Maple Brown Butter Cookies

Last updated on January 22nd, 2024 at 10:24 pm

These maple brown butter cookies are the perfect fall treat that are melt in your mouth delicious. 

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Cozy up by the fire with a book, some tea and a plate of these delicious maple brown butter cookies. Soft and fluffy, perfectly sweet and topped with quick and easy maple glaze.

These maple brown butter cookies are the perfect cookie to transition into fall and fall baking. They have hints of nutty brown butter, sweet maple and cinnamon.

These cookies use brown butter, which is butter that has been cooked slowly on the stovetop until the milk solids in the butter turn a golden brown. Brown butter has a rich, nutty, slightly caramelized flavor that enhances the flavor of baked goods.

Brown butter is especially great for cookies and even better when they contain other caramel flavors such as brown sugar and maple syrup. The flavors all come together so beautifully to create a unique and delicious cookie perfect for the Autumn season.

Ingredients

Brown butter: I love the deep nutty flavor brown butter adds. It’s a nice contrast with the sweet maple syrup.
Brown sugar: brown sugar adds to the caramelized flavor of these cookies.
Maple syrup: can’t have maple cookies without maple syrup! Use pure good quality maple syrup (no artificial pancake syrup).
Egg: we use one whole egg and one egg yolk in this recipe. The extra yolks adds extra richness.
Vanilla: really compliments the maple and cinnamon flavors well.
Flour: this recipe calls for all purpose flour. I have not tested this recipe with any other kind of flour.
Cinnamon: there is just a hint of cinnamon in these cookies to give you all the fall feels.
Baking soda: the primary leavener and what makes these cookies light and fluffy.
Salt
Maple glaze: there is an optional maple glaze drizzled on top of the cookies that is made with butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt.

Equipment

Large and small mixing bowl
Small frying pan
Measuring cups and spoons
Baking sheets
Whisk and Wooden spoon
OR
Electric hand mixer 
Cookie Scoop

Brown the Butter

Start by melting a stick of butter in a pan over medium heat. Once the butter has completely melted and begins to lightly bubble, begin to swirl the pan.

Continue to swirl the pan while the butter cooks. The butter will foam and then, as the foam subsides, the milk solids in the butter will begin to turn a golden brown color.

Once the milk solids are golden brown and smells distinctly buttery and nutty, immediately remove the butter from the heat and pour into a heat prove bowl.

Cover the butter and refrigerate until it reaches a softened butter consistency.

Prepare the Dough

In a mixing bowl, combined softened browned butter, brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk until all the wet ingredients are homogenous.

Next, to the wet ingredients, add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon just until combined.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for one hour or up to overnight.

Tip: scoop flour with a spoon into the measuring cup and use a flat edge to level off the top. Never scoop the flour directly with the measuring cup or you’ll get dry cookies.

Bake Cookies and Make Glaze

When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop cookie dough using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop onto the parchment lined baking sheets. Bake cookies at 350°F for 12 minutes.

While the cookies are baking, make the maple glaze by combining softened butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisk ingredients together until a smooth glaze forms.

Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cookies are cool, drizzle with maple glaze.

Tip: the cookies bake best on an oven rack positioned in the top third of the oven. Cookies baked on the bottom rack don’t spread as much and have darker bottoms.

Tips for Browning Butter

• Use a light colored pan if you have one so you can easily see when the milk solids turn brown.
• Have a heat proof bowl ready to go next to the stove so you don’t have to fetch one when the butter is done.
• Constantly swirl the pan while butter is cooking to ensure even cooking.
• Do not use a heat hotter than medium. You want the butter to gently bubble, not splatter.
• Do not leave the stove. The butter can go from brown to burnt very quickly.

FAQ

Can I make these cookies without the glaze?

Yes, the glaze is definitely optional and the cookies are still delicious without it.

How do I store maple brown butter cookies?

For optimal freshness, I recommend storing these cookies in an air tight container in the freezer. Before placing cookies in a container, partially freeze cookies in a single layer on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes to harden glaze.

How long are maple brown butter cookies good for?

You can freeze these cookies for up to 3 months.

Can I store these cookies at room temperature? 

You can store cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you know you won’t be eating them within 3 days, I recommend freezing these cookies right away for optimal freshness.

Variations

Add ins: optionally fold in chocolate chips, nuts, raisins or pretzels into the cookie dough for a fun and unique twist on this recipe.

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• Healthy Fudgy Turtle Brownies
• S’mores Brownies

If you make these Maple Brown Butter Cookies, be sure to leave a comment below and rate this recipe! If you snap a pic, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thechowdown! I love seeing your creations!