Vegan Salted Caramel Apple Cookies
Hello & Happy Tuesday!!
Let’s talk cookies!
If there is one style of cookie I’m currently obsessed with, it’s the Levain style cookies! Levain is a widely loved NYC bakeshop that features all the baked staples. It’s so good you’ll see it on tv left and right and everyone raves about this shop. So how did their cookie become so iconic?
I’ll tell you!
Everyone loves a classic chocolate chip cookie, but the Levain approach is just next level. It features cake flour, which adds a lightness, lots of butter (needed), more brown sugar than white for more of a softer cookie texture, the height of the cookie coupled with a baking temperature of 410 degrees, enables you to achieve that gorgeous crisp outer edge and just a slightly soft center.
The combination of all these variables truly delivers a fab cookie that will make you say, wow, I’m never going back to traditional cookies! When thinking of the next best variation of this cookie, I knew we had to do a Salted Caramel Apple cookie! There is something about this cookie combo that just captured my attention. It’s sweet, salty, crispy, crunchy, and caters to just about everyone in the flavor department.
My first thought was, how are we going to effectively derive that amazing apple cider flavor without using apple cider? Easy, dried apple cider! While I haven’t had instant apple cider since lord knows when, believe it or not.. it still exists! Simply whip it into the butter (my preference) or into the dried ingredients and a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg for a lil extra flavor boost and boom, you have a solid apple forward cookie!
What’s fab about my vegan version? Everything! It’s modeled after the most sought after recipe, features just flax eggs, can all be made in 1 bowl, you don’t have to sift in the dry ingredients, features less added sugar than my standard recipe since we’re featuring dried apple cider, has tons of vegan caramels, notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, it’s sweet, salty, savory, crunchy, perfect for fall, requires a short chill time (thank goodness), it’s crispy on the outside and slightly soft on the inside, and just hands down such a win in the cookie department!
If you’re all about this style cookie, you have to try these new vegan Levain Style Salted Caramel Apple Cookies!
Why this recipe is great:
Quick
Easy
Sweet + Salty
Short chill time
Crispy outside
Soft inside
No sifting of ingredients
Features notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and apple cider!
Vegan Salted Caramel Apple Cookies
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-24 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup Vegan Butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup White Sugar
- 1 box Instant Apple Cider (all 10 packets)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tbsp ground flax combined with 6 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups Cake Flour
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 10–15 Chopped Cocomels vegan caramels
- Garnish: Maldon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the ground flax and water. Set aside to thicken. This will serve as the eggs in the cookie
- Preheat oven to 410 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together cold cubed vegan butter, apple cider packets, brown sugar, and white sugar for 2-4 minutes or until fluffy. Don’t over mix till its runny. Pro tip: Keep the butter in fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- Add the flax egg mixture and vanilla, mix well (1 minute)
- In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. Gradually add in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in increments (flours, cornstarch, baking soda, nutmeg, ground cinnamon and salt) mixing after each time just a little until combined. Avoid overmixing. Fold in chopped caramels.
- Chill for a minimum of 25 minutes
- Separate dough into large roughly shaped balls and place on lightly colored cookie sheet. Don’t make the dough too smooth, you want the dough roughly formed and TALL. You will fit 4 cookies on one large cookie sheet. The dough makes 8 extra large cookies or you can make 16 medium size. Once the cookie dough is on the pan, chill for 10 minutes if it seems too soft from sitting out. If your dough is too soft it won’t have as much height post baking.
- Bake for 9-10 mins minutes or until golden brown on the top. Garnish with Maldon salt as soon as you remove them from the oven. Allow them to rest for at least 15 minutes to set.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
