These maple sugar cookies are melt-in-your-mouth brown sugar cookies filled with real maple flavor and coated with sugar for a crunchy finish. These easy maple cookies use my favorite drop cookie recipe as a base, so you don’t need to chill the dough.
If you love this maple and brown sugar cookies recipe, try my soft molasses cookies, classic snickerdoodles, and chewy pumpkin sugar cookies next.
These maple sugar cookies are the best version of my easy sugar cookies recipe yet. They’re flavored with dark brown sugar and real maple syrup, and so irresistibly soft and chewy. I make these maple cookies every year as part of my holiday baking, and well into the New Year, when the New England maple syrup harvest hits.
Soft, sweet maple syrup cookies make excellent Christmas cookies. Enjoy them freshly baked, add them to cookie platters, or gift them to family, friends, and neighbors.
The Joy of These Maple Brown Sugar Cookies, Explained
- Real maple syrup. A non-negotiable for this recipe. The combination of pure maple syrup and brown sugar adds moisture and caramel-like flavors.
- Perfect chewy texture. The cookies are soft, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth. They’re not cakey, like some soft-baked sugar cookies can be. The texture is similar to my chewy chocolate chip cookies. I like to roll the cookie dough in extra sugar before baking, for crunch!
- No chilling, rolling, or cutting. Best of all, I use my favorite drop cookie recipe, so there’s no need to wait while the dough chills in the fridge. These maple cookies are ready for the oven in 30 minutes or less.
Ingredient Notes
These are the important ingredients you’ll need to make chewy maple brown sugar cookies, including notes. Scroll to the recipe card after the post for the complete, printable recipe with amounts.
- Butter – Bring the butter to room temperature. If you’d like, you can brown the butter first to add another layer of richness and flavor to your maple sugar cookies.
- Dark Brown Sugar – In addition to granulated sugar, I highly recommend using dark brown sugar. I don’t usually keep it in my pantry, but I specifically use it in these cookies to enhance the richness of the maple syrup. If you don’t have dark brown sugar and don’t feel like going to the store, you can use light brown sugar instead.
- Granulated Sugar – You’ll roll the dough in granulated sugar before baking.
- Pure Maple Syrup – Make sure to use real, pure maple syrup and not artificial pancake syrup. You’ll find Grade A and Grade B maple syrup in stores. Both will work in these cookies! Grade B will have a deeper flavor since it’s made later in the season.
- All-Purpose Flour – Measure the flour accurately to avoid overmeasuring, which leads to dry, crumbly cookies.
- Cinnamon – You could also use nutmeg. I love the combination of sweetness and spice.
Bonus: Add Icing!
Top these cookies with the maple frosting I use for my maple pecan cookie bars and brown sugar pecan cupcakes. Or, try a version of my easy homemade sugar cookie icing flavored with maple syrup. In this case, I’d skip the sugar coating so the cookies don’t taste overly sweet.
You can amp up the flavor and texture of these maple sugar cookies with chopped pecans or walnuts. Mix the nuts right into the cookie dough or sprinkle them on top of the frosted cookies.
How to Make Maple Sugar Cookies
- Combine the wet ingredients first. Cream the butter and both sugars, then mix in the maple syrup, egg, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients next. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Slowly add the flour mixture to your wet ingredients to form the sugar cookie dough. The dough will be slightly soft and sticky.
- Portion and coat the cookies. One cookie at a time, scoop the cookie dough directly into a bowl of granulated sugar, and roll to coat. Place the finished cookies on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake the maple cookies at 350ºF for 13-14 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then move them to a wire rack.
Julianne’s Tips for Perfect Sugar Cookies
- Scoop one cookie at a time. Even though the dough isn’t overly sticky, it’s easier to handle once it’s coated in sugar. I use a large cookie scoop to scoop the dough, then drop it into a bowl of sugar right away. Roll until coated, and then place the cookie on a lined baking sheet.
- Line the baking sheet. I always line my cookie sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. This prevents the cookies from burning on the bottom, from sticking to the pan, and from spreading too much.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. They will spread a bit, and we don’t want them to run into each other.
- If your cookies spread a bit, you can fix them by using the edge of a glass to gently reshape the cookies right when they come out of the oven. You can also use a spatula to press the edges of the cookies back toward the middle. It’s key to do this while the cookies are still hot.
- How to tell when they’re done: In my oven, 13 minutes seems to be the sweet spot. The cookies aren’t raw in the middle but still slightly underbaked and soft. If you see any shininess on top, that means the middle is still too raw, and your cookies need a bit more time in the oven.
Make the Cookie Dough Ahead of Time
To get ahead on your holiday baking, prepare and freeze the cookie dough in advance.
- Freeze the sugar cookie dough. Prepare the cookie dough and portion it onto your baking sheet as instructed, but do not bake. Instead, flash-freeze the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet. Then, transfer the frozen cookie dough to a freezer-safe container to freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thaw and bake. When you’re ready to bake, thaw the cookie dough at room temperature for an hour, then bake as directed.
How to Store
- On the counter. These maple sugar cookies will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze. Store the baked cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy again, thaw at room temperature if frozen or warm in the microwave to soften.
More Sugar Cookie Recipes
Maple Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 43 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These maple brown sugar cookies are soft, chewy, and filled with real maple flavor and coated with sugar for a crunchy finish. Drop the cookie dough into the sugar, roll, and bake! No chilling or cutting out needed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cups (165g) dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (48g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (59ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (210g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (48g) granulated sugar (for rolling the dough)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine the butter with the sugars and beat on medium speed until well creamed together.
- Add the maple syrup, egg and extract and mix until well combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Slowly add into bowl and beat on medium-low speed until well combined and dough forms.
- Use a large cookie scoop to portion to dough and scoop it directly into a bowl of granulated sugar. Roll the cookie in the sugar until it’s well coated.
- Place the dough about 2 inches apart and bake for 13-14 minutes. Allow the cookie to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Freezing cookie dough: Prepare the dough and portion it out as instructed, but hold off on baking. Instead, flash freeze on a cookie sheet until hardened, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake your cookies, thaw the dough at room temperature for an hour or so, then bake as directed.
- Storing baked cookies: Baked maple syrup cookies will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 139
- Sugar: 15.7 g
- Sodium: 78.8 mg
- Fat: 4.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.1 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 1.3 g
- Cholesterol: 21.5 mg
