Apple Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies (Vegan + GF)

2 Views

Nothing says cozy season quite like apple butter and snickerdoodle cookies. But combined into ONE? These apple butter snickerdoodles are ultra COZY! They’re soft, fluffy, cinnamon-filled, packed with apple flavor, and dare we say they rival apple cider donuts!?

These fall-filled treats are vegan, gluten-free, and come together with just 10 ingredients. Preheat your oven and let’s bake some cookies!

Almond flour, potato starch, arrowroot flour, cane sugar, apple butter, vegan butter, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and vanilla

How to Make Apple Butter Snickerdoodles

Contents show

These cookies begin like any good fluffy cookie: with creaming (vegan) butter and sugar. Then we add vanilla extract and apple butter to round out the wet ingredients.

If you haven’t already had the privilege of apple butter blessing your palette, allow us to introduce you to the ultimate fall spread! Apple butter is essentially apples that have been cooked down with warming spices into a caramelized, sweet spread filled with bold apple flavor. Hubba hubba!

Bowl with whipped vegan butter and cane sugar topped with apple butter

After the apple butter is mixed into the wet ingredients to achieve apple flavor in every bite, it’s time for the flours. Almond flour, potato starch, and arrowroot starch combine to make a light, cakey cookie that’s gluten-free and grain-free!

A generous dose of cinnamon gives these cookies BIG snickerdoodle flavor while baking powder makes them fluffy and salt ensures balance.

Almond flour, potato starch, arrowroot starch, and cinnamon over a bowl of whipped wet ingredients

Then apple butter comes back into the picture again as we stir some in (briefly!) to create apple butter swirls throughout the dough.

Using a cookie scoop to add apple butter snickerdoodle cookie dough to a bowl of cinnamon sugar

Cinnamon comes back, too, in the form of a cinnamon sugar coating just like you get on a classic snickerdoodle. One bite into these cookies and you’ll know it’s FALL!

Baking sheet with circles of apple butter snickerdoodle cookie dough ready to go into the oven

Once coated in cinnamon sugar, add the cookie dough balls to a baking sheet and press down to flatten. Transfer to the oven, and cookie time will soon be yours!

Freshly baked apple butter snickerdoodles on a baking sheet

We have a feeling you’ll LOVE these cookies! They’re:

Soft
Cakey
Apple-filled
Cinnamony
Easy to make
& SO delicious!

Though standouts on their own, these cookies would also be amazing paired with a cozy cup of chai, a glass of dairy-free milk, or crumbled over vanilla ice cream.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Close up photo of a vegan gluten-free snickerdoodle with swirls of apple butter

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 24 (Cookies)

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegan

Freezer Friendly 1 month

Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

COOKIES

1/2 cup softened vegan butter (we like Miyoko’s)
2/3 cup cane sugar (ensure organic for vegan-friendly)
1/2 cup apple butter (plus more to swirl into the dough in step 2 // for store-bought we like Eden)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups almond flour (we like Wellbee’s)
2/3 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)
1/2 cup arrowroot starch (also called arrowroot flour)
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

TOPPING

1/4 cup cane sugar (ensure organic for vegan-friendly)
1 tsp cinnamon

COOKIES: In a medium mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the softened vegan butter and cane sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the apple butter and vanilla extract. Beat again until fluffy and fully combined. Add the almond flour, potato starch, arrowroot starch, cinnamon, baking powder, and sea salt. Mix on low until the flour is fully incorporated.
Use a spatula to gently fold in 2 Tbsp (30 g) of apple butter (adjust amount if altering the default number of servings) leaving some streaks to create a swirl throughout the cookie dough. Refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
When your oven is preheated and your cookie dough has chilled, add 1/4 cup (50 g) of cane sugar to a small bowl with 1 tsp of cinnamon (adjust amounts if altering the default number of servings) and stir to combine.
Use a cookie scoop (like this one) or tablespoon to scoop out 1 ½ Tbsp amounts of cookie dough and roll into balls. Roll the cookie dough into the cinnamon sugar to fully coat. Place ball onto the baking sheet and gently press down with the palm of your hand. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Your hands might get a little messy from the apple butter swirl, but trust us, it’s worth it!
Bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes until the cookies have spread, puffed up, and have golden edges.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy! Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or freeze flattened cookie dough balls for up to 1 month. To bake cookies from frozen, add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.

*We haven’t tested coconut sugar in this recipe but think it would yield a more crumbly cookie with a darker color. It would likely work in the topping!
*Loosely adapted from our Grain-Free Cut Out Sugar Cookies.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with Eden Apple Butter and the cinnamon sugar topping.

Serving: 1 cookie Calories: 146 Carbohydrates: 17.5 g Protein: 2 g Fat: 8 g Saturated Fat: 3 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.1 g Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 62 mg Potassium: 47 mg Fiber: 1.6 g Sugar: 9.4 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 36 mg Iron: 0.4 mg