Category: Fall

Apple Spice Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
Apple Spice Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

These Apple Spice Cookies were one of my most popular cookies last fall so I decided to bring them back a little early this year. The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in this cookie dough will remind you of cinnamon rolls and apple pie and inspire you look forward to fall.

The apples in this recipe are cooked briefly on the stovetop to bring out the flavor and create the perfect texture. Dropping raw apple chunks into cookie dough or cake batter is usually not a good idea. If you’ve ever baked an apple pie, you know that apples release liquid as they cook and that liquid will end up in your baked cookies, creating soggy spots. So definitely don’t skip this step!

These gorgeous, golden brown cookies are perfectly delicious on their own, but extra credit goes to the Brown Butter Icing for taking them over the top!

apple spice cookies with brown butter icing

Make sure to head over to Instagram to watch the video of these Apple Spice Cookies being created: Click here

Apple Spice Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Spice cookies with fresh apples and brown butter icing
Print Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 12 cookies

Ingredients
  

Cooked Apples

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup (4 oz or 113g) chopped apples (1/4-inch pieces) I used one large Granny Smith apple
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Apple Spice Cookie Dough

  • 1 ½ cups (6 3/4 oz or 191g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup (4 oz 113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (7 oz or 200g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ teaspooon pure vanilla extract

Brown Butter Icing

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (2 oz or 57g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions
 

Cooked Apples

  • Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add apples, sugar and cinnamon to the skillet.
  • Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and let cool completely. Drain any excess liquid from the cooled apples.

Apple Spice Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.
  • Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract, one at a time, until well combined
  • Stir in the flour mixture, just until combined.
  • Fold the the cooled apples into the cookie dough.
  • Divide the dough into 12 equal golf ball size portions and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 11-13 minutes. Let cool 1 minute on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Brown Butter Icing

  • In a small saucepan, cook the butter over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant. When brown specks start to form in the bottom of the pan, remove from heat.
  • Immediately transfer the browned butter to a small bowl. Whisk in the the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt and 1 tablespoon milk. Add more milk as needed to reach desired consistency.
  • Drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.

Notes

NOTE:  If your cookies spread too much when baking, refrigerate dough for 30 minutes, then bake as directed.
Keyword cookies, holiday, thanksgiving

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Caramel Filling

Posted on by Mari Vasseur
pumpkin spices mini loaves with caramel filling

In early September, I saw someone announce the fall season on social media. In addition to people pointing out that it was too early for the announcement, the word police corrected the person with the word autumn. Since both terms are correct, we can call the season whatever we prefer. I think autumn is a pleasant sounding word, so I’ll use it for the rest of this post. Whatever you call it, these Pumpkin Spice Muffins are a perfect little celebration of the season. They have just the right amount of warm spices, making them so fragrant that your kitchen will smell like cozy autumn heaven.

pumpkin spices mini loaves with caramel filling

I originally made them in mini loaf pans, but I thought they would be cute as muffins too. They’re so cute and delicious that I often give them as holiday gifts. This year I decided to try them in ramekins and I loved the results! I used 6-ounce ramekins, but you can use 8-ounce ramekins, any size mini loaf pans, a muffin pan or even an 8 or 9-inch loaf pan. Keep in mind that baking times will differ. To find the ramekins I used, click here.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Caramel Filling

by Mari Vasseur
Tender pumpkin spice muffins with caramel filling and luscious cream cheese frosting
Print Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Servings 7 muffins

Ingredients
  

Pumpkin Spice Mini Loaves

  • 1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • â…› teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly ground
  • 1 pinch ground cloves
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (225g) pure pumpkin purée
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • â…“ cup (100g) caramel sauce, purchased or homemade
  • ¼ cup (28g) roasted, salted shelled pumpkin seeds

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 3 ounces (85g) cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
  • 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1-2 teaspoons heavy cream, room temperature

Instructions
 

Pumpkin Spice Mini Loaves

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour seven 6-ounce ramekins or six 8-ounce ramekins or any mini loaf pans of your choice.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg and cloves until well blended.
  • In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly into the prepared ramekins. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
  • Cool completely if serving in ramekins or remove from pans after cooling for 10 minutes. Continue to cool on wire rack.
  • Make 3/4-inch wells in the center of each muffin. Fill with caramel sauce. (For loaves, poke multiple holes with a skewer. Fill with caramel sauce.) Top with cream cheese frosting and pumpkin seeds

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together, with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and well blended. Do not over beat.
  • Add the vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined. On low speed, gradually beat in the powdered sugar incorporated. Add the heavy cream and continue beating at low speed smooth. Remove any bubbles by gently stirring with a spatula.
Keyword muffins, pumpkin, pumpkin spice