Vegan Apple Pie Crumble Cookies

These vegan apple pie crumble cookies channel all of the goodness of traditional apple crumb pie in an adorable, handheld size. They feature flaky rounds of vegan pie crust, sweet and tender cooked apples, and a buttery streusel topping. The end result is an individually portioned mini-pie and cookie hybrid that’s perfect for holiday gatherings, cookie swaps or boxes, or potlucks.

This is my season of handheld desserts.

It begins with today’s vegan apple pie crumble cookies.

Imagine this: the goodness of vegan apple pie with streusel topping, condensed into an adorable, individual portion.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a classic holiday pie or galette. However, I also live alone, and I cook for a two-person family on holidays: just me and my mom.

A whole pie makes less sense for me than the cookies that I’m writing about today. Portable and neatly portioned prior to baking, they can be easily brought to my yoga studio, distributed to neighbors, and given to friends.

They’re also easy to freeze, individually or in a little batch. If I make them for me and my mom for Thanksgiving, for example, I might freeze half of them to be enjoyed on Christmas Eve.

In other words, the cookies are uniquely good for sharing, contributing, and giving.

In my mind, that makes them an embodiment of the spirit that I try to keep alive in this season of the year.

Let me tell you a little more about how this recipe came to be.

Pie crust cookies?!

There’s a bakery in NYC called Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods.

The founder, Janie Deegan, has an inspiring story. After struggling with addiction and being unsheltered in her twenties, she was able to find professional fulfillment and a means of giving back in opening a bakery.

Today, Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods is known for it’s pie crust cookies. They’re just what they sound like: round, hearty cookies that feature the same components as a slice of pie, starting with a flaky crust bottom.

I first learned of this bakery because I had a friend who worked there. I loved the bakery’s social mission, in addition to the fact that it seemed to give joy to so many New Yorkers. I only wished that it sold vegan cookies.

Since I couldn’t taste a vegan pie crust cookie baked by Janie herself, I decided to experiment with a recipe of my own.

I could have chosen many pie flavors, but I went with my favorite type of pie, which is apple.

Conveniently, the vegan apple pie that I like best actually has a streusel topping, rather than a top layer of crust.

This type of pie can be called Dutch apple pie or apple crumb pie. And it’s a perfect source of inspiration for an apple pie crumble cookie.

Crumble cookie components

Just as apple crumb pie features three layers, so too do these crumble cookies.

Vegan pie crust

The first layer is flaky pie crust. I make mine vegan with plant-based butter, and I’ve used the same formula for years now.

You can find a single-layer version of the pie crust alongside my vegan pumpkin pie recipe and a double-layer version as part of my classic vegan cherry pie.

Cooked apples

One distinguishing factor between this recipe and my apple pie is that I cook the apples prior to baking them.

There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the cookies will bake for a much shorter interval of time than pie. Stovetop sautéing is necessary to ensure that the apple in the finished cookies is tender and fully cooked.

In addition, one of the joys of traditional apple pie is that the apples get very juicy as the pie bakes. All of that juiciness would make the open-faced cookies into a mess.

Instead, cooked apples are just moist enough to work in a round of baking. The apple pie cookies will gesture at juicy, familiar pie filling, yet still hold their shapes.

Streusel topping

A couple years ago, I went through a short, autumnal culinary hyperfixation with vegan streusel. I was on a mission to make the best streusel I could.

I tested various proportions of flour, sugar, and butter—melted and solid—in an effort to get the streusel just right.

I was trying to avoid streusel that would melt the moment it hit a warm oven. Since vegan butter tends to have a lower melting point than regular butter, this was no small feat.

In the end, I created a 5-minute vegan streusel recipe that I love. It’s now the only streusel that I use; it finds its way onto my apple pie, of course, but also my coffee cake and blueberry crumb muffins.

And it plays a starring role in these apple pie crumble cookies.

How to make vegan apple pie crumble cookies

A full and honest disclosure: these cookies are a little involved.

Unlike a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies, peanut cookies, or chocolate chip cookies, there are multiple processes involved in making apple pie cookies.

The good news is that you can make them in stages, with options for freezing along the way.

The other piece of good news? The cookies are delicious, and your effort will be totally worthwhile.

Step 1: Sauté your apples

I make baked apples all the time, adding them to oatmeal and toast and even yogurt bowls. The apples for the crumble cookies get a similar preparation, but in this case, stovetop sautéing is best.

You’ll do this in a frying pan or skillet, using some vegan butter, cinnamon, lemon juice, and vanilla for seasoning. It should take about twenty minutes.

After sautéing, you can store the cooked apples in the fridge for up to two days before assembling the crumble cookies.

You can also freeze them for up to eight weeks, if you like to plan your baking projects in advance.

Step 2: Prepare the pie crust

All of the usual pie crust making rules apply in making this simple vegan pie crust:

• Cut your butter into flour in pieces about the size of peas
• Keep the butter cold
• Use ice cold water
• Use a tiny bit of white vinegar for extra flakiness (optional but nice)

The only real difference is that you’ll use vegan butter. Any vegan butter that’s sold in stick form ought to work in the recipe.

Step 3: Prepare the streusel

This recipe calls for a half batch of my classic vegan streusel topping. I’ve included everything in the recipe card here, just for clarity and ease.

Making the streusel is as easy as can be: add melted vegan butter to a mixture of flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, then allow it to form nice, pea-sized clumps.

The streusel can also be made ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days or freeze it for up to six weeks.

Step 4: Roll the pie crust and cut it into rounds

When all of the necessary components are accounted for, it’s time to make crumble cookies.

