Soft and slightly crinkly, these melt-in-your-mouth maple brown sugar cookies are made with all brown sugar and infused with cozy maple syrup. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Warm & Cozy Maple Cookies
These maple brown sugar cookies are one of my all-time favorite cookies. In fact, I love this recipe so much that it actually inspired me to create my super popular worst chocolate chip cookies after I realized how utterly amazing maple syrup tastes in cookie dough!
So warm, so cozy, and deliriously soft and chewy, these cookies are perfect fall or winter cookies and absolutely belong next to a glass of milk for Santa on Christmas Eve!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy! No mixer needed, since we are starting with melted butter. Unfortunately this means we will have to chill the dough, but I promise these cookies are worth the wait!
- Soft, tender texture thanks to a few carefully selected ingredients (two types of brown sugar, cornstarch, melted butter) and my favorite cookie baking technique. They nearly melt in your mouth!
- Prominent, but not overpowering maple flavor. It adds a cozy and familiar taste that makes these cookies perfect for cooler weather, just like my brown butter blondies.
- The dough can be made in advance or even frozen, making this recipe perfect for holiday cookie baking! If you need more inspiration for Christmas cookies, check out my 12 days of cookies email series.
Ingredients
- Maple syrup. I’ve made these cookies many times using both pure maple syrup and plain old Aunt Jemima, and I like them both ways. Pancake syrup has a more prominent, more fragrant flavor, and it is far less expensive. But the cookies still taste wonderful with pure maple syrup (and we’ll be enhancing the flavor with some maple extract anyway!).
- Brown sugar. I recommend a blend of dark and light brown sugar. If you only have one on hand, use only light brown (all dark brown would be too sweet). Note that the only granulated sugar we are using today will be for rolling the cookies before they bake.
- Melted butter. Starting with melted butter means our cookies will have a more buttery flavor AND we won’t need to use a mixer (just like my chocolate snickerdoodles!). Make sure to let your butter cool down after melting; adding the sugars when the butter is too warm can create a greasy, unusable cookie dough.
- Cornstarch. I love using cornstarch to make chewy cookies! It thickens the dough without making it cakey (like flour would). I use this in so many of my cookie recipes, from my apple pie cookies to my pecan sandies.
- Maple extract. We’ll amp up the maple flavor even more with some maple extract.
SAM’S TIP: Make sure your egg comes to room temperature before you add it. Adding a cold egg to the otherwise room temperature dough could shock it. If you forget, pop your egg in warm water for 15 minutes or so to warm it up before drying it off and cracking it in the dough.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
Make the dough
Melt the butter, then let it cool to the touch before stirring in your sugars and maple syrup. Do not rush this step, or you could melt your sugars and create a super greasy, unusable cookie dough!
Stir in your egg and extracts, then set aside while you combine your dry ingredients.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in 3-4 parts. This helps keep the dough manageable and allows the dry ingredients to fully absorb.
Cover and chill
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the dough in the fridge for at least an hour or up to five days. If you pull your dough out of the fridge and it still seems too soft, you can bake a test cookie to see how much it spreads. If it spread too much, pop your dough back in the fridge a little longer.
Roll and bake
Scoop and roll the dough into 2-tablespoon balls. Roll through granulated sugar before baking on parchment lined sheets until the edges are light golden brown. The centers will still look underdone, and that’s totally fine! We’ll let the cookies finish baking on the hot sheets outside the oven for soft and chewy results.
SAM’S TIP: If you don’t feel like rolling your cookies, you can drop them directly onto the baking sheet and sprinkle the tops with sugar instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can add up to 1 cup of chopped nuts (toasted pecans would be tasty!) to the dough right before chilling. Note that when you add nuts to a cookie dough, the cookies often don’t spread as much. If your first tray stays a bit more ball-shaped than you’d like, just lightly flatten the rest of the cookies before baking.
You will want to freeze it after chilling, and I recommend rolling the cookies into balls before you do so. I provide detailed instructions on how to do this with this recipe and pretty much every other cookie recipe in my post on how to freeze cookie dough.
Sure! You can either swap the granulated sugar coating for cinnamon sugar, or you can add your spices to the dough. If you choose the second option, I would start with ½ teaspoon and go from there.
If you try these cookies, please leave me a review below to let me know how you like them. I really appreciate it!
Enjoy!
