Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies

Rating: 3.52 stars
327 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 71
  • 4 star values: 105
  • 3 star values: 91
  • 2 star values: 43
  • 1 star values: 17

These soft, chewy cookies capture the flavor of a warm bowl of apple-cinnamon oatmeal.

Martha Stewart Living, January 2005

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Recipe Summary

Yield:
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Make cookies: Preheat oven to 350. Put butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add egg and applesauce, mix until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in raisins.

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  • Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies until golden and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack set over parchment paper; let cool completely.

  • Make icing: Whisk confectioners' sugar, syrup, and 3tablespoons water until smooth. Drizzle over cookies, let set.

Cook's Notes

Once the maple icing is set, these can be stored in single layers in airtight containers for up to three days.

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Reviews (48)

327 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 71
  • 4 star values: 105
  • 3 star values: 91
  • 2 star values: 43
  • 1 star values: 17
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/10/2016
I am in the midst of making these and, although they taste good, they spread too much. I chilled the dough for an hour beforehand and it still didn't help. I won't be making these again. This is only the second time that one of Martha's recipes failed me.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/28/2014
My grandfather made it and I have loved it ever since it's quick & easy
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/09/2014
After reading the reviews I made the following changes and they turned out very good! (not runny or flat like others commented) Mixed butter at room temp - once you add egg it gets smoother and mixes more easily. Used fresh apple chopped up in food processor instead of applesauce. Added about 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/2tsp ginger. Used only half the brown and white sugar and still very sweet. Added walnuts. Would add more apple next time because not very "apple-y".
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/30/2014
Fortunately I did a test cookie. It really spread and baked up flat, but the taste was good. I ended up adding an additional 1/2 cup flour. The next test cookie baked up very nice. It was thick and chewy but did not taste overly floury. I wanted to bump up the apple flavor, so I used apple juice in the glaze instead of water. Half the glaze recipe is sufficient. Next time, I will add in chopped dehydrated apple to bump up the apple flavor even more. Will make again!
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
01/21/2014
Really like this recipe. Tasted like a good, old-fashioned applesauce cookie. I would use a small scoop next time and round slightly. Love the consistency, soft and chewy. Had no problems.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/14/2013
yam taste good ciinem mon
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/14/2013
yam taste good ciinem mon
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/11/2013
Great recipe! Make sure to refrigerate your dough first (at least 15 minutes) or these cookies will run thin. I did make a few changes to suit my family's tastes- used regular applesauce added a cup of chopped granny smith apples in place of the raisins added a scant cup of chopped walnuts skipped the icing (these cookies are sweet enough already!) I'll definitely make these again!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/13/2012
mine came out perfect: ) did add a bit of cinnamon.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/10/2012
Tweaks to this recipe that make for a more flavorful cookie include using Granny Smith applesauce (provides more apple flavor) and using half of the glaze recipe - which makes too much glaze for one batch of cookies and totally obscures the flavor of the cookie if too much of the glaze is used.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
09/19/2012
Not to be discouraged, all, mine came out just fine. I will echo some other folks here and note that I beat the butter from room temperature with the sugars, instead of melting them. Couldn't find "chunky" applesauce, just made it with the regular stuff, and added cinnamon. I skipped the icing all together because the cookie itself was sweet enough that the icing could have put it over the top.
Anonymous
Rating: 2 stars
09/03/2012
Who ever heard of an oatmeal cookie recipe without cinnamon?! These definitely could have used some flavor, as I thought they were bland. Also WAY too sweet- this recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of sugar! That's what I normally put into a full batch (one with 2 sticks of butter, 2 eggs, and 2 1/4 cups of flour). What a complete waste of time.
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
08/23/2012
I was disappointed in these too (wish I had read the reviews first). I do intend to try them again though. I used homemade applesauce. I think they need a bit more flour, perhaps another tablespoon or two (it is summer here, and humid). I also think they would benefit by having the dough chilled before scooping and baking. Next time I'll try both those things and hopefully they'll be more successful.
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
08/23/2012
I was disappointed in these too (wish I had read the reviews first). I do intend to try them again though. I used homemade applesauce. I think they need a bit more flour, perhaps another tablespoon or two (it is summer here, and humid). I also think they would benefit by having the dough chilled before scooping and baking. Next time I'll try both those things and hopefully they'll be more successful.
