Apple Butter Biscuit Cookies
This recipe came to me one day while I was brainstorming fall recipes. They’re based on a Danish butter cookie which are typically piped but they’ve been spiced and I bumped up the flavor by adding homemade apple butter. Not sure what apple butter is? It’s like a more cooked down and intense version of applesauce. It has much less moisture and is usually sweeter and full of spices. It lends itself perfectly to these cookies in both the cookie itself as well as a touch in the buttercream. I had the idea to make them rectangular sandwich cookies with ridges and I think they came out looking pretty darn cute. They’re actually very simple to make and you don’t have to use the same piping tip I used if you don’t want. You could use a star tip and make little rounds or flowers instead of rectangles, too. I made my own apple butter but you can totally use a nice store-bought one, too. These cookies are laced with spices, crumbly, buttery, crispy, and a mild but present apple flavor running throughout. I hope you enjoy and let me know if you make them!
Apple Butter Biscuit Cookies
makes 20 sandwich cookies
cookies
1 c unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
1/2 c powdered sugar, sifted (no lumps!)
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 c apple butter, room temperature (homemade or store-bought but not applesauce!)
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 t Himalayan pink salt (or kosher)
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground cardamom
pinch of ground cloves
apple butter buttercream
3/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
1/4 c apple butter, room temperature (homemade or store-bought)
2 t vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
3 c powdered sugar, sifted
2 t ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
make the cookies
Preheat oven to 350 F. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the butter, apple butter, and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, spices, and salt. Set aside. Add the egg to the butter mixture and whip again to combine. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 789 ridged piping tip. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe the dough out into 2 inch rectangles, about an inch apart. Bake the cookies for about 15-18 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
make the buttercream and assemble
To make the buttercream, whip the butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the salt, apple butter, and vanilla and beat again until incorporated. To assemble the cookies, spread about 2 teaspoons of buttercream on one cookie in an even layer and top with another to sandwich. Repeat with the rest of the cookies. Store in an air-tight container.
*Cooks Note: I found these cookies were actually better the next day. The cookies begin quite crisp and allowing the buttercream to set up and the cookies to soften just a bit allows them to yield when you take a bite, so the buttercream doesn’t smoosh out the sides. But if you’re impatient, they’ll taste just as delicious freshly made, albeit a tad messier. To each her own.
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and don’t forget to tag me @all.purpose.flour.child so I can see your creations!
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