Soft Maple Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
A delicious, soft maple cookie sweetened with maple syrup and topped with a scrumptious brown butter frosting. Perfect for Fall, the holiday season, and maple lovers!
Soft Maple Cookies
It’s Fall here in New Hampshire and suddenly the leaves are falling and the smell of pure maple syrup is in the air! Perhaps that’s a slight exaggeration, but I think you know what I mean.
If you love maple flavor, or maple-flavored anything, you’re going to love these maple cookies. These are the best cookies for the holiday season. They are soft and chewy and sweetened with maple syrup and brown sugar.
They are topped with a salty, nutty brown butter frosting – the perfect complement! Maple and brown butter might just be two of my favorite things.
What are the ingredients in Maple Cookies?
To make my soft and chewy maple cookies you will need: salted butter, or unsalted butter, light or dark brown sugar, an egg, sour cream, maple syrup, all purpose flour, salt, and baking soda.
What are the ingredients in Brown Butter Frosting?
You will need: butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream or milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
Additional items you’ll need: baking or cookie sheet, parchment paper and or aluminum foil, a hand mixer / stand mixer with paddle attachment, spatula, large bowl, wire sifter, measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a cooling wire rack.
How to make soft maple cookies
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, or stand mixer add the brown sugar and butter then cream butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Now add the egg to the butter mixture; mix until fluffy.
Next, add sour cream, mix.
Add maple syrup, mix.
Using a large wire sifter, add all purpose flour, baking soda and salt. Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed.
Mix just until the flour is incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Using a large spoon or cookie scoop, drop cookie dough balls onto baking sheet spacing about 2 inches apart as these will spread a bit.
Bake for 10-11 minutes our until edges begin to turn a golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven, and let sit on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
How to make brown butter frosting
In a small saucepan, over medium high heat, add butter and melt.
Stir the melted butter occasionally; butter will begin to foam.
Let foam and stir; the foam will settle and then it will foam a second time.
Stir, and you will begin to see some brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan (see step 4 below).
Keep stirring until the brown bits are quite visible (see step 5) and the butter begins to smell nutty.
Step 6 below happens quickly after step 5 – remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
When the browned butter has cooled, add the powdered sugar, milk or heavy cream, vanilla and salt.
Using a whisk, whisk together until the powdered sugar has dissolved. You may need add a little more milk or powdered sugar depending on consistency.
Now, frost the cooled cookies!
How long will the cookies keep?
At room temperature, about 3-4 days in a sealed container.
Can I freeze maple cookies?
Yes; bake them, let them cool, but don’t frost them before you freeze. To freeze the cooked cookies, wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2 months.
When you are ready to frost the cookies, remove from freezer and bring to room temperature. Make the brown butter frosting while they are thawing.
Substitutions
Use honey or imitation maple syrup instead of real real maple syrup, but the cookies will have a honey flavor and not maple flavor.
Yogurt can be used instead of sour cream.
Can I use maple extract? If you don’t have maple syrup, use honey or your favorite pancake syrup to substitute, and add a teaspoon of maple extract instead of vanilla extract.
Can I use a cookie cutter to make into maple leaf shapes? These are a drop cookie and may be difficult to use with a cookie cutter.
Can I use gluten-free flour? I’ve never made these with GF flour.
Can I use pancake syrup? Yes, use 1:1.
These just might be your new favorite cookie!
How long will the cookies keep?
At room temperature, about 3-4 days in a sealed container.
Can I freeze maple cookies?
Yes; bake them, let them cool, but don’t frost them before you freeze. To freeze the cooked cookies, wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
When you are ready to frost the cookies, remove from freezer and bring to room temperature. Make the brown butter frosting while they are thawing.
Soft Maple Cookies with Brown Butter Frosting
A delicious, soft maple cookie sweetened with maple syrup and topped with a scrumptious brown butter frosting. Perfect for Fall and maple lovers!
Ingredients
- Making the Cookies
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- Making the Brown Butter Frosting
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk (or heavy cream)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter with brown sugar until fluffy
- Add egg, and mix.
- Add sour cream, mix.
- Add maple syrup, mix.
- Using a wire whisk, add flour, salt and baking soda and sift into the wet ingredients.
- Mix just until the flour is incorporated; don't overmix.
- Using large spoon or cookie scoop, spoon onto baking sheet leaving approx. 2" between cookies.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- While cookies are baking, make the brown butter frosting.
- Add 1/4 cup butter to small saucepan over med heat; melt.
- As butter begins to bubble, stir occasionally.
- Butter will foam, then settle/dissipate, and as it does, solids will begin to form.
- Continue stirring occasionally.
- Butter will foam a second time and as it does, spoon the foam away so that you can begin to see brown bits forming.
- When the butter begins to turn a brown color, it will also begin to smell nutty.
- Remove from heat and cool.
- When cool, whisk in powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt.
- Whisk until smooth.
- You may need to add a bit more milk depending on consistency.
- Frost cookies and enjoy!
Notes
Store at room temperature, about 3-4 days in a sealed container.
To freeze maple cookies:
Bake, let them cool, but don't frost them before you freeze. To freeze the cooked cookies, wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
When you are ready to frost the cookies, remove from freezer and bring to room temperature. Make the brown butter frosting while they are thawing.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 282Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 41mgSodium 267mgCarbohydrates 44gFiber 0gSugar 32gProtein 2g
Nutrition calculation is offered as a courtesy and no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. The data provided are a product of online nutrition calculators and should be considered an estimate only. I am not a registered dietician nor a certified nutritionist. For more accurate information, or if you have dietary restrictions, please consult a trusted professional. A Healthy Makeover strongly supports Intuitive Eating, body trust, and Health at Every Size.
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Some other maple recipes you may enjoy
Pumpkin Banana Bread with Maple Brown Butter Frosting
Maple Almond Butternut Squash Hash
3 Comments
Beth
I made these today, and while they are scrumptious, they were flatter than a pancake. Do you just scoop your flour or do you spoon & level? I’m thinking it needed more flour. It was almost like cake batter. Again, super delicious, just super flat. 😅
Cheyenne
Oven temp?
Sara Pederson
I am making these right now and there is no measurement listed for how much make syrup to use