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.
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!
Plus, this recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
These Maple Brown Sugar Cookies Are:
- Brown sugared and buttery
- Unbelievably chewy and soft in the center—not cakey
- 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 the touch and not overly soft and greasy.
- Dark Brown Sugar: For optimal flavor and texture, reach for brown sugar. 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. You can use it in maple pecan snickerdoodles, maple walnut tassies, and maple bacon doughnuts, too!
- 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, or 35g.
- Bake until the edges are set. Cookies are done in about 12–13 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. We found it to be the perfect finishing touch on these pumpkin crumb cake cookies. Some ideas: on banana scones, pumpkin scones, and apple cinnamon 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 Fall 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
- Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 50 minutes
- Yield: 28-30 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With big maple flavor, crisp edges, mega chewy centers, and crunchy pecans, 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. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/3 cups (292g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 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 (113g/80ml) pure maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract*
- 1 cup (120g) chopped pecans*
Maple Icing
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (113g/80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar*
- pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Make the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high speed 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, about 1 minute. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Add the pecans and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Dough will be creamy and soft.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (and up to 3 days).
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) If the dough has chilled for longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping the cookies.
- Scoop and roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of dough per cookie. Arrange the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 12–13 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and set but the centers still look very soft. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the maple syrup, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar and salt. Taste. Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour. Store cookies covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator 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 light brown sugar instead if needed.
- Maple Syrup: Avoid syrup labeled “breakfast syrup” or “pancake 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 brand maple extract. You can find it in the baking aisle or online.
- Pecans: The pecans are optional, but add wonderful flavor and texture. I use unsalted, unroasted pecans, but feel free to use salted roasted pecans or toast the pecans before using, if desired. You can also substitute 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Could I add bacon? And if so, add it to the dough before chilling? Or after? Or just add to tops after glazing?
Hi Roxanne, we haven’t tried adding chopped and cooked pieces to the dough, but you can definitely give it a try. Or simply sprinkle them on top after you add the icing. Sounds delicious!
These have become my favorite cookie! We make our own maple syrup, i love finding another recipe to use it in.
Im in Australia and have followed Sally’s baking for quite some time.
I made these cookies thinking Id never been steered wrong. I measure in grams so there no room for error. I followed this one to the letter and they were way too crispy. I put it down to oven. Ive always used a fan forced oven (no option to turn of) and later realised the recipe instructions didnt factor that in.
I took the cookies to work and they were loved anyway but I’ll have to readjust to cooking time next time around.
Would you have any recommendations for baking this particular recipe at 6500 feet of elevation? Thank you
Hi Carrie Lynn, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Can these be made into bars possibly?
Hi Dawn, We recommend a 9×9 inch baking pan for cookie bars. 350F, but we’re unsure of the bake time. You can use a toothpick to test the center for doneness. If it comes out clean, they’re done. Enjoy!
I made these cookies yesterday. They turned out uniform and the icing was easy to work with. But as I was putting the dry ingredients together my thought was that one teaspoon of baking SODA seemed like an awful lot. Sure enough, it was. The result was a very bitter cookie. And, despite using 2/3 cup of real maple syrup and a teaspoon of maple flavoring, these cookies tasted only slightly maple. The icing was okay, but the cookie was a flop. My suggestions are: Take away the vanilla and add Two teaspoons of maple extract. As far as leavening, either 1/4 tsp baking soda or use baking powder.
These are not cheap to make, so getting it correct would be helpful.
I also feel like the baking soda is a bit much as there was a weird taste in the cookies after, plus they came out on the cakier side rather than chewy. I measured everything to the T so I’m not sure why could have gone wrong.
The maple flavour was also not that pronounced.
Is there something you recommend to replace nuts? Would raisins work?
Hi Martha, You could definitely try raisins here instead of nuts. They’d be tasty with toffee bits, the Heath brand called “bits o brickle” sold with chocolate chips in the baking aisle. Or white chocolate chips would be great, too.
My cookies came out a little bit cakey, any advice to fix this? I spooned the flour into my measuring cups. I’m not sure what I did wrong
Hi Kami, if the cookies were a bit cakey it’s possible there was slightly too much flour. Be sure to spoon and level your flour (or weigh!) and not scoop it. If you have been doing that, you can try reducing the flour by a tablespoon or two if you try this recipe again.
The are the BEST most delicious decadent cookies I and my family have ever enjoyed!
Reminds me of a chewy ginger snap with a less assertive flavor. So delicious.
Wonderfulness! I’ve made several times and they are a hit!
If I bake and frost ahead of time, will they freeze ok with the frosting on them?
You bet! Baked cookies, with or without icing, freeze well for up to 3 months.
