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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: Crunchy shortbread-like, maple cookies. My Crunchy Maple Cookies recipe is a great one to have around the holidays. Eat a few for dessert or pack them as a snack – either way, you’re in for a treat!
Need a quick cookie platter for a holiday get-together? My Crunchy Maple Cookies should do the trick. While the fall season may remind you of a gooier, warm dessert, it doesn’t hurt to balance those out with a crunchier treat.
These cookies are similar to shortbread cookies, but with a maple-flavored twist. They are perfectly festive with their adorable maple leaf shape and are packed with delicious maple flavor. It’s time to get your maple on.
Shortbread cookies are always so simple – which is one of the main reasons I love them! Gather 6 ingredients and 8 tools, and you’ll have some showstopping Maple Cookies in 45 minutes.
What Kind Of Maple Syrup Should I Use?
I recommend using dark maple syrup for this recipe because it has a stronger flavor than light maple syrup.
The biggest difference in the maple syrup grades (Golden to Very Dark) is when the maple syrup was made. The lighter the syrup, the earlier it was made in the season. The darker syrups are made from older sap with a stronger maple flavor.
Why Chill Cookie Dough Before Rolling It Out?
Chilling your cookie dough before rolling it out makes it easier to work with. The butter in the dough cools, which prevents the cookies from expanding too quickly. Additionally, once baked, they hold their texture and shape. You won’t be left with sad, flat cookies!
Tools You Need To Make Crunchy Maple Cookies
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Stand mixer with a paddle attachment (alternatively, a large bowl and a handheld electric mixer)
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Cling wrap
- 2 Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Optional: Maple leaf cookie cutter
Vegan Crunchy Maple Cookies
Good news – you can make a vegan version of my Crunchy Maple Cookies! There are already no eggs in this recipe, so all you have to do is substitute the butter. Swap out your butter for hard-baking margarine, but make sure it’s not the spreadable tub version.
The difference between butter and margarine is the flavor. Butter has a richer flavor because it comes from milk. Margarine has a milder flavor because of the lack of dairy.
How To Store Crunchy Maple Cookies
These Crunchy Maple Cookies are so delicious that it’ll be hard to keep friends and family away from them. However, if you end up with leftovers, make sure to store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making The Best Crunchy Maple Cookies:
- This dough is very soft. If it’s too hard to handle, roll the dough out onto pieces of parchment paper and freeze for 10 minutes before cutting.
- Too much maple extract can make the cookies taste bitter. If you want to increase the maple flavor, try reducing 1 cup (10 oz/284 g) of maple syrup down to ½ cup (5 oz/142 g) on the stovetop. Let cool before using the dough.
- Another way to increase the maple flavor is to dip these cookies in a maple glaze: Mix ¾ cup (3 oz/85 g) powdered sugar with 1/3 cup maple syrup. If the glaze is too thin, add a touch more powdered sugar until you get the consistency that you want.
- If you don’t have leaf cutters, use any shape you wish.
- Serve this along with Crispy Gingersnaps and Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies for a lovely fall cookie platter.
Want More Maple-Flavored Treats? Try These:
- Maple Gooey Butter Cake
- Maple Cream Pie
- Maple Pecan Blondies
- Chewy Maple Pumpkin Cookies
- Maple Pecan Compound Butter
- Festive Maple Pecan Bars
- Maple Bacon Cheddar Mug Muffin
- Pulled Pork With Whiskey Maple Sauce
Try These Recipes!
Crunchy Maple Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (10 oz/284 g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (6 oz/170 g) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (4 fl oz/120 ml) dark maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon maple extract (optional)
- 3¼ cups (16¼ oz/461 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (1 oz/28 g) cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or with a large bowl and a handheld electric mixer), cream together the butter and brown sugar until it is light and fluffy.
- Beat in the maple syrup and maple extract (if using).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt, then gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture just until evenly mixed.
- Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a well-floured surface, roll out half of the dough to ¼-inch (6-mm) thick, leaving the rest in the refrigerator to stay cold.
- Cut out cookies with a 2-inch (5-cm) maple leaf cookie cutter (or shape of your choice) and transfer to the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch (2½ cm) of space between.
- Gather and reroll scraps until the dough becomes too soft to work with. Return this dough to the fridge to chill while you work with the chilled half.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies start to turn a pale golden brown around the edges.
- Let cool on a wire rack while you bake the remaining cookies.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
There’s a cookie by Dare here in Canada that have maple cream sandwiched between two maple cookies… might have to make these with that!
When making this type of shortbread, could you roll dough in a log and slice out the cookies for baking?
Hi Gemma, What size maple leaf cookie cutter do you use? Thank you!
Hi Gemma . First of all my family and I think you look lovely and beautiful on the front cover of your new cookbook. Kevin should be proud. Moving on what am I doing wrong as my cookies are turning out fluffy and cake like not flat and chewy I was able to recover them by turning them into muffins lol. But my family wants the flat chewy ones. Please help?
Thanks Gemma
I am going to try my luck making these with a gluten free flour as we have Celiac … fingers crossed !!!!