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Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 ½ cup (300 g) brown sugar tightly packed
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (pure or faux — I honestly prefer Aunt Jemima!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 1 large egg (room temperature & lightly beaten.)
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Granulated sugar for rolling or sprinkling
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Melt butter in large, microwave-safe bowl and allow to cool completely.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- Stir in brown sugar and maple syrup until completely combined.1 ½ cup (300 g) brown sugar, ⅓ cup maple syrup
- Stir in vanilla extract and maple extract.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon maple extract
- Add egg and stir until well-combined.1 large egg
- In separate, medium-sized bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Gradually (about ¼ of the mixture at a time), add the flour mix to the butter mixture and stir until completely combined.
- Chill in refrigerator for at least one hour (may chill longer, up to 5 days).
- Once dough is about 30 minutes from being ready, preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once dough has chilled, scoop into 2-Tablespoon (45g) sized scoops. Roll in or sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar and bake for 10-12 minutes.Granulated sugar for rolling or sprinkling
- Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet. Do not put dough for following batches on hot cookie sheets, cookie sheets should always be room temperature or colder.
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Originally posted 11/18/15 — Updated 12/23/16 and again December 2024
Megan
First batch out of oven and cooling and OMG is the smell amazing!! I believe this is the fourth or so recipe I have made from this site and once again another winner! Thanks for posting such great easy recipes. I’ve always had a knack for baking but it would be in on and off spurts. I haven’t consistently stuck with it. In the last 3 weeks, it’s usually once or twice a week I am making something for family, friends, co-workers and all of it is going over really well. I figure if going to eat something sweet, at least have it homemade so know what’s in it without additional additives, sweetners, colorings, etc.,. Plus enjoy giving others home baked goods so I am really happy to have stumbled across this site when I Google searched simple oatmeal cookies. Once I saw how simple those were, I started going through other recipes and it’s been baking enjoyment ever since! I’ve been meaning to do the snickerdoodle cookie ever since I did the oatmeal, but then I keep seeing other things that grab my attention and so far have not yet made those even though they are my favorite cookie (maybe that’s a good thing though because I may not be able to share! LOL). 🙂
Sam
I’m so happy to hear they were such a hit, Megan!! I’m so glad to hear you have been enjoying the recipes, hopefully you like the Snickerdoodles just as much!! 🙂
Lea
I made these today – they turned out perfectly. I only had maple syrup, and I don’t think they taste very maple-y, but still moist and delicious.
My 2nd batch did have a greasy bottom, but the dough was sitting on the counter so had warmed up. The first batch made straight from the fridge had no problems.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them! ☺️
Marie
Sam, my cookies came out slightly greasy on the bottom. Otherwise they were delicious. I used very soft butter rather than melted but I actually thought not melting it might make them less greasy. Any thoughts?
Sam
Hi Marie! Hmm, I don’t think the soft butter would have caused this. Maybe just adding a pinch more flour could have fixed it?
Nichola Shackleton
Hey. Just made these, soo tasty thank you! I think I made mine too big as they didn’t flatten all the way and I got 30 out of the recipe. But I think it worked well as the edges are crunchy and the middle is chewy. Taking these to a family gathering today, I’m sure they will go down well.
Thanks
Nichola
Cathy
These cookies are delicious! I was looking for a maple cookie recipe for a small dinner gathering we were having and I thought I would give this one a try. Everyone loved them! I was short on time, so I froze them for 15 mins instead of refrigerating for 30-60 mins. Perfect consistency! I also added half a bag of Ghiradelli caramel chips because I had them 🙂 Big, big hit! My husband has already asked if we can have them again! Thanks for a great recipe!
Jade
I’m making these cookies right now and although I see both baking powder and baking soda on the ingredients list, I only see baking soda in the directions. I added the baking powder to the flour etc in that step, but I’m wondering if I just missed it or what. Possibly that is why someone else had a problem with them falling flat?
Sam
You might be right, thank you so much for pointing that out to me! I just corrected the recipe, I hope you loved the cookies!
Monica
Would these work if you roll the dough out and use bear cookie cutters to make little bears? Sorry if it is a dumb question, I don’t know a whole lot about baking.
Sam
Hi Monica! Unfortunately this dough isn’t any good for rolling, they would spread too much. Sorry about that, but not a dumb question!
