These chewy maple brown sugar cookies are the epitome of cozy! They feature a mix of toasty brown butter, sweet maple syrup, and dark brown sugar to give them an unbelievably warm and toasty flavor and the perfect chewy texture. A drizzle of salted maple icing on top just makes the whole batch feel extra special!
We're just about to enter the 'ber months and nothing screams cool weather like a batch of warm and toasty cookies. But not just ANY cookies: brown butter maple brown sugar cookies!
The name kind of says it all. We have brown butter (which makes everything instantly better!), maple syrup (for some earthy notes) and brown sugar (no granulated sugar so these cookies are extra moist, chewy, and soft!) The cookies are topped with a simple maple icing with a dash of salt to really balance out all of the sweet flavors. And bonus: the cookie dough doesn't need to be chilled beforehand - so you can get to digging in that much faster!
how to make chewy maple brown sugar cookies
1. Brown butter. Start by melting butter in a saucepan. Once melted, continue cooking until it starts to sizzle and eventually browns. It will foam up quite a bit but the foam should calm down when it gets closer to browning. Pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool completely to room temperature before using. Do not let it solidify though!
2. Whisk together butter and sugar. The mixture will be kind of clumpy and grainy, so just mix until the sugar is fully moistened.
3. Add the remaining wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
4. Fold in dry ingredients until you have a streak free cookie dough. If the dough is too soft, you can let it sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature to allow the dough to soak up the flour and dry up slightly.
5. Scoop and bake the cookies. Use a large cookie scoop to ensure the cookies bake up extra chewy in the centers! If they misshape after baking, while they're fresh from the oven, use a round cookie cutter or the rim of a cup and swirl it around the outside of the cookies to push in any wonky looking edges.
6. Set aside the cookies to cool to room temperature. The icing can get melty and runny if the cookies are still warm when you drizzle it on top.
7. Make the icing: The icing is super easy to whip up - all you need to do is whisk together powdered sugar, salt, and maple syrup until smooth and pourable. If the icing is too thick, thin it out with a splash of water. If it's too thin, add some more powdered sugar.
8. Ice the cooled cookies.
tips for browning butter
Browning butter is super easy, but there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure it comes out perfectly every time!
- Note the pot color: Darker colored pans will make the butter appear more browned than it actually is. They're totally fine to use, but it's just something to keep in mind.
- Stir constantly: The way brown butter works is, as it cooks and simmers, the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan and brown, thus flavoring and coloring the whole batch. Whisking constantly helps ensure even browning and prevents burning on the bottom.
- Transfer immediately: The butter will continue to brown (and can even burn) from the residual heat of the pan even after you take it off the heat. So transferring it to another bowl or cup as soon as it's browned will keep it from burning.
- Cool completely: This isn't a tip for all recipes because some may call for warm or hot brown butter. But when making brown butter for this cookie recipe, it's important to let it cool completely to room temperature before using. If it's even slightly warm, it can cause the cookies to overspread.
brown sugar
A lot of my recipes usually call for either light or dark brown sugar, but this is one of those recipes that you should actually use dark brown! The added molasses in dark brown sugar helps create an extra chewy cookie and also helps with the spread of the cookies.
best maple syrup for cookies
I always say it's best to use real maple syrup whenever you can, but it's especially important when baking! Avoid table syrup and try to get your hands on 100% pure maple syrup. Table syrup is usually composed of sugar, color, and artificial flavor while real maple syrup offers a better sweetness profile and a better overall flavor. Real maple syrup is a little pricier, but you really can taste the difference.
more tips for making chewy maple brown sugar cookies
- baking sheet selection: Cookies are best baked on a light colored, heavy duty aluminum baking sheet. Darker colored and light weight pans can cause the cookie bottoms to burn. Overly heavy bottom pans (like glass or ceramic) will not allow the cookies to spread properly. I personally love THESE baking sheets from USA Pan.
- weigh or spoon and level flour: One of the most important tips - and one that I repeat in almost every post! It's important to measure flour either by weight or (if using cups) by spooning the flour into your measuring cup and leveling it off. Never scoop a measuring cup directly into the bag of flour or this can cause extra weight worth of flour to pack into the cup - which ultimately will lead to dry, crumbly cookies!
- if the cookie dough is too soft: let it sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature and it should thicken enough to scoop & bake!
