With big maple flavor, crisp edges, mega chewy centers, and crunchy pecans, these maple brown sugar cookies are a definite favorite. Chilling the cookie dough is imperative, so set aside 2 hours or prepare the cookie dough the day before. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally's Baking 101.
Recipe by Sally on September 5, 2019
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT13M
Total time: PT2H50M
Rating
4.8 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
maple brown sugar cookies
Ingredients
2 and 1/3 cups (292g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar*
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/3 cup (113g/80ml) pure maple syrup*
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract*
1 cup (120g) chopped pecans*
2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup (113g/80ml) pure maple syrup
1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar*
pinch of salt, to taste
Categories
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Steps
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and maple extract, then beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Add the pecans and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Dough will be creamy and soft.
Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (and up to 3 days).
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) If the dough has chilled for longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping the cookies.
Scoop and roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of dough per cookie. Arrange the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 12–13 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and set but the centers still look very soft. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the maple syrup, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar and salt. Taste. Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour. Store cookies covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Reviews
Lolo on 2025-12-16 (5 stars): These are my favorite cookies and they are crowd pleasers! So easy to make and people are always wanting more!
Cathryn on 2025-12-20 (5 stars): Another Sally winner! Thank you.
I have family members who don’t eat nuts, so I sprinkled chopped pecans on top of the drizzled icing on half. They look festive both ways!
Victoria on 2025-12-21 (5 stars): Made as written minus nuts for half and subbing walnuts for pecans in the other half. Family loved them before I was even able to to get the drizzle on. Any suggestions on how to convert to a bar cookie recipe? I’m strapped for time and would love a faster way to this same flavor and chew.
Irene on 2025-12-22 (5 stars): Made these for church and everyone loved it. I put in chopped pecans and the cookies were a bit puffier/cake-like than I wanted. I suspect that if you omit the pecans, it’ll be flatter. I didn’t mind the puffiness and neither did others. However, if you prefer flatter cookies, you may want to omit.
I was also considering not putting the glaze but I thought that the cookie wasn’t sweet enough without the glaze. The glaze complimented the cookie really nicely.
The flavor profile was amazing and it is now added permanently to my cookie rotation!
Caitlin on 2025-12-26 (5 stars): I made these for Christmas this year and my husband said they’re the best cookies he’s ever had. Love them!!!
Ellyn on 2026-01-01 (5 stars): Best cookies I’ve ever had I my life!! I made this twice. The first time i accidentally doubled the butter but they were still amazing, just very gooey and soft.
Hollis on 2026-01-08 (5 stars): These were absolutely delicious!!! Highly recommend, some of the best cookies I've ever had!
David Anderson on 2026-01-19 (5 stars): Love these cookies!
I'm limited on my chocolate intake so I'm very grateful to find alternatives that are great tasting. Thanks for sharing!
ADP on 2026-02-05 (5 stars): These are fantastic! Easy to make, everyone likes them. For sure, don’t skimp on the maple syrup quality.
Lauren on 2026-02-09 (5 stars): My entire family (toddlers too!) loved these cookies. We all said it was the best cookie we have ever had! Can't wait to make these over and over again. Thank you for a fantastic cookie recipe!
Joni Zich on 2026-03-02 (4 stars): I reduced the flour to 2 cups as my cookies were too poofy and not cracking and flattening. I also reduce the maple flavoring in 1/2 as they taste too artificial.
Jen C on 2026-03-07 (5 stars): I make a lot of cookies & I tried this recipe recently & it is fabulous! I made no adjustments to the recipe - it's perfect as it is.
Diane on 2026-03-19 (5 stars): Made these for my husband using Bobs Redmill gluten free flour and added extra pecans. He said they are incredible, loves them!! A big hit. Especially loved the icing. I used a dark amber maple syrup. One change: in addition to using maple syrup in the icing, I added maple extract to amp up the maple flavor there too.
Thank you for the great recipe!!