Turkish Apple Cinnamon Cookies are a true classic and packed with fall flavors. These are slightly crispy on the outside and melting in your mouth on the inside. The apple filling gives you the feeling of bite size apple pie.
This post was originally published in 2013 and we’re updating it today with new pictures and additional info.
Apple Cinnamon Cookies are always great sweet treats but they are even better in fall since there are various fresh apples at bazaars in this season. My favorite is always green sourish ones, but these rolls are made with sweet apples, you decide the color. I saw some organic apples at our local bazaar last week and used them in this recipe, you know organic foods have better tastes and these apple cinnamon cookies became divine with that distinctive flavor of apple.
You can find these in many pastry shops in Turkey and they are called elmali kurabiye –cookies with apple. The shape of them might change though. Some of them are so thin and small, some are thick, some have little filling, some have a generous amount, so you are free to make such changes when you make it at home. The filling is always the same though, a mixture of cinnamon, walnut and apple. This is one of my favorite combinations in sweet treats. The flavor of cinnamon couldn’t go better with another fruit! Plus, walnut gives a nice nutty flavor to this mixture. If you like this combination, you should check out this Easy Apple Pie too!
The dough of these apple cinnamon cookies is as important as the filling. It must be melting in your mouth, and you can eat as many as you like.I used all purpose flour for this recipe, but I sometimes make it with whole wheat flour and I love the brownish color more. Also, unlike the traditional one, it gets a little crispy that way and I love it too!
Traditional apple cinnamon cookies don’t have lemon zest in the dough, but I love its refreshing flavor in it. I think it complements the combination of flavors in the filling.
Below are the old pictures of the post:
Cinnamon Walnut and Apple Rolls
Cookies filled with apple, cinnamon and walnut.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
Filling:
- 3 apples, peeled and grated
- ½ cup walnut, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dough:
- 3 cups flour
- 3/4 cup wheat starch
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 125g butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar to coat cookies
Instructions
- To make the filling, heat a skillet and cook grated apple and sugar in it until it absorbs the juice.
- Add in cinnamon and walnuts and cook for a few minutes. Remove from heat.
- Let it cool.
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and put it aside.
- To make the dough, combine all the ingredients just until it holds together.
- Give it a big log shape and cut it into 10.
- Using a rolling pin, roll them out, giving a circular shape and cut into 8 equal pieces (just like slicing a pizza).
- Put some filling on the large side of these pieces, roll them up and place on the prepared sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until slightly golden and let it cool.
- Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6-7 cookies
- Calories: 396
- Sugar: 11.3g
- Sodium: 27.8mg
- Fat: 22.4g
- Carbohydrates: 44.9g
- Cholesterol: 37.1mg
I ate this once in my friend’s house in Turkey and fell in love with it, thanks for the recipe! I just made them this morning and they taste heavenly. Saw you mentioning whole wheat flour – do you also use 3 cups for it or less? I feel like trying the next time I made them
★★★★★
Hi Vivian,
Glad you like the recipe. They make perfect quick breakfast, don’t they?
I don’t remember exactly, but I guess I use the same amount of whole wheat flour. It’s always better to add the flour gradually to understand the right amount. Hope this helps.
These sure look delicious! And the best part is there are so many different (and delicious!) ways to make them that we’ll never get sick of eating them!
Hey, Zerrin!
This dough looks really tender and crumbly! Your cookies must be amazing!
Hi Makos! Thanks a lot! These are literally melting in your mouth. And the apple filling inside is like icing on the cake!
what is wheat starch?
You can use corn starch if you can’t find wheat starch.
They look yummy! What apples do you suggest?
Thank you Ceilia! You can use any sweet apples.
How much butter what temp?
Hi Cathy, thanks for asking this question! How come I forgot to write the oven degree? Bake it at 350F. And 1 stick of butter will be enough. Hope I’m not too late to reply your questions.
I love apple and those pastries. Used to have them from the bakery a lot in Istanbul…And all that powdered sugar on top! 🙂
Once it is fall-like again here, I will try your recipe. I miss it a lot!