These apple cider cookies are soft and chewy with the flavor of cinnamon, and apple cider in every bite. With a chewy caramel in the middle they’re a perfect cookie for fall!
These caramel apple cider cookies are full of delicious apple cider flavor in every bite, with a fun surprise of soft caramel in the middle. Especially when you eat them warm!
I like to heat mine up in the microwave if I’m enjoying them again after they’ve cooled down to get the caramel in the middle nice and warm and gooey. Just about 5 to 10 seconds is all you need.
These cookies are the perfect combination of apple cider and caramel apples. They kind of remind me of those yummy green caramel apple suckers I grew up getting for Halloween. Or of my favorite hot drink in the fall, the caramel apple spice from Starbucks.
These caramel apple cider cookies are so soft and chewy in every bite. So delicious and so good to make this fall!
I originally adapted this recipe from What’s Cooking with Ruthie.
How to make Caramel Apple Cider Cookies?
Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix for a couple minutes till nice and creamy. Add in the vanilla extract, egg, and apple juice and stir it all together.
Mix in the dry ingredients, the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and apple cider mix. You should have a nice soft dough. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour, to help keep the cookies from being too flat.
When you’re almost ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven. Unwrap the soft caramels too. Take a tablespoon of cookie dough and flatten it in your hand. Put a caramel in the middle and roll the dough around the caramel. Place the ball onto a prepared cookie sheet.
Bake the cookies for a few minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the pan, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. Enjoy cookies warm, or let them cool completely.
Tips and Tricks:
- Make sure you are using real apple cider, not apple cider vinegar. If you can’t find apple cider a pure apple juice will work.
- Roll the cookie dough in a ground cinnamon and granulated sugar mixture, or a sugar and apple pie spice mixture before baking for even more of a delicious fall flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How to store cookies?
If you have any leftover cookies, store them once they are cooled in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
How to freeze cookies?
These cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Store them in a freezer safe container, or in a double layered zip top bag. Let them thaw at room temperature until soft. Or microwave them for a few seconds to warm them up again.
These caramel apple cider cookies are such a delicious fall cookie. They’re bursting with apple flavor in every single bite! The cookies have the best chewy centers, slightly crispy edges, and the gooey caramel in the middle is near perfection!
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Caramel Apple Cider Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks, softened)
- 2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 3 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 5 packets Apple Cider Instant Drink from a 7.4 oz 10 packet box
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 14 oz caramels
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Combine the sugars and butter in a large bowl. Cream together until well mixed.
- Add in vanilla, eggs and apple cider and stir into the mixture.
- Add flour, apple cider mix, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl and mix it all together.
- Refrigerate mixture for about 1 hour, or longer.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap all your caramels. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silpat liner.
- Take about 1 TBS of cookie dough into your hand and flatten it.
- Put a caramel in the middle of the dough and roll the dough into a ball around the caramel.
- Place on prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until edges start to turn golden, and the top of the cookies are set.
- When cookies are done allow them to cool about 5 minutes on the pan.
- Then carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.
- Allow the cookies to continue cooling completely, or enjoy warm.
Nutrition
These Caramel Apple Cider cookies were first posted on November 11, 2013. The photos and blog text were updated on September 11, 2020 but the recipe stayed the same.
AKMason says
You have apple cider in the ingredients and apple juice concentrate on the directions. Which is it?
Aimee says
Sorry about the confusion, it should be apple cider. The recipe should be updated to show that.
Alli Leah says
These cookies were so surprising as their flavor was spot on. I was in a rush and didn’t refrigerate the door and paid for it. Follow the recipe! Used homemade caramels which made them extra indulgent! 😋
Barbara says
Cannot find the apple cider drink mix, any way to get around it?
Aimee says
Shoot. I’ve seen it at Target, Walmart and Kroger stores. A lot of the flavor comes from the mix. Without it you’d need more sugar and more seasoning, the one I use also has dried apple juice in it. That being said you could try making your own Apple cider mix like this https://www.savorynothings.com/hot-apple-cider-cinnamon-spice-mix-free-printable/ and use apple juice concentrate instead of the 1/4 cup Apple cider for a stronger apple flavor. I’m not sure the flavor will be the same though.
Heather N says
Wal-Mart carries it in the aisle where the coffee, tea and hot chocolate is.
Kim says
I love Raspberry Crumb Christmas Bars.
Aimee Berrett says
Those sound really yummy! (But this giveaway is over now, just so you know)
tecsesq says
we get fresh apple cider at our greenmarket so how could we substitute this for dry cider mix?
Aimee Berrett says
I don’t think you could use that as a replacement for the flavor packets because there are no wet ingredients to replace and use the cider instead.
Stacie says
These look good!
My favorite cookies are the simple sugar cookie cutouts.
Angelina says
Same cookie for favorite cookie to bake & swap- cream cheese cookies with maraschino cherry. I have to hunt down the ever elusive “green” maraschino cherry every year but I absolutely adore these cookies. Snow white with a red or green cherry in the middle, so pretty and very good.
Sarah says
I’ve read the recipe a few times but don’t see where you add in the apple cider mix. I don’t see any comments about it though so I think I’m missing something. Definitely would like to try these. When do you put in the mix though???
Aimee Berrett says
Sorry I edited the recipe. Add the cider in with all the other dry ingredients.
Erin says
My favorite holiday cookies are molasses cookies, almond sugar cookies, and cream cheese cookie press cookies.
Lou says
For the holidays, I like to bake Jam Thumbprints rolled in coconut.
Meryl says
My favorite cookies to bake are Chocolate Espresso Chews – very deep dark chocolatey and ultra delicious.