I have made these cookies for the Hospice workers, and they were well received, but I just made them for an Easter brunch and everyone raved about them. The best comment was from an eleven-year-old boy who declared them “Heaven Cookies”.
My husband and son really enjoyed these. Thanks for another great recipe!
Okay these are so good. I didn’t have maple extract, so I don’t know what they taste like with that. But omg…. I am going to save this recipe because these cookies are good.
These are my favourite maple cookies ever! So tasty and dangerous as I want to eat the whole batch.
Can this cookie be made into a bar?
Hi Karen, We recommend a 9×9 inch baking pan for cookie bars. 350F, but we’re unsure of the bake time. You can use a toothpick to test the center for doneness. If it comes out clean, they’re done. Enjoy!
These cookies are terrific. I’ve never written a review of a recipe that I’ve change because I think it’s unfair to the chef to review something that isn’t true to the recipe. But I wanted to share my changes and an explanation as to why I tweaked it. I am at the end of sugaring season in Michigan. I am a very small producer and I only make maple syrup for personal use and gifts. I always try a new recipe that will allow my harvest to shine. This year I made maple syrup and for the first time, maple sugar. So I was really excited to try your recipe with a few adjustments. First I substituted 1/2 of the brown sugar for fine maple sugar and omitted the maple extract. I also rolled the cookies in my course maple sugar instead of making an icing. The results were amazing. I am sure I’ll make your cookie in the future as written when I’ve run out of maple sugar, but until then, I want to thank for a fabulous recipe.
I have a few pounds of maple sugar (and my friends and family love the original recipe) – so I’d like to try your changes BUT wonder if you’ve tested any other variations?
Thanks if you have any info to share.
I just did this! Did about 2/3 dark brown sugar to 1/3 maple sugar. Turned out great.
I made these yesterday. Not sure what happened, but they did not flatten while baking. Came out almost like they went in, little balls. Followed the recipe exactly. Chilled overnight and left on counter until it reached room temp. I needed a recipe to use some of the maple syrup that my husband is making. I may try again.
Hi Janet, how are you measuring your flour? Are you spooning and leveling it? Usually cookies do not spread when there is too much flour (or dry ingredients in total). Spoon and level your flour, or weigh it, or you can slightly reduce the flour by 2 Tbsp.
Made these for the second time today because I thought I must have done something wrong the first time. They are delicious, but my dough is not smooth and creamy, but crumbly. Yes, I do refrigerate the dough for 2 hours before forming into balls and baking.
These are some of my all time favorites! I’ve tried making them without the pecans (just because I’m curious lol) but every time I do, they over spread. I’m not changing anything with the recipe either because I will just make a double batch and then separate it and put pecans in half – and the ones with pecans always bake up perfectly. I weigh my ingredients so I don’t think it’s that. I’m concerned if I add more flour they will become dry. Any suggestions?
Hi Rebekah! The pecans offer some structure to the cookies, and they can definitely spread more without them. You can try adding a little more flour to see if that helps.
Can I use browned butter for this recipe?
Hi Maha, you can use the same amount of brown butter. Make sure it is softened to room temperature for the cookies so that it can be creamed with the brown sugar.
Doctors put me on a vegan diet…
I have loved these cookies for a long time…
Now…can I make these cookies with vegan butter
thankyou for a perfect cookie.
Hi Audrea, we haven’t tested these cookies with vegan butter, but let us know if you do.
Made these and was so delighted with them. Probably one of the best I have ever made over 40 years of baking!. So flavorful. Everyone loved them. They were the first to go and folks asked me to make another batch. Definitely make again. They are now the new family favorite. You won’t be disappointed. Well worth making
I made these as a gift, and someone said they were the best cookie they’ve ever had! definitely keeping this recipe forever.
Hi! I love your recipe but I find that cookies that us measuring cups don’t always turn out exactly right. Would you ever consider giving an option of using the metric system for ingredients?
Hi Brooke, We test all of our recipes multiple times using both metric weights and cups (since that’s standard where we live). You can find both measurements in the recipe card. Hope this helps!
An absolute fave in my house. Absolutely perfect. I’ve been making this recipe for a couple years now. The icing does set so quickly. You have to work fast when drizzling. Thanks Sally for the best cookie recipe.
Chewy, decadent! New family favorite!
Chewy, decadent! New family favorite!
This recipe has earned it’s place of honor in my personal recipe file. Which means I don’t share the recipe! But I certainly bring them to every family event by request. Young and old love these
I just made these. Pecans and chocolate chips. Better than your chocolate chip cookie recipes on here to be honest. Personal preference. These are amazing!!
Forgot to leave 5 stars!