- storing maple brown sugar cookies: Once the icing has fully set, transfer the cookies to an airtight container or plastic bag and seal well. These cookies will keep for about 1-2 weeks at room temperature or in the fridge. Cookies are best served at room temperature, so if you stored them in the fridge, I would recommend setting them on your countertop for about 30 minutes before digging in!
check out these other cookie recipes!
• Chewy Pumpkin Cookies
• Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Red Velvet Cupcake Cookies
• Chai Spiced Snowflake Cookies
• Apple Pie Cookies
• Cinnamon Roll Cookies
• Giant Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie
Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.
Print
Chewy Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 13 cookies
Description
These chewy maple brown sugar cookies are the epitome of cozy! They feature a mix of toasty brown butter, sweet maple syrup, and dark brown sugar to give them an unbelievably warm and toasty flavor and the perfect chewy texture. A drizzle of salted maple icing on top just makes the whole batch feel extra special!
Ingredients
For the maple brown sugar cookies:
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter
- 2 ¼ cups (292g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the salted maple icing:
- ¾ cup (100g) powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- sea salt flakes (optional - for topping)
Instructions
Make the maple brown sugar cookies:
- Add butter to a medium saucepan or skillet. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter melts, starts to sizzle and simmer, and eventually browns. This whole process will take about 5 minutes. The butter will foam and sizzle quite a bit in the early stages but will eventually calm down as it gets closer to browning. As soon as the butter has browned, pour it into a large bowl - make sure to scrape in those brown bits from the bottom of the pan! Take care not to let the butter sit for too long in the pan after browning or the residual heat can burn it!
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter
- Set the brown butter aside to cool completely to room temperature but do not let it solidify. It'll take about 20 minutes to cool (depending on how cold / warm your home is).
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- 2 ¼ cups (292g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
- Now back to the cooled brown butter, add brown sugar to the bowl and whisk to combine. The mixture will be a bit grainy.
- 1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar
- Add maple syrup, egg, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture until you have a streak free cookie dough.
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- The cookie dough should be able to hold a scoop shape - if it's a little soft, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes to firm up. Use a large cookie scoop to portion out 4 or 5 balls of cookie dough onto one parchment lined baking sheet, leaving at least 3 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies, one baking sheet at a time, in the center of your preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown along the edges and the center no longer appears raw.
- Cool the cookies for about 5 minutes on the baking sheets then transfer onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely. Continue baking the rest of the cookie dough in batches.
Make the salted maple icing:
- In a medium sized bowl or measuring cup, combine powdered sugar, salt, and maple syrup. Whisk together until smooth and pourable. If the icing is too thick, you can thin it out with a splash of water. If it's too thin, whisk in more powdered sugar to reach your desired consistency.
- ¾ cup (100g) powdered sugar, pinch of salt, 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Drizzle the salted maple icing over the cooled cookies and top with sea salt flakes if using. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Bake Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Cookies
Enjoy!
Maggie says
Is it supposed to be 225g of browned butter after browning, 225g browned and moisture added to reach 225g, or start with 225g of butter and work with the remaining ~80% of the weight once water evaporates?
Thank you for your recipe and for the help!
Mimi says
Hi Maggie! It’s 225g before browning to start (no need to add anything back in afterwards). So yes, you would be working with the reduced remaining amount. I hope you like them! ❤️
Maggie says
Thanks for this! Absolutely delicious. Appreciate you sharing the recipe with us 🙂
Mimi says
You're very welcome! I'm so happy you liked it!!! 🥲❤️
Sherryann says
Hi can you please tell me about how many grams does each cookie weigh and how much in total for this recipe? Thanks
Emily says
These are so delicious! I used gluten free flour in one batch and regular in the other batch, my husband actually preferred the gluten free!
But they are very very sweet. Almost too sweet for us! Do you think you could leave any of the sugar out without effecting the texture?
Mimi says
Hey Emily! The sugar in the cookie dough is important to achieve the right texture, but you could try adding 1/4-1/2 teaspoon more salt to the cookie dough - that would help mellow out the sweetness. You could also use less icing or skip it entirely if you prefer. Or you can try adding 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder - it would add some bitterness to counteract the sugar. I hope that helps! ❤️
Kayla says
Can this cookie dough be frozen and used later?
Mimi says
Absolutely! They'll keep for 2-3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. When you want to make them, you can bake them frozen at 325F and add an extra 1-2 minutes to the cook time so they can thaw in the oven. I hope you like them! ❤️
Alishia Parsell says
These are amazing! Soft and chewy . Delicious.