- Freeze the dough for 15 minutes. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough (about 2 tbsp per cookie), roll into balls, and arrange on the baking sheets. Leave room in between for spreading, 6 cookies per pan.
- Bake 12-14 minutes at 375°F until the bottom edges are just starting to brown.
- Cool 10 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Green Glaze
- Combine coconut butter and agave in a small bowl.
- Microwave 30 seconds to melt the coconut butter, then whisk until smooth.
- Add in the matcha powder, and 1-2 tbsp coconut oil if needed to thin it out. It will thicken as it cools.
- Dip or spoon onto cooled cookies, letting excess drip off the sides (place a piece of wax paper underneath the wire rack for easier cleanup!)
- Refrigerate cookies so the glaze hardens.
Medjool Date Caramel
- Blend Natural Delights Pitted Medjool Dates with 3/4 cup coconut milk, vanilla, and salt.
- Add the remaining milk slowly as needed if the blender gets stuck, you will need to stop and stir/scrape down the sides often. Add as little liquid as possible so you have a thick caramel filling.
- Chill 2-3 hours (or overnight) to thicken.
- Transfer to a piping bag.
To assemble
- Pipe a generous dollop of Medjool date caramel onto half of the cookies, sandwich with the remaining cookies.
- Use a blow torch to melt one end of a chocolate chunk, then immediately press it into the top of a cookie to attach the “stem”. Alternately, you can just press a chocolate chip onto the top the glaze will help it stick.
- Keep cookies chilled until right before serving.
Notes
*If you don’t have coconut butter, you can make a powdered sugar glaze with: 2 cups powdered sugar + 2-3 tbsp apple juice + 1/2 tsp matcha powder whisked together until smooth
Keywords: gluten free, fall, halloween, apples, cinnamon, spice, kids, healthy, dessert, glaze, caramel, medjool dates
CLICK BELOW TO PIN
[…] Print […]