Apple Cookies Recipe – Turkish Elmalı Kurabiye

5 from 17 votes

Soft Turkish Apple Cookies filled with grated apples, cinnamon, and walnuts, then rolled and baked until lightly browned.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Turkish

Diet: Halal, Vegetarian

Servings: cookies

Calories: 111kcal

Peel and grate the apples.
Place a pan over medium heat and add the grated apples, cinnamon, and sugar.
Cook the apples for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool while preparing the cookie dough.
Once the filling has cooled, add the finely chopped walnuts and mix well.

Preheat the fan oven to 340°F / 170°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the softened butter, baking powder, powdered sugar, yogurt, and lemon zest.
Mix gently with your fingertips until combined.
Tip the mixture onto a clean work surface and bring it together into a soft dough.
Roll the dough into a log and cut it into 5 equal pieces, about 5 oz / 140 g each. Shape each piece into a ball.
Lightly flour the work surface. Sprinkle a little flour over one dough ball and roll it into an 8-inch / 20 cm circle, about ⅕ inch / ½ cm thick.
Cut the circle into 8 equal triangles. Place 1 teaspoon of apple filling on the wide end of each triangle. Roll each triangle into a small log shape and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar while the cookies are still warm.

Use room temperature butter for the dough. Cold butter will make the dough harder to bring together, and melted butter can make it too soft and greasy.
Cook the grated apples until most of the liquid has evaporated. The filling should be soft and moist, but not watery, or it may leak out during baking.
Let the apple filling cool before adding the walnuts. This helps the walnuts keep their texture and stops them from turning soft.
Do not overwork the dough. Mix it gently with your fingertips, then bring it together on the work surface just until smooth.
Lightly flour the worktop before rolling the dough, but avoid adding too much extra flour. Too much flour can make the cookies dry.
Roll the dough to about ⅕ inch / ½ cm thick. If it is too thin, the filling may break through. If it is too thick, the cookies can feel heavy.
Do not overfill the triangles. One teaspoon of apple filling is enough for each cookie.
Bake until lightly browned. These cookies should stay fairly pale, with only a little color on the edges and bottom.
Dust the cookies with powdered sugar while they are still warm, then add a little more before serving if needed.