Maple Cookies channel all the delicious flavors of maple donuts into a sweet, soft, and chewy cookie with crisp edges and a simple maple glaze.
Try some popular cookie recipes next: chocolate-chip cookie bars, avalanche cookies, or bakery-style coffee cake cookies next.
Maple Donut-Inspired Cookie
Few treats are more popular with my two boys than a good maple donut or maple bar. They always ask for them at the grocery store or whenever we pass a Krispy Kreme®.
Beyond their donut obsession, they also love chip-less cookies, which inspired these Brown Sugar Cookies! With strong maple flavor, no chocolate chips, and a donut-inspired glaze, I knew these cookies would be a hit.
What I didn’t expect was just how much! My boys have raved about these maple cookies for days—I’ve never seen a batch disappear so quickly!
What To Expect
These cookies taste a lot like a maple donut or maple bar and are very sweet. They are soft and chewy with slightly crispy edges, packed with rich maple flavor and topped with a glaze that’s similar to a maple bar’s.
While they’re not hard to make, these cookies do take some time from start to finish (most of it is hands-off). To get that soft and chewy texture, they need plenty of chilling time because of the liquid.
Special Ingredients
While most ingredients in these Maple Cookies are common, there are two unique ones:
- Pure maple syrup: This is not corn syrup or pancake syrup; it’s the sap from a maple tree boiled down to a thicker form. It’s just one ingredient.
- Maple extract: This extract is as easy to find as vanilla or almond extract. Look for it in the baking aisle.
Quick Tip
As the wife of a Vermont-raised guy who knows pure maple syrup well, I can say not all maple syrups are the same! Grade A and Grade B both work for this recipe. Grade B has a stronger flavor and darker color because it’s produced later in the season, but it can be pricier and harder to find. I usually use Grade A syrup for these cookies.
Maple Cookies Recipe Tips
- Measure the flour correctly: Spoon and level the flour for an accurate measurement.
- Use a Silpat® liner: Baking cookies on a lined sheet pan gives them softer bases.
- Roll tall cookie dough balls: Shape the dough into tall, skinny balls instead of perfect rounds. Avoid smaller dough balls, as they won’t turn out the same.
- Use fresh ingredients: For the softest maple cookies, use fresh brown sugar and baking agents.
Storage
Leftovers?
- Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days. For freezing, freeze the dough!
- Drop cookie dough balls on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Transfer to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To bake, cook straight from the freezer—no need to thaw. Just add a few extra minutes to the baking time, baking until the edges are lightly browned and the center remains soft.
Use Leftover Maple Syrup In
- Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins with chocolate chips
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies with maple syrup
- Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding nutritious pudding recipe
- Air Fryer Dutch Baby topped with berries and maple syrup
- Apple Coffee Cake with a streusel and glaze
Maple Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 16 tablespoons (1 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/4 teaspoon pure maple extract Note 1
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup Note 2
- 1 teaspoon EACH: baking soda, baking powder, fine sea salt
- 3-1/2 cups white all-purpose flour
Icing
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- Tiny pinch fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
Instructions
- WET INGREDIENTS: Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Let the butter stand at room temperature for 5 minutes to cool down. If the butter is hot, it will melt the sugars and cause greasy cookies. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of butter into a large bowl. Add in the white and brown sugar and briskly whisk until smooth and incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Take your time here– the butter should be fully incorporated, not rising to the top or separating. Add in one egg; whisk until smooth. Add in the other egg, maple extract, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Whisk until just combined and smooth.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: Right on top of the wet ingredients add in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine. Add the flour on top. Switch to a wooden spoon and mix until just combined. Cover the dough tightly and chill for 1 hour.
- ROLL COOKIE DOUGH BALLS: Roll tall cylinders of dough. Each ball should be a full 2 tablespoons of dough (38 grams if you have a food scale). Place on a parchment-lined plate. Cover and refrigerate the balls of dough for an additional 45 minutes.
- BAKE: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place dough balls on a parchment or Silpat-lined sheet pan (we like the Silpat sheet best for these cookies), spread far apart (I only bake 6-8 cookies at a time since they spread a lot) and bake for 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully not to over-bake. Slightly under-baked cookies are the best! Remove from the oven and right out of the oven, press the edges of the cookie inwards with the back of a metal spatula. Let cookies stand on the cookie sheet for 4-5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool before icing.
- ICING: In a small pot over low heat, combine the butter and maple syrup. Whisk together until smooth and butter is melted. Once the butter has melted, remove the pot from heat and add in the powdered sugar, milk, salt, and maple extract. Whisk until completely smooth. Thin with additional milk if needed. Use a spoon to drizzle icing over cooled cookies. Let set, about 30-45 minutes.
- STORAGE: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They're best enjoyed within 3-4 days. Freeze cookie dough as opposed to baked cookies (see next step).
- FREEZING DOUGH: Instead of freezing already-baked cookies, freeze the dough! Drop the cookie dough balls on a large sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To bake: You can bake these cookies straight from the freezer. There is no need to thaw, but you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, and the center is still soft.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My husband LOVED these cookies! Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! So thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Lee! 🙂
I only got 20 cookies with this recipe. I measured 2 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, but did not have a scale. Has this happened to you?
Were the tablespoon measurements leveled off?
These cookies sound amazing! What do you mean when you say roll tall cylinders of dough?
Thank you
They are truly amazing! I mean roll them tall instead of perfect balls. You’ll love it! 🙂
They’re so good! Very soft, VERY sweet. Passed a handful to my parents, then passed the recipe on when they asked for it after eating them. Great twist on a sugar cookie.
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
These were so delicious! They melt in your mouth! Will definitely make these again. Thanks!!
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thank you Shawna!
will be making this soon can i use vegan butter and almond milk as am dairy free i never had maple cookies before perfect for my office snacks and home snacks while i work on the computer and phone will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya