Apple Pie cookies (Recipe)

A delightful way of using apples, especially if they've been sitting too long and are a bit mushy. I like to use a sweet apple for this particular recipe, but feel free to experiment with tart apples as you like. This is like an apple pie, but in cookie form. Feel free to serve them warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Here's what you'll need:
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened), plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 medium Fuji apple
1 tsp. apple bitters (available at BevMo)
1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 egg
pinch of salt

Here's what you'll do:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Peel, core and dice the apple into 1/4 inch dice
- Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small pan over medium heat until foamy and bubbly
- Add apples to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden brown, then set aside to cool
- With an electric mixer, whip 3/4 cup butter with brown sugar until it changes to a lighter color and is slightly fluffy
- Add the cooked and slightly cooled apples and apple bitters to the bowl and mix well
- Add the egg and mix well
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking power, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and pinch of salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed
- Using a medium ice cream scoop, scoop out walnut-size balls of dough and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart
- Bake for about 13 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden
- Cool and enjoy!