Apple butter cookies.
The apple butter recipe has a long history, dating back to the 9th and 13th century. The recipe was created by monks in medieval European monasteries, who were skilled in the preservation and agricultural methods. The recipe was created by slow-cooking the apples and adding sugar and spices until it caramelized, making it shelf-stable.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Europeans settlers had brought the apple recipe to America. In early colonial America, apples were plentiful, which made the preservation method popular and logical. When German settlers found their place in Pennsylvania, the community would come together during the apple harvest. They would pick apples and slow cook them in large copper pots for hours. It was a very communal and festive activity, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch Tradition.
During the 19th century, apple butter became a part of rural American life. Preserving food was crucial for survival. Families would use apples from fall harvest and store then in jars and eat them throughout the year with their meals. Then as settlers moved westward, they took some apple butter with them, sharing it wherever they settled. Eventually it became a part of pioneer kitchens and homesteads, particularly in areas where there were apple orchards. By the 20th century, apple butter began to be commercially produced in the United States. The canning method made it easier to preserve and distribute apple butter, popularizing it throughout the country.
In recent years there has been more of an interest in homemade apple butter, particularly in the farm-to-table movement. Small batch apple butter is made with heirloom apples, using traditional preservation methods and is sold at farmers markets. Some recipes even emphasize on more natural ingredients, which include little to no sugar, focusing on the natural sweetness of an apple.
Apple butter is not only used as a spread for breads and biscuits, but it’s also used as a culinary ingredient for sauces, marmalades and baking. I was actually surprised to see how many desserts had apple butter in them. There are cakes, pies, bars, puddings, muffins, cinnamon rolls and cookies.
I really liked the idea of a snickerdoodle with a filling. I wanted a cinnamon and sugar cookie, but one that wasn’t overly sweet. The sweet and tart apple butter compliments the cookie and is not overpowering. The cookie is soft, with a little bit of a crunch on the outside. I love this combination.
Apple Butter Cookies/Galletas de manzana
Equipment
- 1 standing mixer
- 1 cookie dough scooper 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch
- 2 large cookie sheets
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter soft
- 4 TBS dark brown sugar or light brown sugar
- 8 TBS granulated sugar
- 1/3 Cup apple butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 380 g all purpose flour about 2 1/2 cups
- 2 tsp cream of tartar sauce
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp apple pie spice
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
Dusting
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Filling
- 1 cup apple butter
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, apple pie spice and salt. Set aside.
- Add soft butter and sugar to a standing mixer bowl. Mix on low with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of apple butter, egg and extract. Mix 2 minutes.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Once it's incorporated, mix for about 1 minute.
- Keep the dough in the bowl. Cover and place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Sugar coating:In a shallow bowl, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon and whisk together. Set aside.
- Scoop about 1 1/2 TBS of dough, roll it into a ball and coat it with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place them on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart from each other. With a measuring Tablespoon, make an indention in the center of the cookie dough. Put 2 tsp of apple butter in the center.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack and cool completely.
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Notes
