With big flavor, crisp edges, and mega chewy centers, these maple brown sugar cookies are a definite favorite. Top with maple icing for the ultimate fall cookie! Chilling the cookie dough is imperative, so set aside 2 hours or prepare the cookie dough the day before.
We’re approaching a new season, so a new cookie recipe is in order. 🙂
I may say this a lot, but nothing has been truer than in this very moment… (dramatic? who me?) … these maple brown sugar cookies are the best cookies I’ve ever made. And that statement holds big weight considering I authored an entire cookbook of JUST cookies.
Maple brown sugar cookies > every other cookie.
I know a good one when I bite it!
These Maple Brown Sugar Cookies Are:
- Not cakey
- Brown sugared and buttery
- Unbelievably chewy and soft in the center
- Crisp on the edges
- Filled with pure maple syrup
- Topped with luscious maple icing
The maple icing sets, so these are perfect for stacking and transporting. Because, trust me, you’ll want to bring these everywhere you go. Football game? Bring them. Party? Bring them. Bake sale? Sell them. No occasion at all? Make them.
Video Tutorial
10 Ingredients in Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
We use most of these in maple pecan snickerdoodles, too!
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the structure of the cookie. I played around with different amounts. 2 and 1/4 cups wasn’t enough and 2 and 1/2 cups was too much. 2 and 1/3 cups was the perfect amount to hold up to the liquid maple syrup.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda provides lift.
- Salt: Salt balances the flavor.
- Butter: 1 stick (1/2 cup) is plenty for the maple cookies and be sure you use room temperature butter. It should be cool to touch and not melted in the slightest.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Ditch basic white sugar. For optimal flavor and texture, reach for brown sugar instead. I recommend dark brown sugar for extra flavor, but light brown sugar works too.
- Egg: 1 egg provides structure, stability, and richness.
- Pure Maple Syrup: We can’t make maple cookies without pure maple syrup. Avoid “breakfast syrup” which doesn’t have the same robust maple flavor that pure syrup contains. I played around with different amounts and 1/3 cup is plenty. And, as a bonus, the pure syrup helps create slightly crisp edges.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor. Have you tried homemade vanilla extract yet?
- Maple Extract: Pure maple syrup isn’t enough to guarantee mega maple flavor. Without the crutch of maple extract, the cookies were lacking. Pure maple extract is difficult to find, so reach for imitation. I prefer McCormick brand because the flavor doesn’t taste fake.
- Pecans: Nuts are an optional ingredient, but they add awesome (and complementary!) flavor and texture. If you love these maple pecan snickerdoodles, you’ll also love pecans here.
Which Pure Maple Syrup is Best?
Grade A is good, but Grade B is darker and more flavorful because it’s produced later in the season. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either here!
How to Make Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Minimal effort, mega results. ♥
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together.
- Beat in the egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and maple extract.
- Mix dry and wet ingredients together.
- Add the pecans.
- Chill the cookie dough. This cookie dough contains an additional liquid (maple syrup), so chilling the dough is crucial. Set aside 2 hours to chill this cookie dough. Without chilling, the cookies will spread into a greasy puddle.
- Roll cookie dough into balls. Each dough ball is about 1.5 Tablespoons.
- Bake until the edges are set. Cookies are done in about 13 minutes.
Then we’ll obviously drizzle maple icing all over the tops!
That Irresistible Maple Icing!!
You only need 3 ingredients for this super easy maple icing: butter, maple syrup, and confectioners’ sugar. To avoid any lumps, sift the confectioners’ sugar. If desired, a pinch of salt adds exceptional depth of flavor. The wonderful thing about this maple icing is that it eventually sets, so these cookies aren’t sticky or difficult to store.
You have my full support to use this maple icing for anything and everything. Some ideas: banana scones and pumpkin scones, obviously.
By the way! Today’s cookies differ from the Soft Glaze Maple Cookies in Sally’s Cookie Addiction. Those are ultra cakey (think pancakes!) with moderate maple flavor. These are more similar to chewy chocolate chip cookies in terms of texture.
Loving These Cookies Too
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
- Butter Pecan Cookies
- Snickerdoodles (no cookie dough chilling!)
- Oatmeal Scotchies
- Caramel Apple Spice Thumbprints
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pecan Sugar Cookies
Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 28-30 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With big flavor, crisp edges, mega chewy centers, and maple icing, these maple brown sugar cookies are a definite favorite. Chilling the cookie dough is imperative, so set aside 2 hours or prepare the cookie dough the day before.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/3 cups (291g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar*
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract*
- 1 cup (130g) chopped pecans*
Maple Icing
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar*
- pinch salt, to taste
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and maple extract, then beat on high speed until combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until combined. Add the pecans, then beat on low speed until combined. Dough will be creamy and soft.
- Cover and chill the dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator (and up to 3 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, though, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie. This cookie scoop is helpful. Bake each batch for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
- Remove from the oven. If your warm cookies look puffy, lightly bang the pan on the counter when you remove it from the oven. That will help slightly deflate the cookies, creating lovely cracks as you see in the pictured cookies. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. Taste. Add a pinch of salt, if desired. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5. Baked cookies, with or without icing, freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Small Saucepan
- Brown Sugar: I recommend dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor, but you can use 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar instead if needed.
