Apple Raisin Softies are the cookie for all of you fruit and nut lovers. Made with your favorite fall flavors – apples, raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon – they are simply sweet with fruit and nut morsels in every bite.
Treat yourself to a cookie that you can enjoy as a dessert or a snack!
These cookies taste amazing, and as a bonus, they’ll fill your home with the intoxicating aroma of cinnamon, apples, raisins, and walnuts. Once your prep work is done – peeling and chopping your apple – these cookies are easy to make and are ready to eat in just a few minutes.
Apple Raisin Softies are cookies that invite you to sit back, relax, and savor the delicious flavor combinations. For other fun combinations try my sweet and salty Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, and my tart and creamy Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies.
For a fun texture combination, you’ll love the plump raisins tucked inside a soft fried dough in New Year’s Cookies. If you’re going to have a cookie, then take the time to enjoy it, too!
Each cookie is like a bit of a heavenly harvest. The sweet apples and raisins keep the cookies moist and provide bursts of natural fruit flavor. The nutty walnut component complements the sweet fruit perfectly and provides a textural crunch. Those add-ins are completely encased in a fall-inspired soft cookie dough rich with seasonal spices!
Each cookie seems like a piece of fall itself. Sweet enough for a dessert, and with enough healthy ingredients to be a snack, too.
Table of Contents
About Apple Raisin Softies
- Soft and Tender
- Fresh and Natural Ingredients
- Perfect Flavors for Autumntime
- Customizable with Different Fruit and Nut Combinations
Tools You Need
- Large and Medium Mixing Bowls – The dry and wet ingredients will each be mixed in different bowls before they are mixed together in the large bowl.
- Mixer – Stand or Hand-held works.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons – Learn how to measure all of the ingredients the right way here.
- Large Spoon – Wooden or other material for stirring in add-ins.
- Cookie Scoop – This will ensure your cookies are the same size for even cooking. Or, you can use spoons to scoop and drop the dough.
- Baking Sheets
- Parchment Paper – Optional, but really helps the cookies slide off the pan after baking.
What You Need to Make Apple Raisin Softies
- All-purpose Flour – Gives structure, shape, and texture to the cookie.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – This is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and ginger. It’s so easy to get all of those flavors in one jar!
- Baking Powder – A leavening agent that assists in giving these cookies that height.
- Baking Soda – A second leavening agent to make these cookies soft and fluffy.
- Butter – Butter keeps cookies tender and adds buttery flavor.
- Packed Brown Sugar – Adds a rich, caramel sweetness. Learn about brown sugar here. Use either light or dark brown sugar.
- Egg – This will bind the cookie together. There are a lot of add-ins in this cookie, so the egg works hard to keep everything together.
- Cinnamon Applesauce – This keeps the cookie moist. You can use regular applesauce, but you’ll want to add ½ to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Apple – Peeled, cored and finely chopped. I used a Macintosh apple.
- Walnuts – Chopped. Or you can use another chopped nut of your choice, like pecans.
- Raisins – I used golden raisins, but regular work as well.
Variations
- Nuts – Use different nuts, chopped.
- Apples – Use whatever you love the flavor of, include Granny Smith for a cookie with tart bites of apple.
- Dried Fruit – Dried cranberries or chopped apricots would also work.
- Chocolate – Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips .
Overview | How to Make Apple Raisin Softies
The full printable recipe is below
- Combine dry ingredients (flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and powder) in large bowl.
- In different bowl beat softened butter and brown sugar.
- Add egg and mix until blended.
- Stir in applesauce.
- Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until it is all incorporated.
- Stir in apples, raisins, and walnuts.
- Make 2 Tablespoon sized dough balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Press dough gently with the back of a spoon.
- Bake 14-16 minutes until golden.
- Allow to cool on pan for 5 minutes and then place on cooling racks.
Tips
- As the mixture is thick, stirring in the apples, walnuts and raisins can be difficult. It may be easier to use your hands and gently fold/knead in the ingredients.
- Depending on your oven, you may want to rotate the baking pans halfway through the cooking time.
How to Store
At Room Temperature – You can store these cookies at room temperature by placing them in an airtight container after they have cooled.
In the Freezer – After the cookies have cooled completely, you can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Layer the cookies with parchment paper to keep them from sticking together if you’d like.
You can also freeze the dough and bake the cookies later. Prepare the dough and form them into balls. Place on a pan and and put into freezer. Once they’re completely frozen, place in a bag or container with parchment paper between layers. When you’re ready to bake them, place on the baking sheet in preheated oven. Add 1 to 2 minutes of bake time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you should peel the apple. The peel of an apple doesn’t soften in the oven like the flesh does. So to truly enjoy the cookie as it was meant to be enjoyed, take the time to peel the apple.
I prefer the golden raisins. I like their flavor and they are little more plump than regular raisins. That makes it so they don’t absorb moisture from the cookie, keeping the cookie softer. But regular raisins will still work if you prefer their flavor.
Apple Raisin Softies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup butter, softened, 1 ½ sticks
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup cinnamon applesauce
- 1 small apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- ¾ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixture on medium speed until blended.
- Add the egg and continue to mix until blended.
- Stir in the applesauce.
- Add the flour mixture gradually, beating until well blended. Stir in the apples, walnuts and raisins.
- Drop the dough by Tablespoonfuls about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten with the back of a spoon.
- Bake 14-16 minutes or until golden.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
- I used a Macintosh apple
- I used golden raisins instead or “regular”
- As the mixture is thick, stirring in the apples, walnuts and raisins can be difficult. It may be easier to use your hands and gently fold/knead in the ingredients.
- Depending on your oven, you may with to rotate the baking pans halfway through the cooking time.
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