Happy day three of cookie week! If you missed my first two recipes, you can find my snowball cookies here and my chocolate-dipped brownie cookies here. I love the addition of these maple brown sugar cookies for Christmas. They are almost like a cross between a snickerdoodle and a ginger molasses cookie, and they are holiday perfection. The maple and brown sugar flavor combination tastes Christmassy, and finishing with a maple frosting and sprinkle of sea salt complete the cookie.
These cookies do require some planning because like many cookies, they require some chilling time. Since they are sweetened with both brown sugar and maple syrup, the dough will be softer than traditional cookie dough and it will need to chill. You can chill the dough for an hour or two, or chill it overnight like I did. The chilling process also helps the flavors come together for a really delicious, chewy cookie that’s flavorful and great for Christmas, or anytime of year.
It’s important in this recipe, and in all recipes, to measure the brown sugar correctly. This recipe calls for packed brown sugar. That means you will use a spoon to pack down the brown sugar into the measuring cup until the cup is completely full. After creaming together butter and sugar, add an egg and whip until light and fluffy. It’s important that your egg is at room temperature! Then add your vanilla extract and maple syrup and mix in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. It’s a simple recipe with simple pantry staples that’s absolutely delicious. After baking these maple brown sugar cookies, drizzle on the maple frosting. The frosting is made from powdered sugar, maple syrup, and just a dash of water to get the right consistency. You can drizzle it on like I did here, or spread it on evenly. An optional sprinkle of sea salt finishes the cookies!
Come back tomorrow for our fourth recipe of cookie week!
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp. pure maple syrup
- Water for thinning, as necessary
- Flakey sea salt for topping, optional
- Using a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and mix until light and fluffy. Then add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add these ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour and up to several hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form the dough into balls and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the centers begin to set.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before making the maple frosting. In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and maple syrup together until very smooth. Add a dash or two of water to thin if necessary.
- Drizzle or spread the frosting over the cooled cookies and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.
- Enjoy!
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[…] issues! If you’re looking for my other cookie week recipes, you can find my snowball cookies, maple brown sugar cookies, healthy peanut butter blossoms, and chocolate-dipped brownie cookies […]