- Maple Syrup: Avoid “breakfast syrup” which doesn’t have the same robust maple flavor that pure syrup contains. Grade A is good, but Grade B is darker and more flavorful because it’s produced later in the season. You can’t go wrong with either in these cookies.
- Maple Extract: Pure maple syrup isn’t enough to guarantee mega maple flavor. Without the crutch of maple extract, the cookies were lacking. I use McCormick maple extract. You can find it in the baking aisle.
- Pecans: The pecans are optional, but add wonderful flavor and texture. I recommend unsalted, un-roasted pecans but feel free to use salted roasted pecans. Or feel free to leave them out or replace with chopped walnuts.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: To avoid any lumps, sift the confectioners’ sugar.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: maple brown sugar cookies
Amazing!! The texture and flavor are unlike any other. Pleasantly surprised with this cookie!! These did not last long in my house.
★★★★★
So glad you loved these cookies, Amanda!
My Lord, these are just delicious. I wish I could get the taste out of my mouth faster, though, since I can’t stop thinking about them until every last molecule of that goodness has been cleansed from my taste buds. And if I am thinking about them, I can’t think of anything else. And if I can’t think of anything else, then I am unproductive and may as well have another cookie and the whole cycle starts all over again. Thanks, Sally, for turning me into a maple brown sugar obsessed and unproductive cookie monster. (Also, I used the maple icing in place of the plain icing in your iced oatmeal cookie recipe and I have to say it was just delightful!)
★★★★★
Another great recipe! Husband and toddler devoured them. I don’t normally cook all the cookies in one go, so how can I make the icing runny again to ice freshly baked cookies?
★★★★★
Hi Charlotte, heating the glaze again should do the trick. So glad you love them!
Great flavor, but I followed the recipe perfectly (and weighed my flour) and they came out like disks – way too thin! Next time I would add more flour. Have you tested the recipe yourself using the measurements in grams? Scooping the flour (even “correctly”) results in a much different result than weighing the flour, so that may be the issue I ran into.
Hi Angelina, we test all of our recipes multiple times using both metric weights and cups. Here’s our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading for your next batch!
I weighed my flour as well, chilled as directed and had the same result. I think I’ll be doing the spoon then level technique from now on and leave the weighing for other baked goods.
I also wasn’t a huge fan of the maple extract and will cut that in half next time. They came out tasting more like caramel than maple to me.
★★★
Toast the pecans, let them cool and then chop them to add to the recipe. Really adds a lot of flavor. Awesome recipe! Very addictive. Perfectly chewy. The icing is killer (added a bit of vanilla).
★★★★★
would it ruin the cookies to replace the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour?
Hi Melinda, the cookies would end up quite dry with whole wheat flour. We recommend sticking with all purpose!
Hi, Sally! These cookies look amazing to make! In looking at one of your pictures of a bitten-into cookie…what is that INSIDE the cookie that looks glazy and moist?
I’ve seen the interior of cookies and breads with chopped candied ginger that look like that, but there is no candied ginger in your cookie recipe. Is it the maple syrup, the dark brown sugar, or perhaps a mixture of the two that give your cookie insides that hint of chewiness, moistness, and delectability??!!
Thank you!
It’s the slightly under-baked cookie on the inside. And likely the gooey/sugary goodness of the maple syrup/brown sugar and the icing seeping down, too.
Love the taste, but my cookies were flat. I chilled overnight and allowed for an hour to bring to room temperature. Any suggestions for next time?
★★★★★
Hi Bethany! Here’s all our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading for next time. Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try!
Such a great recipe for a fall cookie! Will be making again and again in my fall baking rotation! Thanks Sally!
★★★★★
Long time fan, I have yet to make one of your recipes that wasn’t delicious. these cookies though are my all time favorite! They never last long in the house and are a hit everywhere I take them.
★★★★★
So glad you loved these cookies, Erica – they’re definitely a favorite!
We have a new special cookie! I followed the directions just like Sally instructed and they turned out perfect. My husband and I both agreed they won’t last long in this house. So good and such a nice change . They are pretty and taste as good as they look!
★★★★★
We have a new special cookie! I followed the directions just like Sally said and they turned out perfect. My husband and I both said they won’t last long in this house. So good and such a nice change . They are pretty and taste as good as they look!
★★★★★
Loved the maple flavor. I would like suggestions on how to incorporate oatmeal in recipe.
★★★★★
Hi Dee, so glad you love these! We haven’t tried them with oats.
Good morning….do you feel it would be a good “extra little something” to brown the butter or would it get lost due to the flavors and richness of this awesome recipe? If yes, to brown would you make changes to the butter amount and add milk? If so, amounts? Thank you 🙂
Hi Carolyn, You could definitely use browned butter that has been chilled back to a solid state, then brought to room temperature again. Using warm or melted butter will result in greasy, flat cookies. We hope you love the cookies!