Anonymous
Rating: 1 stars
07/05/2012
These cookies were a mess! I followed the recipe exactly and was left with runny dough that completely flattened out while baking, stuck to the parchment, and never firmed up. After hours on the cooling racks, they were a sticky, crumbly, flat mess. I didn't waste my time (and ingredients) on the icing. I do have to admit, the cookies actually tasted pretty good. But the texture and presentation was all wrong. They were completely stuck to each other and my serving dish! Skip this recipe!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/21/2012
I agree with other reviewers that these cookies weren't as good as they could be. The dough was very runny so I chilled it for an hour. The cookies still spread, and made super-thin (but chewy) cookies. I didn't have parchment so I sprayed pans with canola oil, and they stuck terribly (not the recipe's fault, but just making note for others who consider skipping the parchment). One good thing is that the recipe made more cookies than expected - with 1 Tbsp scoops I got about 3 1/2 dozen).
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/08/2011
oops! I also used 2 sticks of butter creamed into the sugar as opposed to the 4 melted Tb Martha called for. Forgot to add that to my previous comment.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/08/2011
I can see how you'd end up with a runny mess making this. So, I read the Quaker oatmeal container and did a bit of combing with/altering of to Martha's recipe. I used 3 1/2 cups of oats, 2 cups of flour, and 2 eggs. You need more dry ingredients to balance out the moisture of the applesauce (regular oatmeal cookies call for 3 cups of oats and 1 1/2 cups of flour so it's kind of a no brainer). Anyway, super tasty once you get them right!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/05/2011
Close to the same problem as "ltz13" and "sez": Cookies were flat and crispy. The picture gave me the impression that they were going to be soft and chewy. However, I did not have the problem with them sticking to the parchment paper. I doubt it was because of the modifications I made either: Replaced 1/4c of the apple sauce with 3T of whiskey. I'll blame it on not having an electric mixer / whisk.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/05/2011
I agree with srez. This recipe failed BIG TIME. I also followed the recipe exactly. I knew right away as the dough was too runny. Something is missing! The cookies spread and came out completely FLAT. Martha should test out her own recipes!!! I ended up putting the runny dough into mini cupcake tins. At first another mess, as they all overflowed the tin! I put the overflow dough back into each [filtered] and a new treat is born! My suggestion: Stay away from this recipe!!!
Anonymous
Rating: 1 stars
09/24/2011
This recipe failed! I followed everything exactly as written. I was very disappointed when the cookies spread flat, were sticky and stuck to the cookie sheet. I used parchment paper as suggested and I had to scrape them off the cookie sheet! Horrible, don't waste your time and ingredients. Martha you better review your recipes!
Anonymous
Rating: 4 stars
09/13/2011
These were soft, chewy and delicious. I made one adjustment. I creamed the butter and sugar. Melting the butter seemed strange to me. I'm glad I did. The dough would have been very runny had I followed the recipe. I will be making these often...my family loved them!
Anonymous
Rating: 2 stars
09/01/2011
I thought these cookies were way too sweet and the icing put them over the top. A more traditional oatmeal cookie would have balanced the icing better. Will not be making these again, unfortunately.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/16/2011
Oh, and I did take out some of the raisins and added chocolate chips.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/16/2011
I thought the cookies were awesome. They remind me of the store bought iced cookies. I did make my own icing to go on the top which I thought worked really well. Icing 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 teaspoon sour cream splash of vanilla (½ tsp.)
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/04/2010
loved them will make again and again. used smooth homemade applesauce and regular syrup instead of maple. the icing recipe made a ton will cut back next time. Also considering making them into bars.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/04/2010
loved them will make again and again. used smooth homemade applesauce and regular syrup instead of maple. the icing recipe made a ton will cut back next time. Also considering making them into bars.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/15/2010
Wow, these didn't last long in my cookie jar! They are really delicious and unique. A word of warning, however, the icing is VERY sweet. I halved the icing recipe and I still only used a fraction of it. I would recommend making a quarter of the icing recipe and only drizzling a touch on each cookie because, as I mentioned before, it is very sweet.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
09/24/2010
Use some maple extract if you'd like it stronger...and don't forget that maple syrup comes in different grades so pick a strong one...what you use in extract cut out of water, that should work. Not a fan of the pure icing sugar either...You can grab a premade icing/ marshmallow spread/ or cream cheese... add the maple syrup and thicken it with the icing sugar to desired consistency. Hope this helps.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
09/23/2010
My batch came out very good, with the suggested alterations. I used homemade chunky applesauce, added cinnamon, ginger, cardamom. Softened butter, not melted. Craisins, not raisins. 2T maple syrup instead of the 1/2 cup granulated sugar. I used 1 T water in the icing and added 1.5-2 tsp melted butter. I probably used a smidge more oats than called for. Chilled dough was easier to work with than room temp. These were gone in a flash! http://deepdarkandlovely.wordpress.com/
