These maples cookies are soft, chewy and irresistible with nutty brown butter, brown sugar and maple flavor. Topped with a maple glaze, they disappear at holiday parties!
Why You’ll Love Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
- Extraordinarily good: These maple cookies are full of brown sugar-y and nutty browned butter flavor like brown sugar cookies but with added pure maple syrup!
- Crowd-pleasing: While gingersnaps and oatmeal cookies are great at Christmas, these maple-glazed maple cookies really stand out on the holiday cookie tray.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Butter: You will need unsalted butter for the maple cookies. Remember to soften butter to room temperature for the best results.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup (either Grade A or Grade B) should be used, not artificial pancake syrup.
- Extracts: Vanilla extract and maple extract add so much flavor to the maple cookies.
- Baking staples: Egg, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, all-purpose flour and salt.
- Maple glaze: Salted butter, powdered sugar and maple syrup. A pinch of salt helps balance the sweeter cookie and glaze.
Maple Cookies Mix-ins
If you love to customize your cookie recipes, here a few favorite add-ins to consider for these maple cookies:
- Chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts or almonds for crunch
- Toffee bits give these a fall cookie vibe
- White chocolate chips add a pretty pop of white color
- Dried cranberries or raisins add some chewy texture
- Roll cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar before baking
How to Make Maple Cookies
Brown butter then let chill to room temperature. In a large bowl, combine the remaining softened butter, brown sugar and maple syrup and mix until smooth and creamy. Add in the melted brown butter and stir then last mix in the egg and both extracts.
To the wet ingredients, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Fold in the optional the pecans if using.
Using a medium sized cookie scoop place dough balls 3 inches apart on prepared parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 9-10 minutes. Cool maple sugar cookies completely before whisking glaze ingredients together and drizzling on top of cookies.
Recipe Tips
- Maple extract: I get asked all the time, if you really need the maple extract. Yes. It’s the best way to intensify the maple flavor. Maple syrup only adds a subtle flavor.
- Avoid dry dense cookies: Too much flour leads to dry cookies. Learn how to measure flour without a scale by using the scoop and level method.
- Chill the dough: While you can bake these maple cookies immediately, chilling them first will solidify the butter so they don’t spread while baking.
- Make ahead: You can make the cookie dough ahead up to 3 days in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready to scoop and bake.
Storing and Freezing
- Store: Once cookies have cooled completely and the glaze has set, store maple brown sugar cookies in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Freezing baked cookies: To freeze baked maple cookies, I prefer to do so without the glaze. Cool completely then store in a freezer safe bag or container up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature than add the glaze.
- Freezing unbaked cookie dough: Scoop cookies into dough balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flash freeze then once frozen transfer to a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw while the oven preheats then bake as directed adding a minute or two to the baking time if needed.
Learn more about how to freeze cookie dough and bake from frozen!
More cookie recipes to try include thumbprint cookies, spice cake mix cookies and pumpkin cookies with caramel icing.
More Fall Cookie Recipes
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Maple Cookies
Video
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¾ cup unsalted butter , softened (1 1/2 sticks, divided)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans , optional
Maple Glaze
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- pinch salt
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat and prepare: Preheat oven to 350° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Brown 1 stick of butter: Melt 1 stick of the butter in a pan over medium-heat. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, swirling the pan every so often. Allow the butter to brown (when it turns an amber golden color and has a nutty aroma, it’s done). Remove from the heat and then pour into a bowl and chill for 5 minutes.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 stick softened butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup maple syrup. Mix for 1 minute, until smooth and creamy. Add in the melted brown butter and stir until combined. Mix in the egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 teaspoon maple extract.
- Add dry ingredients: Add the 2 1/3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Fold in the optional 1/2 cup of pecans.
- Scoop the dough: Use a medium sized cookie scoop, or roll the dough into rounded 2 Tablespoon sized balls and place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake 9-10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.
Maple Glaze
- Whisk glaze: Meanwhile, in a small pot over medium heat, melt the 3 Tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup maple syrup. Remove from heat and whisk in 3/4 cup powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Drizzle over warm cookies and allow to set.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
These are an instant go to cookie for me! The flavor and texture were perfect! Definitely baking this recipe every chance I get. A keeper for sure!
Made it this year as a new cookie recipe. Handed some out in a Christmas treats tray I prepared for our annual Christmas lights tour. Everyone who had one said it was amazing and wanted the recipe. I’ll definitely be making these more than just once a year! Thank you
That makes me so happy to hear! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the maple cookies!
Tasty
So happy to hear you loved the maple cookies!
These are delicious, especially love them just out of freezer.
Made them with my daughter and granddaughter.
Made up gift trays with them and other cookies.
Yum, so glad you enjoy the maple cookies! The recipients of the gift trays were very lucky!
These are so good. I made them for my neighbors who gobbled them up quickly!
So glad you enjoyed the maple cookies and could share them with friends!
How far in advance can cookies be made? I can use a timeline for baking several varieties. Thanks in advance.
Hi Kathy, maple cookies can be made in advance a few different ways. Baked cookies will stay fresh at room temperature for 4-5 days. You could also freeze baked cookies without the glaze for 3 months. Dough balls can be stored frozen for 3 months as well, bake from frozen and add glaze after baking. See storing section of the post for additional information! Enjoy!