Maple Sugar Cookies

5 from 1 vote

This easy recipe for maple cookies is a play on classic sugar cookies, but incorporating maple sugar, maple extract, maple flakes, maple fudge, and even maple cream cookies to make these the best maple sugar cookies!

Prep Time20

Cook Time18

Chill time1

Total Time1 38

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 373kcal

Author: Janice Lawandi

Equipment

Ingredients

230 grams unsalted butter room temperature
300 grams maple sugar
50 grams Wilton glucose
2 large egg(s)
15 mL imitation maple extract
400 grams bleached all-purpose flour
50 grams nonfat dry milk powder
12.5 mL cream of tartar
10 mL baking soda
5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
140 grams maple leaf cookies chopped, plus a little more for garnishing before baking
75 grams maple fudge candy chopped, plus a little more for garnishing before baking
40 grams maple flakes plus a little more for sprinkling on top

Optional

100 grams bacon brittle ground in food processor

Metric - US

Instructions

Combine the butter, maple sugar, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape down the bowl every minute to make sure the ingredients combine properly.
Add the eggs and maple extract, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes on medium–high. Stop the mixer a few times to scrape down the sides to make sure the eggs and all the ingredients mix together properly and evenly.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, milk powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute.
Add the chopped cookies, maple fudge, maple flakes, and bacon brittle (if using)
Using a large 2-⅔ oz ice cream scoop (or a ⅓-cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Garnish with extra maple flakes, cookie pieces, and maple fudge, if you have extra. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. Do not bake your cookies from room temperature—they will not bake properly.
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
Arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment-lined sheet pans. I fit about 4 on a large cookie sheet. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. After 18 minutes, they should be very lightly browned on the edges (golden brown on the bottom).
Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or an airtight container for storage. At room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.

Notes

Store these maple cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They will soften after 24 hours making them delightfully soft and chewy, then they may begin to dry out a little. For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer bag. Defrost them overnight in the fridge.
Substitution for glucose: the Milk Bar recipes often contain glucose. You can replace it with corn syrup (use half the amount of corn syrup because it contains more water).
This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
Baking tips:
- Scrape down the mixer bowl often because if you don't, you may end up with streaks of butter and sugar in the cookie dough that will cause textural imperfections and may cause spreading too.
- Use a disher to create even, equal-sized cookies: invest in a large cookie scooper (also called a disher) that portions dough into roughly 90–100 gram scoops. The cookie scoop I used is by the brand Vollrath (specifically the 2-⅔ oz Stainless Steel Disher - Size 12) and you can order it from Amazon. This scoop is useful for making large cookies and also for scooping muffin batter. You can also use it for ice cream.
- Chill the dough: The cookie dough has to chill for 1 hour before baking in order to set the butter and firm up the dough so that the cookies don't spread too much. This is very important to achieving the perfect texture and look. Remember, chilling cookie dough may reduce spreading!
- Use a large round cookie cutter to fix the shape after baking: If the cookie edges do spread a little (especially because of the maple fudge), you can use a very large cookie cutter or the back of a spoon to gently push the edges back in towards the centre to help round out the edges. Be gentle!
Please note that I bake with uncoated aluminum sheet pans that are light in colour. If you are baking this recipe with darker bakeware, you may have to drop the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C) to prevent your baked goods from browning too quickly.

Nutrition