Description
These Brown Butter Apple Pie Cookies combine the rich, nutty flavor of brown butter with tart, spiced apple filling, all enclosed in a flaky spelt and all-purpose flour pastry. Perfectly portioned as individual treats, these cookies offer the comforting taste of apple pie in a fun, handheld form with a delicate lattice top sprinkled with Demerara sugar for extra crunch.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pastry
- 1 1/2 cup (180 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (99 grams) spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1 cup (8 ounces/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, frozen for 15 minutes
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup ice water
Filling
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 small crisp, tart apples (such as Braeburn, Stayman Winesap, or Granny Smith)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon tightly packed brown sugar
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 dash Angostura bitters
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Buttermilk (or milk or cream), for brushing
- 1/4 cup Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse the all-purpose flour, spelt flour, granulated sugar, kosher salt, and cayenne pepper to combine evenly. Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse until the butter pieces are roughly the size of peas. Mix the apple cider vinegar and ice water, and slowly drizzle about half of this liquid into the processor while pulsing until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass. Test by squeezing a portion; if it holds, the dough is ready. If crumbly, add a bit more liquid and pulse again. Divide the dough into two portions; shape one into a rectangle, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or up to 3 days. Shape the other into a disk, wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months for another use.
- Brown the butter for filling: Heat a heavy 9-inch skillet over medium heat and add the unsalted butter. Once the butter foams, continue cooking and swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns a rich honey color and smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Be careful to avoid burning.
- Prepare the apples: While the butter browns, peel, halve, core, and slice the apples into 1/4-inch thick pieces.
- Cook the apple filling: Add the apple slices to the browned butter and toss to coat. Cook for 2 minutes to absorb the browned butter flavor, then mix in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir in brown sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, Angostura bitters, and cornstarch. Press the apples down into an even layer and cook for about 5 more minutes until apples are soft but still intact. Remove from heat, taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, then cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. Refrigerate and use within one day.
- Roll out the dough: Remove the dough rectangle from the fridge. On a floured surface or parchment paper, roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness, approximately 18 by 11 inches. If dough softens or becomes sticky, chill for 10 to 20 minutes before continuing.
- Cut dough circles and strips: Use a 3-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out 12 circles from the dough. Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scraps, roll them into a 9×6-inch rectangle, and cut into 1/4-inch wide long strips. Arrange the strips on a plate or tray and refrigerate.
- Assemble the cookies: Evenly divide the prepared apple filling among the 12 dough circles, spreading the filling within each circle.
- Form the lattice top: Cut the chilled dough strips into 3-inch lengths. Place four lengths per cookie to form a square lattice frame by overlapping the edges and dabbing with water to seal. Hold each cookie and roll the bottom edge of the pastry up and around, creating a neat border that seals in the lattice edges. Repeat for all cookies.
- Brush and sugar the tops: Lightly brush each assembled cookie with buttermilk (or milk or cream). Sprinkle approximately 1/2 teaspoon of Demerara sugar on top of each cookie to give a sweet, crunchy finish.
- Freeze before baking: Place the prepared cookies in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours to firm up before baking.
- Bake the cookies: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a second sheet pan with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen cookies spaced well apart on two baking sheets. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown, rotating the pans after 15 minutes. If any parts of the pastry are browning too quickly, tent them with foil strips.
- Cool and store: Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Store any leftover cookies wrapped in foil at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
- You can prepare the apple filling a day ahead and keep it refrigerated to enhance flavors.
- The alternate disk of dough can be frozen for up to 3 months to make this recipe again.
- Using spelt flour in the pastry adds a pleasant nutty flavor and flaky texture.
- If the dough gets too soft while handling, chilling it briefly will make it easier to work with.
- Cover the cookies with foil during baking if the edges brown too fast to prevent burning.
- Feel free to substitute buttermilk with regular milk or cream for brushing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