The first part of assembly is to roll your pie crust into a disk that’s just in between 1/8 and 1/4in thick (3/16in, or 5mm).

Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter (or a mason jar lid) to cut the crust into circles that are about 2 3/4 or 3-inches (7-7.5cm) in diameter.

You’ll use as much of the dough as possible, re-rolling scraps as needed. The recipe should yield about 15 cookies.

Step 5: Top the pie crust rounds

Next, you’ll top each circle with about two tablespoons of the apple mixture, followed by two tablespoons of streusel topping.

I find it’s easiest to keep a circular cookie or biscuit cutter in place around the pie crust base as I work. It helps to catch stray pieces of streusel crumb.

If you don’t have such a round cutter, that’s ok; just fetch your stray bits and place them atop the cookies again right before baking!

Step 6: Bake

Finally, you’ll bake the crumble cookies. They need about 25-30 minutes in the oven, or until the bottom crust and top crumbs are both golden brown.

I recommend allowing the cookies to cool for at least 90 minutes before serving them, in order to let them set.

If you want to ship or box the cookies up, be sure that they’ve cooled entirely before you do so.

Storage

Once the crumble cookies are completely cool, transfer them to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to three days. You can also freeze them for up to six weeks.

Can I use a different fruit for the filling?

Yes, I’m sure that you can!

Full disclosure, I’ve only ever tried this recipe with apples. But I see no reason why it couldn’t work with cooked down peaches, plums, cherries, or pears.

If you have success in trying another fruit, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

What about a gluten-free option?

Once again, I have to give the obligatory disclaimer that I haven’t tried making these cookies gluten-free.

However, I’ve made the pie crust and the streusel (separately) with a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend, and both of them turned out.

I see no reason why a gluten-free version of the cookie shouldn’t work out, too. The GF flour that I trust the most is the King Arthur measure for measure blend.

Prep Time: 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Chilling time 2 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Yields: 15 cookies

For the apples:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 lb peeled and diced Granny Smith apples  (3 medium large apples; substitute another tart, firm apple variety)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon water

For the cookie pie crust:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour  (180g)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar (25g)
• 8 tablespoons cold vegan butter, cubed  (115g)
• 6 tablespoons ice water
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar (optional; flor a flakier crust)

For the streusel topping:

• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour (70g)
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar (65g)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter (45g)

Prepare the apples:

• Heat the vegan butter in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. When it melts, add the apples. Sauté apples for 3 minutes, or until they’re becoming tender. Turn the heat to low. Add the cinnamon, salt, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and water and stir. Cover the apples and cook for another 4 minutes, or until they’re still holding their shape, but becoming tender and more stewed (imagine a chunky applesauce).

• Remove the apples from heat, transfer them to a storage container with a lid and cover. Allow them to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then transfer them to the fridge. Allow the apples to cool completely, at least two 2 hours and up to 2 days. 

Prepare the crust:

• To make the crust, mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour, until the pieces of butter are about the size of peas. Alternately, you can put the flours, salt, and sugar into a food processor, add the butter, and pulse until the ingredients are combined and the butter is the size of peas.

• Mix the ice water and vinegar. Add the water into the flour mixture in a thin stream, using a spatula to mix as you go. As soon as the dough holds together without being wet, and it easily sticks together when you squeeze a small amount in your hand, it’s ready. If your dough is too crumbly and isn’t holding together, add additional ice water by the tablespoon until it does.

• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape it into a disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. At this point, you can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze it for later use, if you like.

Prepare the streusel topping:

• In a small bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

• Melt the vegan butter in a small saucepan over low heat or microwave it for 10-15 seconds to melt it.

• Pour the melted butter into the center of your dry ingredients. Use two forks to gently mix the butter into the flour mixture, forming pea sized crumbs and some smaller crumbs as you go. Your aim is for there to be no remaining dry flour and for the mixture to be mostly pea-sized crumbs, mixed with some smaller and some larger crumbs.

• Transfer the streusel to the fridge and keep it cold while you roll the cookie dough. Alternatively, you can store the streusel in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.

Assemble and bake the cookies:

• Preheat your oven to 400°F / 200°C and line a half-sized baking sheet with parchment or silpat. 

• Flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough for the crust into a disk that’s just in between 1/8 and 1/4in thick (3/16in, or 5mm).

• Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter, about 2 3/4 or 3-inches (7-7.5cm) in diameter to cut the crust into circles. These will be the base of your cookies. Continue re-rolling spare dough until you’ve used the dough up. You should have 15 round cookie bases. 

• Top each cookie base with about 2 tablespoons of the apple mixture, enough to form a little mound that goes almost, but not quite to the edges of the circle. Then, top the apple mixture with a heaping 2 tablespoons of the crumb mixture. I find it easiest to place the circular cookie/biscuit ring around the crust base before adding the crumbs—it prevents them from spilling out as soon as they top the apple filling. Press the crumbs gently onto the filling to help them stay put; it doesn’t have to be perfect!

• Bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes, or until the bottom crust and top crumbs are both golden brown. Crumbs that fall off the cookies and land on the baking sheet may burn during baking, which is OK! The important thing is that the cookie itself bake properly. 

• Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool for at least 90 minutes before enjoying. Once the cookies are completely cool, transfer them to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze for up to 6 weeks. 

Phew—that recipe is less imposing than it looks, I promise!

If you also live in a home where making whole pies tends to be impractical, then I hope you’ll give the apple pie cookies a try.

And if you don’t, but you love sharing festive, nostalgic cookies with the loved ones in your life, I hope you’ll find some joy in making it, too.

xo