In a heatproof bowl add the butter. Set it in the microwave for 1 minute to almost fully melt it.

Add the sugars and whisk for 30 seconds. Add the soda, spices, salt and vanilla and whisk well.

Crack in the egg and whisk for a good 60 seconds, until the egg is well blended in and the mix looks shiny.

Set the apples in a food processor and grind into a powder.

Add the flour and ground apples and use a rubber spatula to stir until well-mixed.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two greased baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop the dough in 2 tablespoons apiece, roll them between your palms to smooth the tops and set them on the baking sheet so they are 2 inches apart all around.

If you’d like to top them with the spiced sugar: combine ⅓ cup granulated sugar (organic is great here because of its bigger granules) with 1 tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp nutmeg and allspice.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, and they’ve puffed up into domes and cracked in the oven. When they come out of the oven, immediately use the bottom of a measuring cup to press them down.

If you will be glazing the cookies, wait until they are completely cool before you make and dip them in the glaze. Glaze instructions above the recipe in the section titled “options for topping the cookies”.