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    Food » Cookies 'n Cupcakes » Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

    Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

    Posted: 05/23/2017 | Last updated: 09/12/2021 by Erin K. Browne 26 Comments
    Post may contain affiliate links via Amazon Associates or other programs. (Disclosure)

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    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    These are sooo soft and chewy! Caramel apple oatmeal cookies great for fall or anytime, really.

    I asked Matt what he wanted me to make for dessert for our last camping trip.  He said he wanted oatmeal cookies.

    These are sooo soft and chewy! Caramel apple oatmeal cookies great for fall or anytime, really.

    When he says "oatmeal cookies" he is actually referring to oatmeal raisin cookies... his favorite.  Personally, I don't like oatmeal raisin cookies.  There's just something about the texture of the raisins that doesn't sit well with me.  So, I asked him if he'd settle for a different variety of oatmeal cookie and randomly tossed out the idea of caramel apple.  He got pretty excited.

    These are sooo soft and chewy! Caramel apple oatmeal cookies great for fall or anytime, really.

    I used pre-bagged Kraft caramel bits (I found them at Target) and diced fresh apples and ended up with super soft and chewy cookies.  I think it'd be impossible to dry these suckers out.  I don't even care that caramel apple is usually a fall flavor... these hit the spot!

    These are sooo soft and chewy! Caramel apple oatmeal cookies great for fall or anytime, really.

    If you can't find the bagged caramel bits, you can use the larger individually wrapped caramel candies.  Just unwrap them and cut them into pea-sized chunks and they should work just fine.  Enjoy!

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    These are sooo soft and chewy! Caramel apple oatmeal cookies great for fall or anytime, really.

    Caramel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 4 reviews

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe
    • Total Time: 20 mins
    • Yield: 56 cookies 1x

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
    • ½ cup sugar
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • ¾ tsp salt
    • 3 cups old-fashioned oats
    • 1 ½ cup Kraft Caramel Bits
    • 2 small gala apples, peeled, cored, and diced into small pieces

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
    2. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat together the butter and both sugars until smooth and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and continue mixing until combined.
    3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oats.
    4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, stopping when just a few streaks of flour remain.
    5. Fold in the caramel bits and diced apples, mixing slowly and carefully until remaining flour streaks have been combined into the mixture and the caramel and apples are evenly distributed in the dough.
    6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
    7. Using a large cookie scoop (about 2 TBS worth), place lumps of dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Return remaining dough to the refrigerator. Bake for 14-15 minutes until cookies are starting to turn deep golden. These are soft cookies, so you want them to get a good browning before taking them out of the oven so that they don't fall apart.
    8. Allow cookies to cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then move to a flat surface to cool, as the caramel bits will be a bit melty and if they are moved to an elevated cooling rack too soon the bits will fall through the cookies.
    9. Repeat baking steps with remaining dough, allowing the baking sheet to cool (or using a different one) between each batch and returning the dough to the refrigerator during the baking process.
    • Author: Erin Browne
    • Prep Time: 5 mins
    • Cook Time: 15 mins

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    These are sooo soft and chewy! Caramel apple oatmeal cookies great for fall or anytime, really.

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    About Erin K. Browne

    Erin K. Browne is an author of a cookbook (The Unofficial Dollywood Cookbook, Simon & Schuster/Adams Media) and Dollywood guide (The Ultimate Guide to Dollywood, Simon & Schuster/Adams Media) She has over two decades experience with recipe development. Erin is a mom of two human babies and a sweet kitty named Biscuit Fingers ("Ketto"). She loves comfy clothes, sarcastic t-shirts, and reading thrillers. Make her day and toss her a like on Facebook or follow her on Instagram. Post may contain affiliate links including those via the Amazon Associates program

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    1. judie

      September 12, 2023 at 10:37 am

      how to store after baking for days?

      Reply
      • Erin

        September 12, 2023 at 6:52 pm

        Hi! I would keep them in a cool-ish room, sealed up in an airtight container.

        Reply
    2. Joanne

      December 10, 2020 at 5:55 pm

      Cookies spread because of the butter, because there is so much water in butter. You probably could substitute Crisco, but would lose the buttery-ness. Maybe 1/2 and 1/2 would do. But it's the butter that causes it to need to be refrigerated. Baking from the frozen state might be even better, but you would need to test a few at a time to see about the length of time needed to get them baked properly.

      Reply
    3. Maggie Ming

      October 15, 2020 at 6:41 pm

      Can this dough be made say... a week in advance and frozen until I need them? This recipe makes so many cookies that I wanted to bake some for home and some for an event at the end of the month.

