A few dishes make my husband go completely silent in enjoyment, but none quite so much as these delicious apple, chocolate chip cookies. Because of the rapturous solitude that overtakes eaters during the cookie indulgence process, we lovingly renamed the cookies, “Shut-up Hubbies.”
Not only are these cookies perfectly sweet and chocolatey, but their texture also differs from regular cookies as they get a slight crispness on the outside, giving way to an almost cake-like interior. The sweet apple flavor, caramel notes from the brown sugar, and warm semi-sweet chocolate with just enough salt to keep the flavors balanced make apple, chocolate chip cookies an easy favorite.
When apple season comes around, we find ourselves with buckets and bags of apples. One year, after apple picking, we came across a recipe for apple, chocolate chip cookies. After making a few tweaks, this recipe regularly gets requested, especially in the fall. I hope your family will enjoy one of our family`s favorite new traditions: “Shut-up Hubbies.”
Note: The Recipe below makes only 6-7 cookies. Double everything to make enough for a large family.
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup of Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup of Butter
- 1/2 Apple (peeled and chopped with core and seeds removed)
- 1/2 tsp. of Vanilla Extract
- 1/8-1/4 tsp. of Cinnamon (to taste)
- A Dash of Nutmeg
- 1/2 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Cup of Wheat Flour
- 1/4 tsp. of Baking Soda
- 1/8 tsp. of Salt
- 1/3 cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Extra Fresh Cracked Sea Salt for Sprinkling On Top
Note: Because these cookies do not require eggs or softened butter, you can make them quickly, with little mess. However, you will need a food processor or a blender to integrate the ingredients properly.
Brown Sugar
When cooked, brown sugar releases the taste of caramel inside these chocolate chip cookies, playing on the classic caramel apple you would get at a carnival or fair. Let me tell you, these cookies are just that, a carnival in your mouth. Imagine the spinning lights, fried foods, playful music, and fun all wrapped up in a delicious bite. That`s what “Shut-up Hubbies” taste like.
Replacements
Molasses or honey might make the best substitutes for brown sugar to develop a similar texture to that which brown sugar creates.
Butter
Butter creates magic in this dish. Every dish needs a little fat because sweet and salty flavors love to cook into that fat. Not adding some fat to a dish is a bit like wearing a seat belt with no car. It gives the feeling of food that`s safe, but it goes nowhere fast.
The Process
What makes this recipe so easy, is the treatment of your butter. Rather than working it into your dough with a pastry cutter or fork (which can be time-consuming and strenuous), just whip the butter up with your brown sugar, apples, vanilla, and spices, and mix the blended ingredients with your dry ingredients.
Replacements
Margarine may replace the butter in this recipe in an equal amount for similar results in texture and flavor.
Apple
Apples add a delicate, natural sweetness to these cookies and their consistency breaks down into a liquid texture, making our cookies a bit like the texture of a cake.
When I first imagined the flavors of chocolate and apple together, I did not imagine how extraordinary of a taste they would create. Now, I prefer these cookies to ordinary chocolate chip cookies.
Vanilla Extract
If you are new to baking, you might not realize the significance of vanilla, but I believe it works wonders to bring sweet ingredients into harmony with butter and flour. The buttery undertones of vanilla bake into the sweet, while it also adds a lightly sugary coating to the flour and butter.
Replacements
Other extracts like cinnamon, almond, or tart apple extract can be used to enhance certain flavors in the cookies.
Cinnamon and Nutmeg
In traditional baked apples, cinnamon and nutmeg typically add warmth and nuttiness that enriches the flavor of the apples. These spices are added to our cookies for the same purpose, and they also marry delightfully with the chocolate chips.
Note: Those with nut allergies should avoid this step. Do not worry though. You will still end up with delicious apple, chocolate chip cookies.
All-Purpose Flour and Whole Wheat Flour
In most of my baking, I use a blend of all-purpose and wheat flour. The gluten in all-purpose flour makes the texture of these cookies airier, while the wheat flour adds that grainy, earthiness to these cookies.
Be sure not to over-mix or overwork your cookie dough as this will cause the gluten to harden and stiffen the center of your cookie.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
These little morsels of goodness balance the sweetness of the “Shut-up Hubbies” with their slightly tart flavor. Chocolate chips amazingly hold firm enough in baking to not soften the actual cookie texture, but only soften themselves. I love biting into melty chocolate wrapped in apple cookie goodness.
Replacements
Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel chips, peanut butter chips, chunks of chocolate, etc”¦ can replace semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe for similar results in taste and texture.
Salt and extra Salt
While this element may seem unnecessary, salt boosts the flavor of sweet ingredients as much as it does savory ingredients. You can think of salt as the perfect side-kick to every ingredient because it helps food become tastier without taking all the credit.
Adding salt in small doses to these cookies makes all of the flavors pop. Be careful not to add too much.
A small scattering of salt over warm toasty cookies adds a little balance to the all sweet cookies, and it wakes your taste buds up to enjoy every delicious morsel.
Allowing the Cookies To Cool On a Rack
This step may seem unnecessary, but if you allow these cookies to cool for exactly 5 minutes, their exterior becomes crunchier. 5 minutes also means the chocolate chips remain warm and gooey.
Storage
If you do not devour these cookies immediately after making them, I will be surprised. However, if you do have leftovers, these cookies can be stored in a plastic bag (once cooled) for 2-3 days. Store them somewhere cool if you want them to keep for longer.
Pairings
Milk or coffee goes great with these cookies. I dipped mine in my coffee to add extra decadence and let me tell you, I want more just thinking about the taste.
If you are serving these cookies at the end of a meal for guests to enjoy, try adding a cream cheese frosting on the side for dipping, and serve with fresh fruits like oranges, apples, raspberries, and pears.
You can even make cookie sandwiches with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream in the middle.
If you are hoping to have an apple feast you might try this fall salad, followed by Apple Sauce Pork Chops, with some fall Fixin’s and of course, apple chocolate chip cookies.
Apple, Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies are very near and dear to my heart. They are uniquely textured, delicious, and they have apples in them. Take that, doctor! (“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” – an old English Proverb)
Try these today, and I bet you will be craving them again and again.
Still hungry for more? Then discover our other fruit recipes to stock up your kitchen with nature’s healthy and tasty goodies!
Easy Apple, Chocolate Chip Cookies
The sweet apple flavor, caramel notes from the brown sugar, and warm semi-sweet chocolate with just enough salt to keep the flavors balanced make apple, chocolate chip cookies an easy favorite.
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup of Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup of Butter
- 1/2 Apple (peeled and chopped with core and seeds removed)
- 1/2 tsp. of Vanilla Extract
- 1/8-1/4 tsp. of Cinnamon (to taste)
- A Dash of Nutmeg
- 1/2 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 Cup of Wheat Flour
- 1/4 tsp. of Baking Soda
- 1/8 tsp. of Salt
- 1/3 cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Extra Fresh Cracked Sea Salt for Sprinkling On Top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place Brown Sugar, Butter, Apple, Vanilla, Cinamon, and nutmeg in a food processor and blend until all ingredients combine well.
- Mix All-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking soda, and salt in a large separate bowl.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients until no dry flour is left on the edge of the bowl and all ingredients are integrated.
- Mix chocolate chips into your cookie dough.
- form cookies into small balls using your hands or an ice cream scoop and place on a parchment-lined pan.
- Place cookies in the preheated oven and allow to cook for about 20 minutes, checking occasionally for browning on the top and a stiff bottomed cookie.
- Remove cookies and allow to cool on a rack for 5 minutes.
- Salt lightly with a salt grater.
- Enjoy!