The Best Caramel Apple Cookies - Crumbl Copycat (2024)

Published on October 7, 2022 by Chahinez 27 Comments

Crumbl did it again! It brought us a fall favorite for so many. They took the beloved caramel apple which tastes like a mix of sweetness from the caramel with the green apple tartness and transformed it into their weekly cookie for fall.

Obviously, nothing will taste exactly the same as a caramel apple because it’s a fruit mixed with sugary caramel but I took components of that flavor and tried to make something similar.

This is the best caramel apple cookie ever!

This cookie first starts out with a chewy apple-spiced cookie base that uses warming fall spices as well as some concentrated apple juice to really bring in that apple flavor.

Each cookie is then topped with a homemade caramel cream cheese frosting, similar to the one used in the caramel pumpkin cookies. Each cookie is then topped with a homemade cinnamon streusel, chopped up green apple to bring in that tartness, and a thick caramel sauce.

Why you need to make this recipe!

• It’s a fun recipe to try during the fall especially if you love caramel apples!
• This recipe is a great way to use up those extra apples from going apple-picking with the family 🙂
• You will save a ton of money by making your own Crumbl cookies at home.
• With this recipe, you will be able to enjoy your favorite cookies anytime the craving hits, no need to wait a whole year for the Crumbl bakeries to bring it back.
• This recipe is great for fall parties and holidays. Just make the cookies smaller to serve a crowd.

Ingredients for this caramel apple cookie recipe

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this cookie recipe. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed ingredient measurements.

• Butter- You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe.
• Imperial Sugar dark brown sugar & granulated sugar-The cookie base uses a mixture of sugars to get the texture just right.
• Concentrated apple juice– We will need to use a tiny bit of concentrated apple juice to give our cookie that extra chewiness and a hint of apples in there as well.
• Egg– Use an egg at room temperature.
• Vanilla extract- This will give both our frosting as well as our cookies a nice depth of flavor.
• Flour– Use AP or all-purpose flour for this recipe.
• Salt– Always use a little salt in your baked goods to balance out the flavors.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice– These are the warming spices that you will need to use to accentuate those fall flavors in the dessert.
• Baking powder & baking soda– These are the leavening agents of this recipe.
• Cream cheese– Use full-fat cream cheese for this recipe
• Imperial Sugar powdered sugar– The powdered sugar will help sweeten our frosting as well as give it that extra hold so you can frost your cookies with it.
• Caramel– Use storebought or homemade caramel. If you can opt for the homemade caramel because it is much better!
• Green apple– This is used to decorate our cookies, but when you get a bite with an apple, your tastebuds will be blown away!

Why Imperial Sugar?

When it comes to this recipe, I wanted something I can relly on and the imperial sugar sugars are both extremely reliable and also pack a ton of flavor, especially the dark brown sugar. It has a strong molasses flavor which helps give these cookies that extra depth of flavor.

How to make Crumbl caramel apple copycats

This is how you can make this cookie at home. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full detailed instructions!

The streusel topping

1. Melt the butter in a medium skillet, mix in the sugar, cinnamon, flour, and salt until clumps form.
2. Continue cooking it on medium heat while stirring frequently until the streusel gets some color. This can take a few minutes.

Make the cookie base

1. Cream the butter and sugars together until smooth.
2. Add in the vanilla extract, apple juice concentrate, and the egg and mix to combine.
3. Mix in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda just until the flour mixture disappears.
4. Scoop 9 equally sized cookie dough balls, place them on the prepared baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven.
5. Let the cookies cool down before frosting.

The caramel cream cheese frosting

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese together.
2. Add in the caramel sauce, powdered sugar, and vanilla and whip until light and fluffy.
3. Place the frosting in a piping bag with a large round tip.
4. Frost the cookie sin a swirls motion, top with the chopped up green apples, a sprinkle of homemade streusel, and a drizzle of caramel and enjoy!

Frequently asked questions – FAQ

What is the best caramel sauce to use for this recipe?

To be honest, I tried this recipe with both homemade and storebought caramel and the best results came with the homemade caramel. So even though, that might require a little extra effort it is so much more worth it!

How to store Crumbl caramel apple cookies?

You can store these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

If you are wanting to serve these cookies at a later date though, you can frost them but just wait before you top them with the chopped-up apples to keep them from browning.

How to make catering-sized Crumbl caramel apple cookies?

To make the smaller-sized cookies you can make 18 smaller cookies instead of 9 large ones. Bake them for 10 minutes instead of 12 minutes and frost and decorate the same way you would the larger ones.

Caramel apple cookies – Crumbl copycat

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