      Reply
      • Erin

        October 15, 2020 at 9:08 pm

        Yes, they should freeze well! I would flash freeze the dough balls on a cookie sheet and then toss them into a ziplock bag after they are mostly hardened. That would be the easiest way. Hope these work out for you!

        Reply
    4. Melissa

      September 05, 2019 at 6:41 pm

      I made 2 batches of these cookies. I did exactly what the instructions said, refrigerated 4 hours,. The spread quite a bit. Should I add a little more oats to the already made dough or just put them in the refrigerator overnight first and try baking them again??

      Reply
      • Erin

        September 17, 2019 at 12:53 pm

        Refrigerating for longer time could definitely help, and make sure to use a totally cooled (or better, chilled) pan for each batch that goes into the oven, and return the dough to the freezer between batches. Also, cookies will spread less on dark-colored pans. 🙂 Hope these tips help!

        Reply
        • Brooke

          October 02, 2021 at 9:16 am

          Maybe it would be best to try dried apples instead of actual fruit? That will cut down on water content?

          Reply
    5. Carol Shaffer

      October 16, 2018 at 3:52 pm

      Just bought some similar to these at the Apple farm and want to make my own! Can I use quick cooking oats?

      Reply
      • Erin

        October 16, 2018 at 4:07 pm

        You can use quick oats, though the texture will be a little different. They should still taste wonderful!

        Reply
      • Audrey

        December 12, 2021 at 7:19 am

        I love this recipe and have made it several times. But, I’m looking for a suggestion…..the caramel pieces that are along the sides of the cookies ooze and then burn while baking. How could I prevent this from happening?

        Reply
        • Erin

          December 12, 2021 at 8:01 am

          That's a tricky one. You could wait to add the caramel bits until after the unbaked cookies are on the cookie sheet and then press them in where you want them, but even then the bite are likely to drift and settle where they want as the cookies flatten out as they bake. Maybe bake a couple of individual cookies from your next batch trying different placement of the bits and see what happens? Happy holidays!!

          Reply
    6. Sarah

      September 11, 2018 at 8:13 pm

      Does the dough have to be refrigerated? I read the recipe from the top down which starts with preheating the oven only to get to the bottom where it says refrigerate and now my oven is preheated

      Reply
      • Erin

        September 11, 2018 at 8:26 pm

        You can bake them without refrigerating but the cookies will spread quite a bit more in the oven. Maybe pop them into the freezer for 15-20 minutes, and between batches return the dough to the freezer. That should help the butter from getting too soft before baking.

        Reply
    7. Shauna Garcia

      February 07, 2018 at 12:40 pm

      I just made these and they are delicious! I did make a couple adjustments. I used dried apples that I crumbled into pieces and rehydrated and added cinnamon. My kids are going to be so happy when they get home!
      Ps: I tied to add a picture of mine but it won’t let me. Sorry!

      Reply
      • Erin

        February 07, 2018 at 8:17 pm

        Awesome! That sounds like a great tweak to the recipe. If you upload a photo to any social media you can tag me in it! I'm @erinbrowne on Twitter, @ebrowniebites on Instagram and you can find Brownie Bites Blog on Facebook! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Kae

      September 23, 2017 at 7:21 pm

      Thank you! Incredibly yummy, delicious, an absolute treat and easy to make.

      Reply
    9. Catherine

      August 05, 2017 at 7:11 pm

      I have made these many times for my family. I was a Kindergarten teacher for 21 years, I cooked through the alphabet with my classes and they always loved these cookies too.






      Reply
    10. Natalia

      May 30, 2017 at 9:03 pm

      These cookies look absolutely delicious! Will definitely be baking a patch to try on the kiddies. Love it!






      Reply
      • Erin

        June 06, 2017 at 4:40 pm

        Thanks, Natalia! Your kiddos will love them!

        Reply
    11. Pamela (BrooklynFarmGirl)

      May 30, 2017 at 10:24 am

      These cookies are perfection!

      Reply
      • Erin

        June 06, 2017 at 4:40 pm

        Why thank you! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction

      May 24, 2017 at 4:46 am

      I absolutely love oatmeal cookies! You have just topped them off with caramel bits, and apples - YUM!






      Reply
      • Erin

        June 06, 2017 at 4:40 pm

        They really are the greatest - I love the texture!

        Reply
    13. Neha

      May 23, 2017 at 9:53 pm

      These looks so good.






      Reply
      • Erin

        June 06, 2017 at 4:41 pm

        Thanks, Neha! Let me know what you think if you give them a try.

        Reply

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