I got 22 cookies and I promise I didn’t eat one bite! I used the OXO 1.5 scoop. Next time I’m doubling this! 🙂
Tasted like a maple pecan pancake. Left a ligering taste in my mouth. Wondering if thats from the extract. Glaze didnt have a pronounced maple flavor. Its good. Not Great. Doubled the batch to share and hear others opinions “)
★★★★
These are seriously the best cookies I’ve ever had! I could have eaten them all to myself. Making them again tonight 🙂
★★★★★
Wow wow wow! These cookies taste like a maple glazed donut. Absolutely heavenly and surprisingly not overkill on the sweetness. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
This were loved by co-workers. I bake something every week, and am on Keto so I didn’t eat them but wanted to try this recipe. I have been asked repeatedly for the recipe, kudos to another win on a yummy cookie!
★★★★★
Wow, this is my new favorite cookie! Sprinkled a bit of Maldon’s salt on top of the icing, which made it that much better! The flavor of these remind me of the maple oat nut scones from Starbucks. DELISH!!!
★★★★★
what a great idea!
These are delicious! The maple flavor is amazing. They are so soft but the little bit of crunch that comes through from the pecans is perfect. Can’t wait to make them again!
★★★★★
These cookies are delicious. My husband emphatically stated they are the best cookies he’s ever tasted and promptly ate three before they’d even been iced.
★★★★★
I had to make these after Sally said they were the best cookies she ever had. I followed the recipe to the T and the cookies came out exactly like the photos. They taste nice, but definitely not the best I’ve ever had. I think they lack flavor, maybe I’ll add more maple extract and chocolate chips if I make them again.
★★★
OMG, Sally’s done it again! I made these with margerine due to dietary restrictions and they were soooo good, they tasted dairy!
Real depth of flavour. Make these TODAY! (This coming from a non-cookie person!)
★★★★★
Can I use molasses in place of the maple syrup and extract? That’s all I have with a bold flavor.
Thank you for your time.
Hi Grace, how about these molasses cookies instead? These cookies really are best with the maple syrup and maple extract for best flavor.
Thank you!
Hey sally! I loveeeeee your website I use it basically everyday after school to bake! Although, I made this recipe and it completely melted and was as thing as paper, was also super oily. It may have been the syrup even though it wasn’t the breakfast kind it was all natural. So I was wondering if there was anything specific steps that is popular that people may miss? Also do you have an app? If not you should totally make one!!!
Hi Rylee, thank you so much! If the cookies are over-spreading, try adding another 2-3 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour to your next batch. That will help soak up some of the liquid so the cookies don’t spread as much. I do not have an app for my website, but maybe someday!
My thought is that the butter might have been too warm. Or more than the amount indicated was used. I’d doublecheck both of those before adding more flour. But I’m not Sally who is the champ!
Hands down, best cookies I’ve ever made/had! I would give this 10 stars if I could. I’ll be making these for every special event from here on out, and sharing the recipe with everyone possible.
★★★★★
I just LOVE Sally! I am very much an amateur baker. I have a question: I am desiring to start my own baking company, and I use some of your recipes, as inspiration. I know how to bake from scratch.. but you have mastered the art of keeping cupcakes moist. Is it ok, to use some of your recipes in my shop.. or will I be considered fraudulent?
Hi Kierra! Thanks so much for asking. We appreciate your question about selling baked goods using Sally’s recipes. This is totally fine! We allow people to make our baked goods and sell them – we just ask when possible to include a little tag or sticker with information about where the recipe came from. Of course, we don’t have control over how things are sold but if credit can be given, we would definitely appreciate that. Hope this helps and best of luck!
Thanks so much for your response. I basically use the Vanilla cupcake recipe, as foundation and add different flavors.. because I have not found a cake that is as MOIST as hers! Thanks for the well wishes!!!
HI How do you flavor the cupcake recipie. Im just starting out also and learning as I go.
Great flavor, but a bit softer than I like. I was looking for the chewy cookie like in you description! The look pretty and will make a good presentation for company.
★★★★
We also prefer chewy – was going to make these soon. Any suggestions on how to improve texture?
These are the best maple cookie ever. I did substitute pure maple sugar for the brown sugar as I was making them to enter in our county fair. And yes, they came home with a blue ribbon.
I was going to ask about using maple sugar as I have some on hand – did you substitute it for all the brown sugar, or only part (in which case, what fraction).
SO GOOD!!! I’m saving this recipe to make again and again and again!
I kind of want to experiment with adding oatmeal to the cookie, do you think that would turn out well?
★★★★★
Hi Bethany, so glad you love these! I haven’t tried them with oats.
yes i did thst the crunch of the oatmeal is yummy but cut out some flour or will be too dry
i followed an oatmeal cookie recipe and used the brown sugar maple syrup and maple extract
My husband said these are the best cookies he has ever eaten! He doesn’t eat nuts so I subbed in dried cranberries. Thank you for a fabulous recipe!
★★★★★