Delightfully thick and chewy gluten free apple peanut butter cookies with tiny, fork-tender chunks of diced apple throughout and rich peanut butter flavor.
What these are the best gluten free apple peanut butter cookies
I used to think of “cookie season” as the fall and winter holiday time. I now consider it to be all year, and just doubling down around the holidays.
It is in that spirit that I give you these delightfully thick and chewy gluten free apple peanut butter cookies. They really are the perfect fall cookie, with the sweet and tart taste of finely diced Granny Smith apples in every bite, and the richness of peanut butter baked right in.
Baking with peanut butter and apples
Something pretty amazing happens when you bake with both peanut butter and apples. Baking with peanut butter tends to make cookies crispy, like standard crosshatch peanut butter cookies.
And since apples have lots and lots of moisture in them, baking with them tends to produce a cake-like cookie. Baking with both, in the very same cookie? Boy oh boy.
What to expect from the raw cookie dough
You can see in the photo above how moist the raw cookie dough is. You can easily squeeze it together in your hands.
Unlike the dough for many other cookies, you won't chill this dough before baking it. The peanut butter in the dough helps to keep the cookies from spread too much.
You do want to roll the dough into a ball, and then press it into a disk. Otherwise, your cookies will be more like puffy little buttons than actual cookies.
What is the texture of these apple peanut butter cookies?
Thick and chewy is indeed the very best way to describe these cookies. They spread just enough to make a proper cookie but not so much that there are any lacy, crisp edges.
The tiny, tender apple chunks add the unmistakable flavors of fall, and the peanut butter flavor is rich and full, just as it should be. Say hello to a new family favorite.
Ingredients and substitutions for apple peanut butter cookies
Dairy-free apple cookies
If you're dairy-free, you will need to replace of the butter in this recipe. I would try vegan butter. Melt brand and Miyoko's Kitchen brands are my favorite.
Earth Balance buttery sticks generally are not a good substitute for butter in any recipe like cookies that need to maintain their shape during baking. They have a lot more water in them than butter, and that causes the cookies to spread a lot more than intended.
Egg-free peanut butter apple cookies
Since there is only one egg in this cookie dough, you should be able to replace it relatively easily. I would try a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel).
Can I substitute the peanuts?
These are peanut butter cookies, so you need, well, peanut butter. The recipe calls for a smooth, no-stir peanut butter, which is just the type of nut butter the oil in which doesn't naturally separate from the rest of the mixture at room temperature.
If you would like to try using another nut butter, I recommend trying smooth, no-stir almond butter. Barney Butter is a really good brand (although it's crazy expensive, and seems only to have gotten worse!).
Why are chopped apples better than grated apple for this recipe?
Apple flesh has a lot of moisture, so when grated, it tends to melt into the surrounding cookie dough. By chopping up your apple into a fine dice, it adds lots of moisture and flavor to the cookies, but still holds its shape so you get that added texture in the cookie.
What's the best flour to use for thick and chewy gluten free cookies?
This recipe calls for an all purpose gluten free flour blend, which must be rice flour-based. My favorite overall gf blend is Better Batter's classic blend, which is perfect for drop cookies like these. You won't be able to use any of the single-ingredient gluten free flours like almond flour or coconut flour, in this recipe as they don't behave at all like an all purpose blend.
What's the best apple variety to use for these cookies?
I like to use a Granny Smith apple here best, since it has so much tart and sweet flavor, but is just fibrous enough to hold its shape when you dice it and bake it into the cookies.
How to store these deliciously gf cookies
These cookies store really well at room temperature for a day or so, covered or uncovered. For longer storage, make sure your cookies are completely cool, and freeze them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature, or enjoy right from the freezer, as they won't freeze solid!
Adding a little extra pizzazz
Try adding 2 ounces of chopped soft raw nuts like walnuts or pecans to the cookie dough. Or try 2 ounces of white chocolate chips, if you can have dairy. If you really want to show off the apples, sprinkle a few freeze dried apple chunks to the top of cookies before baking!
Thick and Chewy Gluten Free Apple Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click thru for appropriate blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup (128 g) smooth, no-stir peanut butter
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 (180 g) large apple peeled, cored and finely diced (Granny Smith works best)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar and whisk again to combine, breaking up any lumps.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, peanut butter, egg and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough will be thick but soft.