Jessica Poth
I just made these cookies tonight. Actually the last six are in the oven as I type. This is probably the first review I have ever left on a recipe, but I couldn’t resist. I’ve been rehearsing in my head for the last 1/2 hour what to say. These cookies are unbelievable! My husband loves anything maple so I had to try. These came out absolutely perfect. My 10 year old gave up having turtle pie for desert just so he could have a 2nd cookie. I’ve truly NEVER had cookies come out so soft and melt in your mouth good as these did. I’m actually fighting with my own conscience to have a 2nd myself. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! Oh and I used the real maple syrup and 1tsp maple extract.
Sam
I am so happy that you enjoyed them so much!! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how you liked them, and can I say that I am HONORED to be the recipient of your first review!!!!! 🙂
Sejohnson
Haven’t tried them yet, but I make about 500 dozen cookies in late fall/Early Christmas. Obviously, some of them are frozen ahead of time. Sometimes the dough is frozen; sometimes the finished cookie. Do you have any recommendations about how this recipe would work with that in mind? Keep sharing those great recipes!
Sam
I haven’t tried freezing these cookies once they’re baked, but I think freezing the dough would be just fine! You will still need to chill it in the refrigerator the recommended time, then I would scoop it into balls and then freeze those. Wrap them tightly in cling wrap and then store the wrapped balls in a freezer bag or airtight container, they should keep just fine for a few months (about 3). Enjoy!
Candace Atkins
Another winner, Samantha. Such an easy recipe for fabulous cookies. To gild the lily, I added a half-teaspoon of maple extract, and when the cookies came out of the oven, I pressed two toasted pecan halves on top of each. These babies are going to be entered in our county fair! Thanks again.
Sam
This makes me so happy to hear, Candace!! I am so glad that you loved the cookies, the pecans on top sound like the perfect touch — I hope you win at the fair!!! <3
Mya
Hi Sam! I recently discovered your blog because I Googled Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies after having some at a cookie exchange. I think your recipe is now my favorite go to Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe! With that said, I made these (Maple Brown Sugar Cookies) today because you said they’re great on cold days and are cozy. You were right! The maple, butter an brown sugar flavors work so well together,while still being distinct somehow. I haven’t been this impressed with a new cookie recipe in a very long time. I never bother melting butter because it takes longer to have it solidify again and then even longer to put the mixed (but not baked) batter back into the fridge because ittends to be stickier, however I noticed a lot of your recipes call for that. Is there a difference between simply using softened butter and skipping those steps verses melting? Thanks again for sharing these amazing recipes! I’m really picky and so far, am a big fan. (This is also the first time I have commented on a food blog since I’ve started loving cooking and baking about 19 years ago!)
Sam
Hi Mya!
I am so thrilled that you have enjoyed the cookies and especially honored that you are commenting on my blog!! 🙂
To answer your question about the butter:
I totally feel your pain about the butter taking a while to cool & the necessity of chilling the dough. However, I prefer to melt the butter because I’ve found that it always leads to chewier cookies with a richer (and butterier) flavor.
You could probably get away with just using softened butter, but your cookies would be less chewy, perhaps a bit drier, and they wouldn’t have the same rich taste as a cookie made with melted butter.
By melting the butter, every last bit of the dough is infused with flavor in a way that softened butter just can’t manage, and for that reason in most of my recipes, it is my preferred choice.
There’s also some science behind the chemical differences in creaming and melting the butter, too — creaming the butter and sugar together creates air pockets which gives the cookies a little bit of a lift while they bake, while the melted butter doesn’t provide that rise, leaving you with denser, chewier (and in my humble opinion — more delicious) cookies.
I hope this helps explain why I use melted butter in my recipes, but I’m definitely happy to discuss further if you have any more questions! 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sara
Yum
puja
Mmmm, I love these cookies. These cookies look and sound absolutely perfect for this holiday season Sam. 🙂
Kristiba
Approximately how many cookies does this make per batch?
Sam
You’ll get about 40 cookies 🙂
lauren
The taste of them is good, however I had some issues with the dough not cooking correctly. I followed the recipe exactly and chilled it as directed. It made more than enough to trial different tempatures, sizes of dough, etc. mine never even began to flatten or spread out. How I put them on the sheet was the shape they cooked and stayed at. Although tasty, they look weird and are almost biscuit like.
Sam
Very odd, I haven’t experienced that and I can’t say for sure what might have caused it, unless possibly the flour was over-measured? Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Jen
I just made these and had a similar experience, in that mine only flattened out partly – not as much as the ones in your photo. They were still delicious, however! I will definitely make these again.