Baked Apple Cookies

As I've mentioned before, I like to experiment with desserts on our students. A couple of weeks ago, a student's parents were visiting him in Strasbourg, so I went out on a limb and tried these Baked Apple Cookies that I found on Low Budget Cooking. (This site is mostly in German, but some of the recipes are translated into English, as these cookies are. I speak enough German to get myself into trouble, but usually have to rely on the English recipe for actual baking.) I knew when looking at the recipe that the cookies were going to be less sweet than American cookies, but how can you go wrong with caramelized apples?!


The final result was a little strange. My cookies didn't look anything like Low Budget Cooking's pictures and were really a little like a shortcake in texture. They definitely weren't as sweet as I expected, either, even knowing that they'd be European-style cookies. Luckily, I made them the night before we were to have company, so we set them aside to make the decision the next morning. Lo and behold, the next morning, the cookies were sweeter and moister! (This seems to be a trend with European desserts made with caramelized fruit...) We decided to serve them, and at the end of the day, we only had two left, both of which I had to snatch out of my husband's hands in order to take a picture!

These are good tea cookies, but perhaps not a true dessert if you have a sweet tooth. I think next time around, I might add a little brown sugar to the caramelizing process--it might add a depth of flavor and a little more moistness to the cookie. (I've converted the original recipe into American terms, but left the original as well since perhaps it was my conversion that caused the cookies to be a little different than the original...)

Baked Apple Cookies
from Low Budget Cooking

approx. 1/2 pound (250 g) apples, unpeeled, finely diced; sprinkled with:
1-2 ts lemon juice
1/4 cup (45 g) vanilla sugar

1 pinch cinnamon, finely ground
7 Tbl (100 g) butter
1 egg
2/3 cup (150 g) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of salt

Heat half of the butter in a pan until foamy. Stir in the sugar and melt. Add apples. Fry until the liquid is slightly syrupy and caramelized. Season with cinnamon and let cool.

Whisk remaining butter until creamy. Add the egg and stir well. Add flour, baking powder, salt and apples. Mix to incorporate. Place teaspoons of batter onto a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper). Leave room around each cookie, they spread out while baking. Bake in preheated oven at 350F/180 deg C for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.