Description

Delightfully sweet and tender Upside-Down Apple Cookies featuring thinly sliced, caramelized apples topped with buttery sugar cookie dough. This easy-to-make treat combines the natural tartness of Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples with a cinnamon-spiced brown sugar glaze, creating a perfect balance of flavors and textures baked to golden perfection.

Ingredients

Scale

Apples

4 large baking apples (such as Pink Lady or Honeycrisp)
Kosher salt, for sprinkling

Spice Mixture

1/3 cup (71 g) packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dough

1 (16.5-oz.) package slice-and-bake sugar cookie dough (such as Pillsbury)

Instructions

Preheat and Prepare Apples: Arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Very thinly slice the apples crosswise to about 1/8 inch thickness, removing seeds while leaving a star shape in the center. You should end up with 24 slices.
Salt the Apple Slices: Lay the apple slices on paper towels, lightly sprinkle them with kosher salt, and let them sit for 5 minutes. Then, pat the slices dry thoroughly with additional paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Coat Apples with Sugar and Cinnamon: In a shallow bowl, combine the dark brown sugar and ground cinnamon. Working in batches, rub each apple slice on both sides with the sugar mixture to evenly coat. Arrange 12 slices on two parchment-lined baking sheets (6 slices per sheet), spacing each slice approximately 3 inches apart.
Bake Apple Slices: Bake the apple slices for about 6 minutes until they become tender and the sugar mixture is slightly caramelized.
Prepare Cookie Dough: Slice the cookie dough package into 24 pieces. Top each baked apple slice with one piece of dough.
Bake Cookies: Bake the topped apples until the cookie dough edges are set and golden, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking to ensure even cooking.
Cool and Flip Cookies: Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks to cool. Using a metal spatula, gently loosen the caramelized edges from the parchment paper and carefully flip the cookies over to display the caramelized apple on top. Repeat this process with the remaining apple slices and dough pieces.

Notes

Use baking apples like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp for the best flavor and texture.
Thinly slicing the apples is essential for even baking and caramelization.
Sprinkling salt on the apples before baking helps draw out moisture for better texture.
Ensure even spacing on baking sheets to allow proper caramelization and baking.
Rotating the baking sheets midway prevents uneven cooking of the cookies.
Use a metal spatula carefully when flipping to maintain the integrity of the caramelized edges.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: apple cookies, upside-down cookies, caramelized apples, sugar cookie dough, fall desserts, easy apple recipe, cinnamon apple cookies