Today it has turned into autumn here in Las Vegas and it got cold. (Cold, meaning 60ish degrees and super windy. I know, there are colder places…) This seemed like a good time to make some healthy-ish cookies. This recipe is an applesauce cookie that my husband and I first started making a long time ago, but the addition of caramel is new this year! These are very cakey cookies, which I feel is totally inappropriate for chocolate chip cookies, but completely acceptable in these or pumpkin cookies!

(There are affiliate links in this post, which means I earn a couple of pennies from Amazon if you follow the links and make any purchase on Amazon. Thanks if you do!)

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar (or erythritol)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 t. baking soda
• 2 cups flour (could also split 1 cup flour and 1 cup almond flour)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp clove
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 7-8 oz caramel chips (or caramel bits or chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Mix shortening, sugar, and eggs thoroughly.

Stir baking soda into the measured applesauce. Blend the applesauce/baking soda mix into the shortening/sugar/eggs mixture.

Add spices and flour. Mix to combine.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a cookie sheet. (Use a silicon baking sheet for best results.) Bake 8-10 minutes. Err on the lower side of that time range first. Keep an eye on them, you want them barely browned and set.

Let them sit on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Note: I’m not a food blogger or a recipe blogger. I don’t spend hours staging a photo shoot of food I make. I just felt like sharing a good cookie recipe for a fall day today.