Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cookies are a classic dessert everyone loves. These easy chocolate chip cookies from scratch are soft and chewy. Perfect for a snack or dessert!

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Check out my Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies and my Air Fryer Oatmeal Creme Pies for more dessert recipes!
These chocolate chip applesauce cookies are made with pantry staples and easy-to-follow instructions. This is a fool proof recipe that can be made less than 30 minutes! Everyone needs a go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe and this one is tried and true.
They're perfectly soft and so easy to make!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies have the perfect texture and shape.
- There’s no chilling needed!
- Loaded with warm spices for the perfect cozy cookie.
- Made with everyday ingredients that are readily available.
- These cookies are a great grab-and-go snack or dessert to keep you satisfied.
- They are perfect for any occasion and they make your house smell fantastic.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Shortening: Helps the cookies bake up taller and makes them more tender.
- Granulated Sugar: Keeps the cookies soft and moist.
- Eggs: Helps with binding and texture.
- All-Purpose Flour: Creates cookies that are tender and chewy.
- Baking Soda: Aids in helping the cookies rise.
- Ground Cloves, Nutmeg & Ground Cinnamon: Blended together, makes these cookies practically irresistible!
- Salt: All baked goods need salt, it helps balance the sweetness.
- Applesauce: For less added sugar, be sure to use unsweetened applesauce.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use just about any kind of chocolate chips you like for this recipe.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 °F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 2: In a small mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening. Add eggs and mix.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce and baking soda.
Step 5: Alternate adding applesauce mixture and dry ingredients to creamed ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.
Step 6: Using a cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Expert Tips
- Don’t over bake! In fact, when in doubt under bake. The cookies will continue to bake as they cool. Over baking is the number one cause of hard cookies.
- Be sure to measure ingredients correctly, especially the dry ingredients.
- Eggs should be at room temperature!
- Use a trigger release scoop for equal-sized cookies.
- Want your cookies to look fancier? Place a few chocolate chips on the top of the scooped cookie dough before baking.
Variations
- Add nuts to the cookies for a little crunch! Pecans are one of my favorites. Pretzels are great for crunch too!
- Drizzle cooled cookies with melted peanut butter, melted chocolate or a combination of both.
- If you like a little salty with your sweet, sprinkle each freshly baked cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Mix up the types of chips you use - butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, peppermint chips and toffee chocolate chips are all delicious.
- Feeling festive? Mix in some Funfetti sprinkles!
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Store these chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Freezing: Place the baked cookies in a freezer safe zip top bag for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes! Scoop the cookie dough and chill the dough balls until they’re semi-firm, about 1 hour. Then place the dough balls into a freezer safe container or zip top bag and store for up to 1 month in the freezer.
I use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, but if you don't have a cookie scoop you can use a tablespoon and eyeball the size as well.
Absolutely! You can keep the dough in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake, up to 24 hours.
This is usually due to having the wrong balance of ingredients causing them to spread out too much.
No, it's best to only put one sheet of cookies in the oven at a time.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
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Chocolate Chip Applesauce Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup shortening
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour sifted
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup applesauce
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 12 ounce bag chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening. Add eggs and mix.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce and baking soda.
- Alternate adding applesauce mixture and dry ingredients to creamed ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool before removing them from the baking sheet. Enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t over bake! In fact, when in doubt under bake. The cookies will continue to bake as they cool. Over baking is the number one cause of hard cookies.
- Be sure to measure ingredients correctly, especially the dry ingredients.
- Eggs should be at room temperature!
- Use a trigger release scoop for equal-sized cookies.
- Want your cookies to look fancier? Place a few chocolate chips on the top of the scooped cookie dough before baking.
- Storing: Store these chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezing: Place the baked cookies in a freezer safe zip top bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Enjoy!
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