- Add the finely diced apple, and mix carefully until the apple is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Pull off portions of cookie dough that are about 2 tablespoonsful each, roll into a ball between your palms and flatten into a 1/2-inch thick disk, then place about 1 1/2-inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheets.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cookies are lightly golden brown all over and set in the center, about 14 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If you attempt to move the cookies from the baking sheet too soon, they won’t hold together.
Notes
Thick and Chewy Gluten Free Apple Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click thru for appropriate blends)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup (128 g) smooth, no-stir peanut butter
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 (180 g) large apple peeled, cored and finely diced (Granny Smith works best)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar and whisk again to combine, breaking up any lumps.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, peanut butter, egg and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough will be thick but soft.
- Add the finely diced apple, and mix carefully until the apple is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Pull off portions of cookie dough that are about 2 tablespoonsful each, roll into a ball between your palms and flatten into a 1/2-inch thick disk, then place about 1 1/2-inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheets.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cookies are lightly golden brown all over and set in the center, about 14 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If you attempt to move the cookies from the baking sheet too soon, they won’t hold together.
Marsha says
Hi Nicole, love your recipes n the hard work you put in.
Peanut butter is a nono for me so would cashews butter work instead?
Thanks
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Marsha, you can use another nut butter, but it must be the “no-stir” kind, meaning the kind that doesn’t need to be stirred to be smooth. It should scoop with a spoon right out of the jar, and not be drippy. The drippy “natural” kinds won’t work. I hope that helps, and thank you for the kind words!
Harold Larsen says
Nicole, Neither was the case. As a retired scientist, I routinely use my Escali digital scale to measure everything and everything was at room temperature, so I can’t attribute the crumbliness to either of those. I do think adding the extra water to bring the egg up to the 50 g was NOT helpful — I think it made the mix extra sticky & hard to mix. The 2nd batch I made with regular flour and a similar egg weighing only 35 g was much easier to mix (although mixing the peanut butter, butter, egg, & vanilla together first and then mixing the mix into the dry ingredients might have influenced the amount of stickiness).
But, just in general, can either tapioca flour (or the Expandex version thereof) or extra Xanthan gum (in addition to what is in Better Batter) help to reduce tendency to crumble? I think egg also can act as a binder, so having a FRESH egg (not refrigerated for a month or so) might help with binding things together.
Incidently, I have used Pink Lady (= Cripp’s Pink) apple as an alternative to Granny Smith and find it holds up well to provide “crunch” and good tart-sweet flavor.
Nicole Hunn says
You never want to add water in place of egg, Harold. That’s for sure. No, I don’t recommend adding Expandex! That would make the cookies stiff. I’m afraid I’m not sure what else to recommend to help figure out where you deviated from the recipe as written.
Harold Larsen says
I made these following the recipe almost exactly (the only difference was that my egg only weighed 35 g out of the shell at room temperature because it had lost moisture in the refrig, so I added water to bring it up to 50 g). Getting the moist ingredients mixed with the dry ingredients was a real challenge; when finished mixing everything, the batter was extremely sticky and it was very difficult to make the balls for each cookie. After cooking, I cooled them per the recipe on the cookie pan with the parchment paper for 15+ minutes before moving them via spatula to the wire rack to finish cooling. We tried them after an hour’s cooling and really liked the flavor combination. But they were very crumbly (our daughter & family had to eat them with a spoon when we shared them with their family). Is there anything that one can adjust to help them hold together better (e.g., adding the 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum even if using Better Batter, or adding some tapioca starch)? I made the recipe using regular flour a couple of days later (also didn’t adjust the egg weight to 50 g), but mixed all the moist ingredients together well before adding them to the well-mixed dry ingredients. That resulted in slightly less tendency to crumble, but crumbling was still an issue so switching to regular flour (for those without gluten-sensitivity issues) is NOT an answer [the cookies still tasted great and had a similar texture].
Nicole Hunn says
It sounds like you overmeasured your dry ingredients (if you measured by volume, that’s why), Harold, and/or your ingredients weren’t at room temperature so they didn’t combine properly.
