Stuffed Caramel Apple Cookies (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Allergy-Free)

Published: Oct 21, 2019 by Rebecca Pytell · This post may contain affiliate links.

A mind-blowing, seasonal cookie recipe! Stuffed Caramel Apple Cookies are gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free! Warm, big, soft cookies loaded with fresh chopped apples and stuffed with vegan caramel! The flavors of the fall season all in one decadent, but healthy, dessert treat!

We are about to get crazy up in here! Caramel apples are a seasonal must, but man, are they hard to eat! Let's take our favorite fruity treat and transform it into a decadent, big, ooey, gooey cookie instead! And let's just not infuse the flavors of caramel and apple into a cookie, let's take it one step further. Fresh, chopped apple strewn throughout the cookie with a hidden surprise stuffed in the middle...CARAMEL!

I had always assumed making a stuffed cookie would be difficult, but I've come to learn otherwise. So before you get scared away by this baking endeavor, let's walk through the process!

Cookie ingredients you'll need

Gluten-Free Baking Flour
Certified Gluten-Free Rolled Oats
Baking Powder
Brown Sugar (sugar-free or not)
Flax Egg
FRESH Chopped Apple (I suggest Honey Crisp)
Applesauce
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Allspice
Vegan Caramels

Best vegan caramels to use

You don't want caramel sauce, you want an actual caramel candy to stuff inside these insanely delicious cookies! This is where Cocomels come in! Coconut milk and coconut sugar-based caramels that are vegan and top allergen-free so we can all enjoy that buttery, mildly sweet goodness! They're totally dairy-free, plant-based, and organic. You know most of my recipes are sugar-free (sans something like natural sugar in fruit), but these Cocomels only have 2g of sugar per piece!

How to make caramel stuffed cookies

Go about mixing all the cookie ingredients together as you would with any cookie.
With your cookie batter mixed, gather 2 tablespoons of batter and form 10 big cookie mounds on a prepared baking sheet.
Now take 1 vegan caramel per cookie, smoosh it into a ball with your finger and press the caramels into the center of each cookie, covering over the hole you made with the cookie batter that was pushed aside. Don't push the caramel in too far, otherwise, it will spill out of the bottom of the cookie!
Bake the cookies for about 14-15 minutes, remove them from the oven, and let those babies cool on a wire rack.
Now you can add a simple icing drizzle if desired to make them look complete.

Warm them up!

I said to cool these on a wire rack as any good baker knows to do with baked goods, BUT that's only to help the optimal icing drizzle set. You MUST eat these caramel stuffed apple cookies WARM! The moment you bite into (or break in half for that #instaworthy pic) the warm gooey caramel just oozes out of the soft apple-packed cookie! I'm not saying eat these the second you remove them from the oven (you'll end up burning your mouth on the oozing caramel!), but warmed for a few seconds in the microwave after they've come to room temperature is key!

How to store them

When it comes to gluten-free, vegan baked goods, the best way to preserve quality is by storing them in the fridge. At room temperature in a closed container, they'll last 4-5 days. In the fridge they'll last for at least a week. I don't recommend freezing these cookies. When you're ready to eat them, warm them in the microwave for about 30 seconds or pop them in the toaster oven for a few minutes if you don't have a microwave.

A healthier Fall treat to warm you up

After a busy, chilly fall (or winter) day, what's the best treat to warm you up and end the night with? These cookies! If you want to get wild, these could be a great breakfast cookie, afternoon snack, or dessert, warm and cozy with a mug of hot chocolate, coffee or tea! They're perfect for the family, any fall gathering, or just yourself (I mean, come on!)

These LOADED caramel apple cookies are:

Gluten-Free
Vegan
Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free)
Oil-Free
Low in Sugar
Kid-Friendly
Fun to Make, Bake, and Eat!