Apple walnut oatmeal cookies made with applesauce and finished with a sweet maple glaze. These delicious homemade cookies combine the chewiness of oats with the sweetness of apples and the crunch of walnuts. They are a satisfying treat any time of the year!
Five year old Maryanne only liked three cookies: Mrs. Field’s chocolate chip cookies, Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, and Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies. Basically, if it didn’t have chocolate chips, it obviously wasn’t a proper cookie.
And then, somehow I got my hands on an delicious oatmeal cookie. My eyes opened to the world beyond chocolate chips. It hasn’t been the same ever since.
Glazed Apple Oatmeal Cookies
The holidays are upon us and cookie season is here.
Rather than start with the most decadent of the cookies (double chocolate chip cookies, fudge chocolate cookies, and brown butter chocolate chunk cookies ), let’s begin with a slightly lighter cookie. Apple walnut oatmeal cookies with maple glaze for the win!
Obviously these are the kind of cookies that are totally appropriate for breakfast. In my opinion, anything with oatmeal is a designated breakfast item.
These cookies are not very sweet and they’re easy on the butter. The addition of apple sauce helps to bind the ingredients and also keeps the cookies soft and moist. And if it makes you feel any better, there are equal parts flour and oatmeal.
Ingredients
Here are most frequently questioned ingredients along with substitutions:
Molasses is a by product from sugarcane refinement. It is thick, dark syrup with varying degrees of sweetness and flavor.
- Varies range from light, dark, to blackstrap molasses.
- Find it in the baking aisle alongside corn syrup and other bottled sweeteners.
- Molasses add more warm flavors to the dark brown sugar.
- Simply omit if you don’t have it.
Applesauce is a puree made from cooked apples. Use unsweetened applesauce.
- If desired, use spiced applesauce. Applesauce is often flavored with cinnamon or mixed with other fruit such as strawberry or pear.
Old-fashioned oats are also known as rolled oats. This adds bulk and nutrients to these cookies!
- In a pinch, substitute in quick oats.
- Do not use steel cut oats or Irish/Scottish oats for these cookies.
Walnuts pair wonderfully with the applesauce and oatmeal. However, you may sub in any nut of your choice.
- For best flavor, lightly toast nuts before adding to cookie dough.
Maple Glaze
The maple glaze is a simple mixture of confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar or icing sugar) thinned out with dark maple syrup and milk.
For best results, use dark maple syrup. Dark maple syrup is known for its richer, more intense flavor compared to lighter hued maple syrup.
- Be sure to use high quality PURE maple syrup. The kind of maple syrup has ONE ingredient.
- Stay away from imitation maple syrup or “pancake syrup.”
- With maple syrups, the dark the color signifies the stronger the flavor. Maple syrup was originally graded from Grade AA to Grade C to indicate color and flavor
The maple glaze is the finishing touch to these perfect little holiday treats.
Once you’ve made batches and batches of cookies, it’s time to send them off to friends and family. Thank you, Better Homes and Gardens, for sending over these cute holiday gift tags and recipe cards!
Can’t figure out what cookie to make? Here are some of our favorite holiday cookies:
More Oatmeal Cookie Recipes
- Cherry Pistachio Oatmeal Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies
- Vegan Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Oatmeal Fig Cookies
Apple Walnut Oatmeal Cookies with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, (57 g), room temp
- ¾ cup brown sugar, (150 g), light or dark variety, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar, (100 g)
- 1 large egg, , room temp
- 1 Tablespoon molasses, (20 g)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, (130 g)
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, (195 g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt,, or kosher salt
- 1 ½ cup old-fashioned oats, (135 g), also labeled as rolled oats
- 1 cup walnuts, (115 g) lightly toasted, roughly chopped
Maple Glaze:
- 1 ½ cup confectioners' sugar , (175 g), unsifted powdered sugar
- ¼ cup dark maple syrup, (75 g)
- pinch fine sea salt, or kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon milk, or non-dairy alternative milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream butter. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix until smooth. Add egg, molasses, and apple sauce.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Add to mixing bowl. Fold in rolled oats and walnuts.
- Use a 1 ½- inch scoop to portion out cookies. Arrange on parchment lined baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes, rotating pans midway through baking. Allow to cool in pan for 3 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- Maple Glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar, maple syrup, salt and milk until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add additional milk 1 tsp at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Enjoy immediately, or allow glaze to harden and set.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Your cookies look wonderful. I was just wondering if you can include gram measurements as well. I find it works better for me than cup measurements. Thank you
Can these delicious cookies be frozen then defrosted and then frosted to give out. Thank you.
As much as I enjoy a really good chocolate chip cookie, I will choose oatmeal any day of the week. Especially one with a glaze like this one!