Tag: applesauce cookies

Applesauce Raisin Cookies

applesauce raisin cookiesMike worked from home last week, so when I sought out something to bake, he requested “some kind of applesauce cookie.” At first I planned to just make an old reliable oatmeal applesauce cookie, but instead I searched Pinterest and found a recipe at Savory Experiments that I adapted to include golden raisins, as Mike is a raisin fan.

This recipe yields a very tender, cake-like cookie that you could certainly leave plain, but I decided to jazz up with an apple cider drizzle icing. The original recipe called for a melted white chocolate drizzle, which you could certainly do if you’re a white chocolate fan (I’m not). The cookies look incredibly homemade regardless, but they definitely look better with a drizzle on them. My un-drizzled cookies reminded me a bit of rocks – definitely not appetizing!

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 2 1/3 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins

For the drizzle

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons apple cider

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and applesauce and mix to combine; stir in flour until just combined, then fold in raisins.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of dough onto prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly with your hand. Bake for 10 – 14 minutes, until edges are set and bottoms are just brown; cookies will puff up when baking, so you want to ensure they have enough time to fully bake inside. Remove from oven and remove to a wire rack to cool.

To make drizzle, combine powdered sugar and enough cider to make a drizzly consistency; drizzle over cookies. Allow to set before storing in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper. Cookies can sit at room temperature for 3-4 days. Makes 24.

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Molasses Applesauce Raisin Drops

raisin molasses drops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baked goods often employ interesting ingredients to yield certain textures, and this cookie calls upon applesauce to produce soft, chewy results. Mike requested these some time ago, and they involve many of his preferred ingredients, including raisins, molasses, and cinnamon.

Applesauce is usually used in baking to reduce the fat content in a recipe, but as this one contains a cup of butter, the purpose of applesauce here is more flavor- and texture-based. While cooking the applesauce, raisins, and lemon zest, keep a close eye on the mixture and don’t allow it to go above a simmer and stir it frequently to avoid burning. Be sure to use a very large mixing bowl, as this yields a large quantity of dough.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened applesauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 cups raisins
  • 3 3/4 cups flour
  • 2 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • generous 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons sugar, for shaping

Preparation

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine applesauce, raisins, and lemon zest. Cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened and raisins are reconstituted, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently and take care not to let the mixture burn; remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl to cool just slightly.

Add butter, brown sugar, and molasses to raisin mixture and stir until butter melts.

Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir to combine.

Add flour and stir until evenly incorporated.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared sheets, spacing about two to three inches apart.

Grease the bottom of a large drinking glass and dip in sugar, then press to flatten cookies.

Bake for 15 minutes, until edges are slightly darker than centers.

Cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

Mike and I have been married for 12 years, and together for nearly 16.  We met at a frat party on the first night back for the fall semester at Frostburg State University in 1996 and have been together ever since, joking that we got married by default because it simply didn’t occur to us to look for anyone else.

Our tastes in food are drastically different, precipitating a number of challenges in the kitchen.  Mike will eat almost anything and seems to have a particular fondness for foods that make me gag, like sauerkraut, for example.  He also loves vegetables (even Brussels sprouts), puts condiments on everything, and enjoys chunky tomato sauce, chunky applesauce, and yogurt with fruit in it.  I would be perfectly happy eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the rest of my life, I peel apples and peaches because I don’t like the skin, I believe the only accoutrements a sandwich or burger needs are cheese and well-done bacon, and I prefer my sauces and yogurts chunk-free.  Perhaps the greatest divide in our relationship is his fondness for raisins, as I cannot understand why shriveled grapes are appetizing.

Mike has three favorite cookies: chocolate chip, pecan rugelach, and these iced oatmeal applesauce cookies.  He’s had a busy week so far and will have an even busier weekend, so there are for him.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup chunky applesauce
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup raisins

For the icing

  • 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2-3 tablespoons water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line several sheets with parchment paper or foil.

In a mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars; beat on low speed until well-blended.

Add egg and applesauce; beat until very well-blended, about two minutes.

Add oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; beat on low speed until combined.

Add raisins and stir by hand to incorporate.

Using a two-inch cookie scoop, drop cookies onto baking sheets about two inches apart; you should have six cookies per sheet.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and one tablespoon water.  Add additional tablespoons water, one at a time, until you reach a smooth, drizzly consistency.

Channel your inner Jackson Pollock and drizzle icing over cookies.  Allow icing to set before storing.