Maple Brown Sugar Cookies with Pecans and Maple Icing

Maple Brown Sugar Cookies

These maple brown sugar cookies have lightly golden edges, soft centers, visible pecans, and broad ribbons of pale maple icing. Pure maple syrup flavors the dough, while maple extract helps that flavor come through after baking.

The syrup also makes the dough soft, so give it at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before scooping. Keep the portions rounded and bake them on cool sheets to help the cookies hold their moderately thick shape.

Ingredients for Maple Brown Sugar Cookies

Cookies

• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (290g)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (115g)
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar (200g)
• 1 large egg, preferably at room temperature
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (105g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon maple extract
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (80g)

Maple icing

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted (120g)
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (40g)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (15g)

Light brown sugar can replace dark brown sugar for a milder flavor, though the cookies may be slightly lighter in color. Chopped walnuts can replace the pecans. Without maple extract, the baked maple flavor may be less pronounced.

How to Bake Maple Brown Sugar Cookies

1. Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
2. Cream the butter and sugar: Beat the softened butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until well blended and somewhat lighter. Beat in the egg, then the maple syrup, vanilla, and maple extract.
3. Finish and chill the dough: Mix in the dry ingredients just until no dry flour remains, then fold in the pecans. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the dough feels firmer and holds a rounded scoop.
4. Portion: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line cool baking sheets with parchment. Scoop rounded portions of about 2 tablespoons each, or 38–40g, and space them about 3 inches apart. Do not flatten them. Keep dough for later batches refrigerated.
5. Bake and cool: Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack, uncovered, for about 11–13 minutes. Start checking at 11 minutes: the edges should be set and lightly golden, the tops no longer wet-looking, and the centers still soft. Let the cookies set on the sheet for 5–10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Use a cool sheet for each batch.
6. Ice: Whisk the sifted confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, and melted butter until smooth. Drizzle broad diagonal ribbons over the completely cooled cookies. Let the icing set before stacking, about 20–30 minutes depending on its thickness and room conditions.

Why the Dough Needs to Chill

Maple syrup softens the dough, making warm portions more likely to spread. If a test cookie spreads too thin, chill the remaining dough longer and make sure each new batch goes onto a cool sheet. Flour that was scooped directly from the bag may also measure differently; for these amounts, spoon it into the cup and level it, or use a scale.

How to Tell When the Cookies Are Done

Take the cookies out when the edges are set and lightly golden, even though the centers still look soft. They continue setting during the 5–10 minutes on the hot sheet. Waiting for firm-looking centers can leave them dry; portion size, dough temperature, pans, and oven behavior can all shift the baking time.

Getting Thick Maple Icing Ribbons

The icing should fall from a spoon in thick, opaque ribbons rather than run like a thin glaze. If it spreads too quickly, whisk in a little more sifted confectioners’ sugar. If it is too stiff to drizzle, add water a few drops at a time. Ice only completely cooled cookies so the ribbons stay distinct.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Covered dough can chill overnight; portion it while cold and refrigerate it between batches. Once the icing has set, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, with parchment between layers if stacked. They can also be refrigerated airtight for up to 1 week; bring them to room temperature before serving.

Freeze fully cooled baked cookies, iced or uniced, airtight for up to 3 months, then thaw them covered. Portioned dough can also be frozen, but its baking time may differ; use the set-edge and soft-center cues rather than the clock alone. No reheating is needed.

For another brown sugar bake, try these cinnamon roll cookies.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per cookie, based on about 24 cookies: 175 calories, 2g protein, 7g fat, and 27g carbohydrates. Per 100g of finished cookies: approximately 445 calories, 4g protein, 18g fat, and 68g carbohydrates. Values vary with portion size and the finished weight of the cookies.