Caramel Apple Sandwich Cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 14 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 44 minutes

Ingredients

Apple Spice Cookies

• 1/2 cup (~50g) finely diced Granny Smith apple
• 1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp (227g) gluten-free flour
• 1/4 cup (50g) coconut oil
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup (65g) almond or peanut butter
• 3/4 cup (70g) coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tap baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Green Glaze

• 1/2 cup (115g) coconut butter/ ½ cup apple juice
• 3/4–1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup (80g) agave
• 1–2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp matcha powder

Medjool Date Caramel

• 200g (~10) Pitted Medjool Dates
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Other

Dark chocolate chunks for the stems

Cooking Instructions

Apple Spice Cookies

1. Combine coconut oil, almond/peanut butter, coconut sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and lemon juice. Microwave 30 seconds to melt, then whisk until smooth.
2. Add gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Stir to combine.
3. Fold in the diced apples.
4. Freeze the dough for 15 minutes.
5. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Scoop the dough (about 2 tbsp per cookie), roll into balls, and arrange them (6 cookies per pan) on the baking sheets. Leave room in between for spreading.
7. Bake 12-14 minutes at 375°F until the bottom edges are just starting to brown.
8. Let them cool for 10 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Green Glaze

1. Combine agave and coconut butter (swap it for homemade apple juice if you can’t find a good tasting coconut butter around your location) in a small bowl.
2. Microwave 30 seconds to melt the coconut butter, then whisk until smooth.
3. Add in the matcha powder, and 1-2 tbsp coconut oil (only if needed to thin it out like a glaze). It will thicken as it cools.
4. Dip the cookies into it or spoon it onto cooled cookies, letting excess drip off the sides (place wax paper underneath the wire rack for easier cleanup!)
5. Refrigerate the cookies so the glaze hardens.

Medjool Date Caramel

1. Blend pitted Medjool dates with 3/4 cup coconut milk, vanilla, and salt.
2. Add the remaining milk slowly as needed. The blender might get stuck onto the dates pieces, you will need to stop and stir/scrape down the sides often. Add as little liquid as possible to have a thick caramel filling.
3. Chill 2-3 hours (or overnight) to thicken.
4. Mix softly with a whisk or a spoon and transfer the caramel to a piping bag right before assembling.

Assembling Caramel Apple Cookies

1. Pipe a generous dollop of Medjool date caramel onto half of the cookies, and sandwich them all with the remaining cookies.
2. Use a blowtorch to melt one end of a chocolate chunk, then immediately press it into the top of a cookie to attach the “stem”. Alternatively, you can just press a chocolate chip onto the top of the glaze and it will help it stick softly.
3. Keep cookies chilled until right before serving.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 484 kcal (out of 8 serves)
• Carbohydrates: 63.7 g
• Fiber: 4 g
• Sugar: 33.4 g
• Fat: 23.3 g
• Protein: 5.2 g
• Sodium: 286 mg