Irresistible Soft & Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies: Your Easy Homemade Recipe
Welcome to a world of warm, comforting flavors with this incredible recipe for easy brown sugar maple cookies. Imagine sinking your teeth into a cookie that’s perfectly soft and delightfully chewy, infused with the rich, unmistakable taste of pure maple syrup and a hint of maple extract for an unparalleled aroma. Each cookie is then crowned with a silky-smooth, sweet maple glaze that truly takes this treat to the next level. This homemade recipe uses simple, accessible ingredients to create a dessert that will quickly become a family favorite, perfect for any season, and especially delightful during the cozy autumn and festive holiday months.
There’s something uniquely comforting about maple-flavored treats. These cookies embody that feeling, making them a fantastic addition to your baking repertoire. They pair wonderfully with a hot cup of coffee or tea, or as a sweet ending to any meal. If you adore the deep, warm notes of maple, you’ll also want to explore other maple-infused delights, such as Maple Fudge. Beyond personal enjoyment, these cookies are excellent for sharing and make thoughtful homemade gifts. Consider including them in your Christmas Cookie Boxes to spread joy during the holidays.
Key Ingredients for Perfect Maple Cookies
Crafting these exquisite maple cookies begins with a selection of high-quality ingredients, each playing a vital role in achieving that signature soft and chewy texture and rich maple flavor. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why:
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of our cookies. All-purpose flour provides the necessary structure, ensuring the cookies hold their shape while maintaining a tender crumb. Measuring it correctly is crucial to avoid dry, dense cookies.
- Baking Soda: This leavening agent is essential for creating a light and puffy cookie. It reacts with the acidic brown sugar, contributing to the soft, airy texture we’re aiming for.
- Salt: A pinch of salt is not just for flavor; it’s a critical balancing act. It enhances the sweetness of the sugars and maple, preventing the cookies from tasting overly saccharine and bringing out the depth of other ingredients.
- Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: A combination of both sugars yields the best results. Brown sugar, with its molasses content, is key to the cookies’ characteristic chewiness and rich, moist texture. Granulated sugar provides additional sweetness and helps with spreading.
- Salted Butter: For this specific recipe, salted butter is intentionally used. It adds a subtle savory note that beautifully cuts through the sweetness of the maple and sugars, creating a more balanced flavor profile. Ensure it’s at room temperature for optimal creaming.
- Large Egg: The egg acts as a binder, adding moisture, richness, and structure. A room-temperature egg emulsifies better with the butter and sugars, resulting in a smoother, more uniform dough.
- Pure Maple Syrup: This is the star of the show! It’s imperative to use pure maple syrup (Grade A Amber or Dark for a richer flavor) and not imitation pancake syrup. Pure maple syrup offers an authentic, deep, and complex flavor that pancake syrup simply cannot replicate.
- Maple & Vanilla Extracts: While pure maple syrup provides a wonderful base, a dash of maple extract significantly amplifies and concentrates that warm maple flavor and aroma. Vanilla extract complements maple beautifully, adding another layer of classic sweetness.
- Chopped Pecans (Optional): For those who love a bit of crunch and a nutty undertone, chopped pecans are a fantastic addition. You can adjust the quantity based on your preference for a subtly nutty or more robustly textured cookie. Walnuts can also be a good substitute.
Creative Variations to Customize Your Maple Cookies
While these brown sugar maple cookies are perfect as is, they also serve as a versatile canvas for creative variations. Feel free to experiment and tailor them to your taste preferences:
- Maple Cookie Sandwiches: Elevate the maple experience by transforming these into cookie sandwiches. Prepare my Easy Maple Frosting (4 Ingredients) and spread a generous layer between two cooled cookies for an extra decadent treat. The creamy frosting perfectly complements the soft cookie texture.
- Browned Butter Bliss: For a subtle, sophisticated nutty flavor, try browning your butter before creaming it with the sugars. This extra step adds a depth of flavor that is truly exquisite and pairs wonderfully with maple.
- Delicious Add-ins: The cookie dough is incredibly adaptable. Stir in your favorite additions for extra texture and flavor:
- White Chocolate Chips: Their creamy sweetness is a natural match for maple.
- Chopped Candy Bars: A fun way to add extra indulgence and different flavors.
- Other Nuts: Besides pecans, walnuts or even hazelnuts would be delicious.
- Dried Fruits: Dried cranberries or chopped dried apples can add a tart chewiness.
- Shredded Coconut: For a tropical twist and added texture.
- Toffee Bits: To introduce a buttery, crunchy caramel note.
- Alternative Glaze Options: The maple glaze is highly recommended for its perfect harmony with the cookies. However, if you’re looking for alternatives, consider:
- Dipping the cooled cookies in melted white chocolate for a crisp, sweet coating.
- Drizzling melted dark chocolate for a lovely contrast.
- Topping with a classic Royal Icing for a crisp finish.
- Using a simple Glace Icing or a Vanilla Powdered Sugar Glaze if you prefer less maple on top.
- A Hint of Spice: For an additional layer of warmth, add a small amount (¼ to ½ teaspoon) of ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Be careful not to overpower the delicate maple flavor. Nutmeg or a pumpkin spice blend could also work.
- Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Before baking, roll the cookie dough balls in Homemade Cinnamon Sugar. This creates a beautifully sparkling exterior and an extra layer of warm spice.
- Stuffed Cookies: Get adventurous by stuffing these cookies with your favorite centers, similar to Chocolate Rolo Cookies or Stuffed Chocolate Caramel Cookies. A small caramel chew or a cube of cream cheese can create a delightful surprise.
- Festive Sprinkles: For a pop of color and a celebratory touch, add various sprinkles to the warm, freshly glazed cookies before the glaze sets. This is especially fun for holidays or parties.
How to Make Easy Soft and Chewy Maple Cookies From Scratch: A Step-by-Step Guide
Baking these brown sugar maple cookies is a straightforward process, resulting in a truly rewarding treat. Follow these simple steps for perfect results every time:
1. Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the room temperature salted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This step incorporates air, contributing to the cookies’ soft texture.
2. Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Add the pure maple syrup, room temperature large egg, maple extract, and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Continue mixing on medium speed until all ingredients are well combined and the mixture is smooth and uniform.
3. Add Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the all-purpose flour and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until *just* combined. Be careful not to overmix, as overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to tough cookies.
4. Scoop & Chill Dough: If desired, gently fold in chopped pecans. Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. This chilling step helps firm up the dough, making it easier to handle and preventing excessive spreading during baking. Scoop out small portions of the chilled dough and roll them into balls. For a more rustic look, simply drop spoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheet.
5. Bake to Perfection: Place the dough balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spaced appropriately. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown but the centers are still slightly soft. This ensures a wonderfully chewy cookie. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Drizzle with Maple Glaze: While the cookies are cooling, prepare the maple glaze (instructions in the recipe card below). Once the cookies have cooled completely to room temperature, generously drizzle the smooth maple glaze over them. Allow the glaze to set for about 15-20 minutes, forming a slightly soft crust. Then, enjoy your perfectly glazed, soft, and chewy maple cookies!
Expert Tips and Techniques for Flawless Maple Cookies
Achieving the perfect batch of brown sugar maple cookies involves a few key techniques and considerations. Heed these tips to ensure your cookies are consistently delicious:
- Embrace Salted Butter: Unlike many baking recipes, this one specifically calls for salted butter. This is not a mistake! The saltiness provides a beautiful counterpoint to the rich sweetness of the brown sugar and maple, creating a more balanced and complex flavor. If you only have unsalted butter, you can use it and add an extra ½ teaspoon of fine salt to the dry ingredients.
- The Power of Maple Extract: Do not be tempted to omit the maple extract. While pure maple syrup provides the authentic flavor, a small amount of extract boosts and concentrates that maple essence, delivering an incredible aroma and a more pronounced taste. It makes a significant difference in the overall experience.
- Glaze is Non-Negotiable: The maple glaze isn’t just for looks; it’s an integral part of this treat. It adds another layer of sweet maple flavor and contributes to the cookies’ overall moistness and appeal. Don’t skip it if you want the full experience!
- Homemade Brown Sugar in a Pinch: If you find yourself without brown sugar, don’t fret! You can easily make your own Homemade Brown Sugar by mixing granulated sugar with a small amount of molasses.
- Soften Hard Brown Sugar: Is your brown sugar hard as a rock? Learn How to Soften Brown Sugar quickly with simple methods like adding a slice of bread or a terra cotta disk to the container.
- Quality Maple Syrup Matters: Always use pure, high-quality maple syrup for this recipe. Pancake syrup is typically made from corn syrup and artificial flavors and lacks the nuanced depth and rich aroma of real maple syrup. The difference in taste is profound.
- Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: Ensure your butter and egg are at room temperature. This allows them to cream together smoothly and evenly, creating a uniform batter and a better texture in your finished cookies. Cold ingredients can lead to a lumpy mixture and a tougher cookie.
- Cool Before Glazing: Patience is a virtue when it comes to glazing. Allow your cookies to cool completely to room temperature before applying the glaze. Drizzling glaze on warm cookies will cause it to melt and run, resulting in a sticky, messy outcome rather than a beautiful, set crust.
- Sift Powdered Sugar: For a flawlessly smooth and lump-free glaze, always sift your powdered sugar. This removes any small clumps and ensures a silky consistency that drizzles beautifully.
- Parchment Paper for Easy Release: Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This prevents the cookies from sticking, ensures even baking, and makes cleanup incredibly easy. Plus, it helps maintain the perfect shape of your cookies.
- Don’t Overmix the Dough: Once you add the flour, mix until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten, which can lead to tough, dense cookies instead of the desired soft and chewy texture.
- Bake Just Until Set: Keep a close eye on your cookies in the oven. Bake them until the edges are golden, but the centers still look slightly soft or underbaked. They will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet, ensuring that coveted chewy texture. Overbaking is the quickest way to dry, crumbly cookies.
Recipe FAQs: Your Maple Cookie Questions Answered
Here are some frequently asked questions to help you bake the best brown sugar maple cookies:
It is highly recommended not to omit the maple extract. While pure maple syrup provides the base flavor, the extract is what gives these cookies their truly distinctive and rich maple aroma and intense flavor. Without it, the maple notes would be significantly milder, and the cookies might taste somewhat bland.
Cookies often turn out dry and crumbly due to several common issues: over-baking (baking them for too long will dry out the moisture), adding too much flour (always measure accurately, preferably by weight), insufficient liquid in the dough, or overmixing the dough (which can develop gluten and lead to a tough, dry texture). Ensure you measure ingredients correctly and bake just until the edges are golden.
Cookies spreading excessively can be caused by too much liquid (like butter or maple syrup) in the dough, or not chilling the dough adequately before baking. Chilling helps to firm up the butter, preventing rapid spreading in a hot oven. Using ingredients that are too warm can also contribute to spreading. Ensure your butter isn’t too soft and always chill the dough as recommended.
No, pancake syrup is not a suitable substitute for pure maple syrup in this recipe. Pancake syrup is typically made from corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavorings, lacking the complex, deep, and authentic flavor profile of pure maple syrup. Using it will result in cookies that taste entirely different and often less appealing.
Yes, you can absolutely freeze the cookie dough! Scoop the dough into balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, then transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight freezer bag or container for up to 2-3 months. When ready to bake, you can bake them directly from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.
Storage Guidelines for Freshness
To keep your brown sugar maple cookies as delicious as possible, proper storage is key:
- Room Temperature: Once the glaze has fully set, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Placing a slice of bread in the container can help keep them soft.
- Refrigerate: For extended freshness, place the glazed cookies in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Bring them to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
- Freezing (Unglazed): These cookies are best frozen without the glaze. Arrange unglazed, cooled cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container or bag, separating layers with parchment paper, for up to 1 month. Thaw to room temperature, then prepare and add the fresh maple glaze before serving.
- Make Ahead: This recipe is perfect for making ahead. The dough can be prepared and chilled for up to 2 days in the refrigerator before baking. Once baked, the unglazed cookies can be stored for several days, ready for glazing just before serving.
More Homemade Cookie Recipes to Love
If you enjoyed baking these soft and chewy maple cookies, you might also like to try some of these other delightful homemade cookie recipes:
- Small Batch of Sugar Cookies
- Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Soft and Chewy)
- Classic No Bake Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Gooey Butter Cookies
Recipe
Easy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies (Soft and Chewy)
Abeer Rizvi
Pin Recipe
10 minutes
10 minutes
20 minutes
Dessert
American
18
Cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter Salted, Room temperature
- ¾ cup Brown sugar Coconut sugar also works well as a substitute
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup Maple syrup Not the same as pancake syrup
- 1 Egg Large, Room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Maple extract
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼-⅓ cup Chopped pecans I didn’t want them too nutty and only added ¼ cup but you can add more as per your preference
Maple glaze
- 2 tablespoons Butter Salted, Melted
- ⅓ cup Maple syrup Heat in the microwave to make it warm but not boiling hot
- 1 cup Powdered sugar Sifted
- ½ teaspoon Maple extract
Instructions
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In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add maple syrup, egg, maple extract, vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
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Add flour and baking soda and mix until just combined.
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Optional: Stir in chopped pecans (if you like) until evenly distributed.
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Cover and chill dough in fridge for 15 minutes to make it easier to handle.
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Scoop out small portions of the dough and roll into balls.
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Place them on a baking tray, lined with parchment paper. Please note that if you want a more rustic appearance, don’t roll into smooth balls and just drop them onto the lined tray.
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Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are golden brown along the edges but still slightly soft in the center.
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Remove from oven and let them cool to temperature.
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While the cookies are baking and cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small mixing bowl, add melted butter, warm maple syrup, powdered sugar, maple extract and whisk everything together until you have a smooth consistency.
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Drizzle this glaze on top of your room temperature cookies and let it set. The glaze forms a slightly soft crust takes about 15-20 minutes. Enjoy.
Notes
- This is one of the few times that I will ever tell you to actually use salted butter instead of unsalted butter.
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature so they blend well.
- Be sure to line your pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Don’t omit maple extract. It adds aroma and flavor that is not possible to achieve with just maple syrup alone.
- Maple syrup is not the same as pancake syrup and cannot be used interchangeably.
- Allow the cookies to cool fully before you drizzle them with the glaze or else you will end up with a sticky mess.
- Turn these into cookie sandwiches by filling two cookies with frosting.
- Don’t over mix the dough or else you will end up with very tough cookies.
- Sift powdered sugar for the glaze because it removes any lumps and creates the smoothest consistency.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a cookie jar at room temperature for up to 3 days.
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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