Name: Soft Applesauce Cookies with Browned Butter Glaze (A Kid Favorite)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 2¾ cups all-purpose flour; 1½ cups packed brown sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground cloves; ½ cup butter, softened; 2 large eggs; ¾ cup applesauce; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Browned Butter Glaze; ⅓ cup butter; 2 cups powdered sugar; 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, optional; 2–4 tablespoons hot water

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These soft applesauce cookies are warmly spiced with cinnamon and cloves, then finished with a sweet browned butter glaze. They feel like a quintessential old-fashioned cakey spice cookie, and a delicious way to use a jar of applesauce from the pantry.

My husband’s family has made a version of these applesauce cookies for years. They are absolutely one of his favorite cookies from childhood and now they are a kid favorite at our house, too. My mother-in-law doesn’t brown the butter when doing the glaze and they taste great. This is an easy recipe to adjust if the family finds they like it better with a different glaze flavor or consistency.

Be warned – they’re addictive.

Finished soft applesauce cookies with a brown butter glaze sitting on a plate

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Soft Applesauce Cookies with Browned Butter Glaze (A Kid Favorite)

Yield: 2 dozen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

These soft applesauce cookies are warmly spiced with cinnamon and cloves, then finished with an easy browned butter glaze. A family-favorite recipe!

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Ingredients

2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
¾ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Browned Butter Glaze
⅓ cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, optional
2–4 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Set the mixture aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until evenly combined.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Mix in the applesauce and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients. Mix only until the flour has been incorporated.
If the dough is too soft to scoop easily, cover it and refrigerate it for approximately 30 minutes.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.
Bake until almost no indentation remains when touched, about 12-15 minutes.
Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
Spread or drizzle the cooled cookies with browned butter glaze.

Brown Butter Glaze

Heat butter over low heat until golden brown; remove from heat.
Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, if using.
Add the hot water 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until the glaze is smooth and reaches your preferred consistency.
Spread or drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies.

Notes

The glaze will thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick to spread, stir in a small amount of hot water. If it becomes too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

The additional time is time for the cookies to cool and glaze.

Equipment You’ll Need

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Applesauce Cookies

2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
¾ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Browned Butter Glaze

⅓ cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, optional
2–4 tablespoons hot water

Flour, brown sugar, butter, eggs, spices, and applesauce for making applesauce cookies

How to Make Applesauce Cookies

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Set the mixture aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until evenly combined.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Mix in the applesauce and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients. Mix only until the flour has been incorporated.
If the dough is too soft to scoop easily, cover it and refrigerate it for approximately 30 minutes.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.
Bake until almost no indentation remains when touched, about 12-15 minutes.
Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
Spread or drizzle the cooled cookies with browned butter glaze.

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen cookies

Applesauce cookie dough portioned onto a baking sheet

How to Make Browned Butter Glaze

Heat butter over low heat until golden brown; remove from heat.
Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, if using.
Add the hot water 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until the glaze is smooth and reaches your preferred consistency.
Spread or drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies.

The glaze will thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick to spread, stir in a small amount of hot water. If it becomes too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

Freshly baked applesauce cookies cooling before glazing

Chill Very Soft Dough

If the dough is difficult to scoop or spreads too quickly on the baking sheet, refrigerate it before baking.

Avoid Overmixing

Excessive mixing can make the cookies tougher.

Watch for Doneness Rather Than Browning

These cookies may not become deeply browned so do the touch-test. If you touch it and there is hardly an indentation (or it seems to be “springy”), you’re good.

Cool Before Glazing

Easy Glaze Variations

The browned butter glaze is delicious, but it is not the only option.

Simple Vanilla Glaze

Combine powdered sugar with a small amount of milk or water and vanilla extract. Add the liquid gradually until the glaze is thin enough to drizzle or thick enough to spread.

Regular Butter Glaze

Melt the butter without browning it, then mix it with the powdered sugar, vanilla, and hot water.

Maple Glaze

Replace some or all of the water with maple syrup. Add additional powdered sugar as needed to reach the desired consistency.

Apple Cider Glaze

Mix powdered sugar with a small amount of apple cider instead of water. Add the cider gradually so the glaze does not become too thin.

Cinnamon Glaze

Add a small pinch of cinnamon to a simple vanilla glaze for a little more warmth.

Optional Add-Ins

The recipe these cookies are based on included raisins and nuts. I omit both, but you can add them if your family enjoys them.

Possible additions include:

Raisins
Chopped walnuts or pecans
Mini chocolate chips
Cinnamon chips
Finely chopped dried apples
A pinch of nutmeg or allspice

Just note that adding ingredients might change the consistency a bit.

Original Inspiration

The original recipe that inspired our family’s version of these applesauce cookies

A Sweet Way to Use Applesauce from the Pantry

One of the best things about filling a pantry is finding everyday ways to use what is on the shelves.

These applesauce cookies turn a simple jar of applesauce into something my husband remembers from childhood and our children now enjoy, too. That is the kind of family recipe worth keeping—not because it is complicated, but because everyone is happy to see it appear in the kitchen again.

The glaze can change, and raisins or nuts can be added or left out. You may even find a variation your family likes better than the original.

I’m sure you’ll be making multiple batches of these soft applesauce cookies in the future, so take the opportunity to try a few ideas and make the recipe your own.

I hope your family enjoys them as much as mine does.