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
09/21/2010
I followed the recipe, instead of chunky I used regular applesauce. They turned out great, not flat or flimsy. I will defiantly make these again.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
09/08/2010
Agreeing about flat and flimsy cookies. On my first run I forgot the white sugar and the cookies were much better, but lacking in flavor. Perhaphs using solid butter, less sugar, and a self rising flour would do the trick. Something needs to be done about the icing too - overwhelming confectioners' taste and undetectable maple flavor. I would suggest cutting back on the water by two tblspoons, maybe adding butter, and adding more maple syrup.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/17/2009
I just made these and they taste good but look horrible. They came out really flat. I figured the butter shouldn't be melted, there should be more flower and oats. I didnt even bother making the icing, i'm super bummed :(
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/07/2009
Tried these cookies with my 9 year old brother. Didn't have enough old-fashioned oats, so added some quick. We also added 1/4 cup more flour. They worked great and came out just like the picture.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/02/2009
Recipe did not turn out well. Batter spread like crazy. Cookies are thin and crisp. Tasty but nothing like the photo.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/30/2009
Just made for the first time, they came out rather flat, but I didn't have chunky applesauce, just the smooth type - maybe that's why. One problem though, I used 'coarse' salt and every so often, I'd get a bite of a chunk of the coarse salt which wasn't very nice. Any suggestions about that? Should I just use regular table salt instead with the same measurement?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/27/2009
My batch turned out very good. My batter was particularly gooey when raw, so I stuck it in the fridge before baking. That did the trick. I did not like the taste of the icing on its own - bleh. Tasted like mildewy cardboard. But once it set on the cookies, it was quite nice! I'll definitely make these again!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/12/2008
If you like oatmeal cookies, you will love these. The maple syrup glaze is too die for and the cookies were easy to make. They are relatively more healthy than other cookies since there is only a half a stick of butter. The moisture comes from the applesauce. I used regular applesauce because that is what I had and I also used regular Aunt Jemima syrup because that is what I had on had. They are very good and I am going to calll and recommend them to my friends for their holiday baking.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/09/2008
I made these cookies and they turned out well. I used the thick and chunky applesauce from Trader Joes. It worked perfectly with the recipe. I think that a really thick applesauce is the key to success. Otherwise the dough will be too runny. Also, I added some spices (Cinnamon, Ginger, and Allspice) to the batter.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/19/2008
After a flat but delicious first batch, I made a few changes... Used my own applesauce (to cut back on sugar - 1 large peeled gala in the food pro), started with softened (not melted) butter, subbed half of the white sugar for 2 tbsp maple syrup, added a bit of cinnamon and cloves, and increased the amount of oatmeal slightly. Instead of the glaze, I made a soft caramel icing with butter, brown sugar, and milk. Delicious, hearty, and stable enough to ship across the country (true story)!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/18/2008
My batch of cookies did not look like the picture either. They were flat and so sticky that some of them broke while trying to get them off the pan. They have remained sticky even after 36 hours and because of that are difficult to store.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/17/2008
I think there was a misprint for the amount of flour. I think it should be 1 1/2 cups of flour. Mine were flat as well and I couldn't get them off of the cookie sheet. Very disappointing.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/15/2008
Son and I made these, and they turned out very tasty, not flat at all. The dough was thin but they baked up well. Next time I will leave some of the water out of the glaze and only make half the amount called for. Anybody try making them with less sugar than called for?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/14/2008
My cookies looked nothing like the picture. I carefully followed the directions, but my cookies turned out flat (it looks like I'm not the only one). The "icing" isn't icing at all. It's more like a thin glaze. I think the picture used for this recipe belongs to a completely different recipe. Additionally, the "icing" isn't pure white, as shown in the picture, as maple syrup was added and changed the color. I've had better oatmeal raisin cookies. There's no need to make these again.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/13/2008
I made these last night and they too were thin, flat, sugary, and dissappointing. I added more flour and chilled the dough for about 20 mins -after this they came out much more 'cookie-like' but i feel like this sacrificed the taste. HELP!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/12/2008
My dough was not thin and the cookies were not flat. However, I used my homemade applesauce in the recipe and it is much thicker, chunkier and more flavorful than the commercial stuff!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
11/11/2008
I agree, dough was to thin, cookies were flat.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
10/14/2008
Did not turn out anything like the picture, very flat and the dough was watery.
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