Apple Pie Cookies

For a while, I had been doubtful of those lavishly stuffed cookies I’d seen all over instagram. I just felt that a cookie should be a cookie, and any meddling with it (or its interior) was sinful. But then, on a particularly liberal morning, I shoved a load of stewed apples into the centre of my perfect cookie dough and the result was truly delicious. With a few extra spices added to the cookie itself, the sour and sweet from the apples made it something quite special indeed. And because the centre of the cookie stayed soft a the outer edge really crisp, it was like eating a palm-sized apple pie.

I toyed with the idea of a glaze - I wouldn’t glaze an apple pie, I told myself - and almost decided to keep them plain, but with a new-found sense of freedom I threw caution to the wind and rustled up a buttery cream cheese glaze. Paul, my chief taste tester, snaffled the lot.

As with most cookies, the dough here must be chilled in the fridge for at least three hours before baking, so please do factor that in before you get cracking.

Apple Pie Cookies - makes 12

For the cookie dough

• 64g egg (1 large)

• 128g caster sugar

• 128g light brown soft/muscovado sugar

• 1 tsp sea salt flakes (or 1/2 tsp fine salt)