Dana says
These were terribly dry using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. I won’t even rate the recipe because I don’t feel like it had a fair chance. Don’t use Bob’s Red Mill for this one!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid you can’t use Bob’s Red Mill blends for any of my recipes. I recommend specifically against it, Dana. It’s not properly balanced, and uses very gritty rice flour that doesn’t blend and ruins texture.
Janet Hugg says
I made these today using King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour. They turned out well, but I found the dough was quite crumbly and it took some effort to form the balls of dough. The cookies were delicious, but had a slightly gritty texture. I feel this was due to the flour blend and next time I will use something different. Love your recipes!
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, I’m afraid it’s absolutely due to the flour blend, Janet. I wish their gf flour blends were well-balanced. They’re so widely available and nothing would make me happier than for them to be more useful!
Meghan says
I baked these last night and I followed the recipe exactly except that I used Sunbutter instead of reg. PB. Today, my cookies are turning green. Inside and Out. They weren’t even 12 hours old when I noticed the process starting. And the green keeps spreading. I don’t see how it can be mold. Could some of the ingredients be having a weird reaction?
Meghan says
Never mind! Thanks to google I discovered that it is a reaction between the sunflower seeds and the baking soda/powder. :)
Pat Coyne says
I was diagnosed with celiac disease over 30 years ago. I think it is really great that people like yourself work so hard to provide us with different recipes to try. I made these cookies and my husband and I really enjoyed them. The only thing I did was leave the salt out, because of a low sodium diet. Thanks Nicole.
Julia Burgess Cantley says
Is the xanthan gum imperative in this recipe? What does it do? Forgive my ignorance. Btw, I love my GF on a shoestring book!!!
Monique C. says
If your flour mix doesn’t contain it, it really helps to add it. Improves texture (makes gf baked goods more doughy) and helps bind /hold baked goods together. It is expensive but I store mine in a jar and seems to last for a long time.
Julia Burgess Cantley says
Thank you!
Monique C. says
Can I use fresh ground peanut butter or does it have to be the type with oil, etc in it? They have a machine at my local store and I’d love to just buy enough rather than a whole jar of the stuff that I probably won’t use. They look delicious!
Trudy Niehaus Ray says
Because I’m lactose intolerant, I wonder if I can use coconut butter as a replacement for the butter? Or, may I use ghee? Apparently, that’s less difficult on the system. Also, is the sugar necessary for the success of this recipe? I’m also sugar free. Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Trudy, I would recommend vegetable shortening as a butter replacement. You can’t omit the sugar, though! Eliminating an ingredient from a recipe will ruin it.
Trudy Niehaus Ray says
Thank you, Nicole.
Nancy says
I am also vegan….can you use flax eggs and/or some other substitute egg for this recipe? It sounds delicious.
Nicole Hunn says
I haven’t tested this recipe with any substitutions, Nancy, so you’ll have to experiment! Generally, my favorite egg sub is a “chia egg” (just google it!) and it should work fine in this recipe, since there is only one egg.
youngbaker2002 says
these look so GOOD! love your pictures by the way. you take the most amazing photographs of food! i’m a little disappointed that there isn’t going to be a cookie cookbook though :( . am glad that the blog is here when we need a cookie recipe (or any gluten-free recipe). thanks again Nicole!
Nicole Hunn says
I promise to blog about every cookie recipe you could ever desire, Mena! And thanks for the kind words about the photos. I shudder when I look back at my old stuff and have to resist the urge to trash those posts. We all have to start somewhere though, right? ?
Jennifer S. says
I’m super sad – I really thought you needed a cookie cookbook. What is wrong with the editors these days???? This recipe might make up for it…. and since I have your blog on speed dial for like everything I guess I’ll live…. :)
John Lachett says
I, too, am on “team cookie-book”!
:-)
Yet another item I shall be making. Can’t wait, they look super yummy!
Thanks as always Nicole!!
John L
PS- I’ve been making those breakfast egg muffins almost non stop. They’re. Just. Perfect.
Nicole Hunn says
John! Love to hear from you. So glad you’re loving those bacon and egg muffins. They’re a favorite of mine, too! ?
Nicole Hunn says
I know, Jennifer! I had to come to terms, though. ?