The Best Gluten Free Apple Cookies with Oatmeal and Cinnamon

Sharing is caring!

What better way to ring in the fall season than with a delicious batch of cookies? That’s why these gluten free apple cookies are my new favorite recipe! Prepared with warm cinnamon and chewy oats, these simple gluten free cookies are perfect for any autumn get-together. Thanks to the simple apple juice glaze on top, no one will even guess they’re gluten free!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you purchase something from my link (at no additional cost to you). Thanks for your support!

Apple and oatmeal are always a delicious combination. And putting those ingredients into cookie form is the best way to enjoy the flavor combo, in my opinion!

This easy recipe for gluten free apple oatmeal cookies uses just a handful of common ingredients! There’s no need to make your own gluten free flour blend or even create oat flour. All you have to do is open your pantry and pull out a few simple ingredients to create your own delicious gluten free dessert in no time.

Gluten Free Apple Cookies

To make these easy gluten free apple cookies, you’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients — the most important being gluten free oatmeal and shredded apples. Always make sure to check our oatmeal package to ensure it’s gluten free because not all oats are gluten free!

You’re going to love how much fall flavor is packed into these delicious and chewy cookies. And that’s because they’re prepared with simple ingredients to bring out the flavor of the apples and cinnamon. To make these easy gluten free apple oatmeal cookies, you’ll need:

• Gluten free baking flour (I love Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour)
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Allspice
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla
• Shredded apple (any variety)
• Gluten free quick cooking oats
• Apple juice
• Powdered sugar

Is Oatmeal Gluten Free?

Since these fall cookies are made with quick cooking oats, you might be wondering if oats are gluten free. The good news is that gluten free oats are available — you just have to check the packaging. While not all oats are GF, those with the “gluten free” label on them are safe to eat.

I suggest trying these gluten free oats for your cookies:

• Bob’s Red Mill gluten free oats
• Quaker gluten free oats

The first step to making your gluten free apple oatmeal cookies is to mix together the dry ingredients. Add your gluten free baking flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk the ingredients together until they’re well combined, then set the bowl aside for a few minutes.

Next, add your softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar to a large bow. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the ingredients together until they’re light and fluffy.

The best way to ensure you get the right consistency when creaming your butter and sugar is to use room temperature butter. Set the stick of butter on the counter around 30 minutes before you plan to start baking and it will be ready to cream when you’re ready to bake! Otherwise, you can soften your butter in the microwave — just be careful not to overheat the butter and melt it.

Once the butter and sugar are well mixed, add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl. Beat the ingredients until they’re just combined.

Then, grab your dry ingredients and add them to the bowl. Beat all the ingredients together until you get a smooth batter.

Finally, add your gluten free quick cooking oats and shredded apples to the batter and fold them in until they’re just combined. When the dough is well mixed, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or up to overnight. This will help your cookies retain their shape as they cook and keep them from spreading too much as they bake.

When you’re ready to start baking your cookies, preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to form the dough into a ball with your hands. Place the balls on the baking sheet, then press the top of each ball down with your hand to form a disk.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. You’ll know the cookies are done when the edges are golden brown and the tops are set. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for around five minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Apple Juice Glaze for Cookies

Once your cookies are baked, you’re not finished yet! Top them with a creamy apple juice glaze to add even more apple flavor to each bite.

This simple glaze is made with just two ingredients — apple juice and powdered sugar. Simply combine both ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until the glaze is smooth.

If your glaze is too runny, add more powdered sugar. And if it’s too thick, add more apple juice until you reach your desired consistency.

Once you have your glaze ready, transfer it to a piping bag and drizzle it over the top of the cooled cookies. Or simply dip the tops of each cookie into the glaze to fully coat it with the apple juice topping.

All that’s left to do after that is allow the glaze to set for a few minutes to harden, then you can enjoy your apple treats!

Tips for Apple Oatmeal Cookies

This easy gluten free recipe is delicious and simple! But if you have questions as you’re baking, I probably have the answer!

Can I use old fashioned oats in this recipe?

If you can’t find quick cooking gluten free oats, you can use old fashioned oats instead. If you keep the old fashioned oats as-is, the texture of the cookies will be slightly different, but I’m sure they’ll taste great. Or you can turn your old fashioned oats into quick cooking oats by placing them in the blender. Use the same amount of old fashioned oats as you would quick cooking oats. Pour the oats in the blender and pulse the blades two or three times until the oats resemble the correct consistency.

What apples are best in cookies?

With so many varieties of apples to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which ones to use when baking! I used Granny Smith apples to prepare these cookies, adding a hint of tartness which balances well with the sweet glaze on top. You could also use:

• Fuji
• Honeycrisp
• Braeburn
• Jonathan
• Honey gold
• Gala

Can I skip chilling the dough?

Since these cookies are made with shredded apple, the dough will be wetter than your average oatmeal cookie dough. That’s why it’s a good idea to give the dough time to chill before you put the cookies in the oven. In addition to allowing the dough to harden slightly, chilling will also help keep the cookies from spreading as they bake, resulting in a delicious chewy oatmeal cookie.

What are my oatmeal cookies dry?

Oatmeal cookies are prepared using flour and oats — two very dry ingredients. That’s why many oatmeal cookie recipes end up coming out dry. But with the help of the addition of wet ingredients like apple (or pumpkin like in my gluten free pumpkin oatmeal cookies), you can help battle that dryness.

Just make sure not to add to much wet ingredients to the mix or you’ll end up with flat, soggy cookies. To help keep your cookies from being one extreme or the other, simply follow the recipe as written and don’t forget to give the dough plenty of time to chill before baking!

More Easy Apple Recipes:

Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cheesecake in a Jar

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

Gluten Free Apple Upside Down Cake

Baked Gluten Free Apple Fritters

If you like this post, you’ll probably like these: