Brown Sugar Maple Cookies

These maple brown sugar cookies are a perfect treat, especially with their crisp edges and deliciously chewy centers thanks to the the combination of brown sugar which brings all the richness and moisture plus the distinct flavor of pure maple syrup. They have just enough maple flavor for all you maple lovers out there like me. They are delicious as is but for an extra special treat I always love to add the sweet creamy maple glaze.

Brown Sugar Maple Cookies Recipe Ingredients

• BUTTER: Make sure it’s room temperature and softened so it mixes well. I used unsalted. You can easily replace it with a vegan butter to make these cookies vegan. ROOM temperature means that the butter is soft and pliable, but not runny. If you are pushing your finger into it you shoudlne be able to sink right down the bottom of the stick - just make a nice indent. If it’s runny or too soft your cookies will spread.
• SUGAR: I use brown sugar (light brown sugar or dark brown sugar) for the best flavors and texture for the batter. I prefer light brown sugar because dark brown sugar has a more pronounced molasses flavor - but you might prefer that - so use either.
• EGG: All you need is one egg for this recipe and room temperature.
• MAPLE SYRUP: I would recommend using pure maple syrup but others have loved making these just as much with aunt Jemima pancake syrup. The maple syrup is like adding molasses to cookies - creates a moist consistency in baked goods and the maple flavor is the bonus here.
• VANILLA EXTRACT: I use pure vanilla extract for best flavor.
• MAPE EXTRACT: For more pronounced maple flavor I add maple extract. Maple syrup alone doesn’t always add too much maple flavor depending on the maple syrup. So for a more intense maple flavor I would recommend not skipping the maple extract.
• CORNSTARCH: A little goes a long way - cornstarch helps make these cookies more tender.
• SPICES: Ground Cinnamon is what I like to add to the batter for a little more warm flavor. Feel free to adjust amounts to taste.
• FLOUR: Plain all purpose flour is what this recipe calls for.
• BAKING SODA & SALT: For leavening and to balance out flavours. Please ensure your baking soda is still active and not expired otherwise you will get flat cookies.
• POWDERED SUGAR: This is for the glaze.
• PECANS: I usually don’t add nuts to the actual cookie dough though you can, but I love to garnish these guys with some crushed or chopped pecans.
  
  

How to Make Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies (full instructions in recipe below)

1. Brown or melt the butter: I love to brown the butter for better flavor but it is optional. Either way ensure your melted or brown butter is cooled before adding the rest of the ingredients to it.
2. Make cookie dough: Whisk the sugars, maple syrup, egg and extracts into the butter. Followed by the dry ingredients until just combined.
3. Chill Dough: Wrap bowl in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to allow cookie dough to chill for 1-2 hours in the fridge or 20 min in the freezer.
4. Scoop & Bake: Use a cookie scoop to scoop out dough. Roll cookie dough into balls. Bake. The cookies will puff up as they bake then gently sink back down. This is what creates those little crinkles. If your cookies aren’t cracking, gently bang the cookie sheet on the counter 2-3x which will help those warm cookies spread and crack on top.
5. Cool cookies: Allow cookies to cool in pan for a few minutes then transfer them onto cooling rack with a spatula.
6. Glaze Cookies: Once cookies are cool make the glaze by whisking all the ingredients in a bowl. Either dip the tops of cookies in glaze or drizzle it over each cookie. Sprinkle cookies with chopped pecans and flaky sea salt if desired. Allow glaze to set and then enjoy!
   
   

Freezing Maple Brown Sugar Cookie Dough

• Can I freeze the cookie dough and bake it later? Yes. This dough can indeed be frozen. Scoop it into equally-sized balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, store the cookie dough balls in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
• How do I bake the cookies from frozen? Place the frozen dough balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at the same temperature. They’ll need 1-2 minutes extra to bake fully.
• What if the cookie dough is too hard to scoop after refrigerating? If your cookie dough is too firm to scoop after chilling, leave it at room temperature to warm up for 10-15 minutes. I usually find this happens after an overnight chill or longer than 3-4 hours- and I usually take it out of the fridge while I’m preheating the oven and find that that is enough time to make it scoop-able
  
  

Storing and Freezing Brown Sugar Maple Cookies

• STORAGE: Baked cookies can be stored at room temperature well sealed in an airtight container and stay nice and chewy for up to a week, making them great for gifting and shipping.
• FREEZING: Baked cookies that have been cooled can be sealed in a freezer bag, then stored in an airtight container before placing them in the freezer. Cookies will keep good frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw, leave out at room temperature for about an hour.
  
  

Tips to Make Great Cookies Every Time:

• Ensure your butter is room temperature and not too warm - ROOM temperature means that the butter is soft and pliable, but not runny. If you are pushing your finger into it you should not be able to sink right down to the bottom of the stick - just make a nice indent. If it’s runny or too soft your cookies will spread.
• Make sure all your ingredients are fresh and not expired. Use good quality ingredients
• Make sure your oven is preheated - use an oven thermometer to ensure oven is calibrated - boy does that make all the difference! Overly hot ovens can melt the butter in your cookies before the other ingredients have firmed up and cause them to spread.
• Don’t over mix the batter. Once you have a few streaks of flour left in the batter you are done mixing - switch to a spatula and scrape the edges of the bowl and fold batter 1-2 times.
• Take your time and measure your ingredients correctly - I always use standard Anchor Hocking Glass Measuring Cups - the ones most people have. I don’t like the scoop kinds because I have found they allow for too much variance. Too much sugar gives you flat cookies. Too much Flour creates dry cookies etc… Also when removing butter from packages make sure to scrape off any remaining butter from package - sounds irrelevant but sometimes I have scraped off up to 1 tablespoon of extra butter from the paper covering. 1 tablespoon of butter could mean a lot in a cookie recipe
• When it comes to your cookie sheet or sheet pan - make sure you are not using hot pans especially between batches. Allow them to cool completely before putting cookie dough on them. Also do NOT grease pans this will not only add more fat to the dough but allow the cookies to slide flat in essence. The same thing happens with non stick coated baking sheets. Use silicone baking mats or parchment paper only. They have enough surface texture for your cookies to grab on to so to speak (less spreading) but also prevent them from sticking
• Don’t try to bake the whole batch of cookies - at one time. Unless you have an industrial sized oven baking more than 1 tray of cookies at a time usually or almost always bakes cookies unevenly.
• If you have a hot kitchen or live in a hot climate it is essential to chill dough before scoping out and store dough in the fridge in between batches, otherwise the butter will soften in dough too much and will cause cookies to spread. I generally do this with all my cookie doughs.
  
  

More Cookies You Will Love

• Ginger Spiced Molasses Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
• Big and Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Jam Drop Shortbread Cookies (thumbprint cookies)
• Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Cookies
• Snowball Cookies
• Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies