Iced Maple Sugar Cookies
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Soft, chewy, and loaded with maple flavor, these Iced Maple Sugar Cookies are a definite must. If you’re a fan of sugar cookies you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much more decadent they can be with the simple addition of maple syrup.
Where are my maple lovers? I have a very special treat for you this holiday season! These Iced Maple Sugar Cookies are perfect in every way; light and crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside drizzled with a delectable maple vanilla glaze. Of course, Santa would love to see a couple of these next to his glass of milk, but they are perfect for any time of the year when you are craving that sweet taste of pure maple syrup.
Iced Maple Sugar Cookies
This recipe takes our beloved sugar cookie up a notch. The combination of sweet maple syrup and the melt-in-your-mouth vanilla flavor from the sugar cookie base creates a taste experience that is truly irresistible. The maple syrup icing adds even more maple goodness and enhances the overall texture and mouthfeel of the cookie for a soft and chewy explosion of maple flavor.
Iced Maple Cookies
These soft maple cookies are a year-round treat though would make a great addition to your holiday table. They’d also be perfect for a cookie exchange, bake sale, a homemade seasonal gift for neighbors and friends, or just when you need a sweet something to dip in your coffee or tea or have alongside a glass of milk.
If you love this recipe for iced maple sugar cookies you are sure to love these too: Funfetti Sugar Cookies, Old Fashioned Frosted Sour Cream Sugar Cookies, or these Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies.
Maple Sugar Cookies
These simple-to-follow instructions will have you basking in the sweet aroma of these maple sugar cookies baking up in the oven. Really, there’s nothing better than the scent of freshly baked cookies, especially when they are loaded with maple flavor.
If you are looking to serve the cookies at a celebration feel free to modify them and make them your own; add sprinkles, chocolate chips, cranberries, or raisins. Whatever you want to jazz them up is fine. Think of them like a blank slate.
Ingredients for iced maple sugar cookies
For complete ingredients and instructions scroll to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe card.
Cookie Ingredients:
- Shortening:
- Butter: Salted or unsalted butter, softened.
- Sugar: I used a combination of brown sugar and white granulated sugar to make these fluffy cookies.
- Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup adds that decadent maple flavor.
- Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar helps stabilize the sugar from crystallization.
- Baking soda: A touch of baking soda helps the cookies rise a touch.
- Salt: A pinch of salt to enhance the flavor.
- Egg yolks: Just use the egg yolks, and save the whites for an omelet or meringue.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- All-purpose flour: White, unbleached all purpose flour is perfect for these sugar cookies.
Maple Icing ingredients:
- Milk: I used whole milk to make the icing which makes it richer than using skim milk but skim milk will still work.
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter, melted to make the maple cookie frosting.
- Maple syrup: More maple syrup is used to make the maple frosting for an intense maple-flavored cookie.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners or icing sugar this is what gives the frosting its texture.
How to make maple cookies
These cookies come together quickly and easily.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of your electric mixer, cream butter and shortening together until fluffy.
Add in the dry ingredients; sugars, maple syrup, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar, and beat for 2 minutes, scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
Beat in the wet ingredients; egg yolks and vanilla. Mix in flour until combined.
Shape the sugar cookie dough into 1 ½” balls. Drop cookies on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cookies will still look soft but the edges will be light golden brown. (Don’t overbake or these chewy maple cookies will not be soft)
Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the icing by whisking together milk, butter, and maple syrup. Whisk the powdered sugar in a little at a time until you reach your desired drizzling consistency.
Drizzle the sweet maple icing over the cookies. Let the icing set before storing.
Leftover cookies will keep for up to one week in an airtight container wrapped in plastic wrap on the kitchen counter or frozen in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Love it? Pin it!
If you love this recipe for soft maple sugar cookies, make sure that you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!
FAQs about iced maple sugar cookies
- What is the best way to ice sugar cookies? It is best to wait until the sugar cookies are completely cooled and then use a large spoon to drop the icing onto the cookie. Use an offset spatula to spread the icing so it completely covers the cookie.
- What type of icing is best for cookies? What type of icing really depends on your personal preference and whether or not you want to decorate the cookies. Both buttercream icing and royal icing will work, though royal icing may be the better option if you want to decorate the cookies as they dry shiny, and hard.
- What does chilling sugar cookies do? Chilled dough is less likely to spread when you bake it.
- How to jazz up sugar cookies? Sugar cookies are like a blank slate that you can dress up as you like; add chocolate chips, sprinkles, coconut flakes, ice them completely, or just drizzle a touch of maple glaze on top.
Substitutions
Remember that when it comes to making substitutions in recipes, you don’t need to be afraid to get creative and use ingredients that suit your personal taste and dietary preferences. Make it your own!
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If you don’t have any shortening on hand you can always use butter instead.
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For a non-dairy cookie use vegan butter and plant-based milk.
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To make a gluten-free cookie, use a 1-1 gluten free flour.
Tips & Tricks
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Make sure your butter is softened so it blends easily.
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Take the eggs out of the fridge before you begin to prepare the cookies so they can come to room temperature.
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Don’t waste the egg whites, use them to make an omelet or save them for meringue.
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Use good quality maple syrup so you get the best possible maple flavor.
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Portion the cookies using a cookie scoop or tablespoon so they are all the same size. This will ensure they bake up at the same pace.
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For a more intense maple flavor add a touch of maple extract.
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Add some warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice for a more comforting flavor.
This recipe is part of The Sweetest Season, an annual virtual cookie swap co-hosted by Erin of The Speckled Palate and Susannah of Feast + West. Every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes to make and give.
This year we are once again raising money for Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer, which is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative, and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
Help us raise money for this important cause! Donate through our fundraising page.
Another exciting thing is that Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, meaning OXO will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2023, up to $100,000. Whatever money we raise will automatically double on our fundraising page!
More Recipes to Love
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Frosted Soft Pumpkin Cookies (pictured above)
If you’ve got a list of holiday baking recipes, these perfect maple cookies will make a great addition. They are bound to become a family tradition.
Iced Maple Sugar Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- FOR THE COOKIE:
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- FOR THE ICING:
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- In the bowl of your mixer beat butter and shortening together until fluffy.
- Add in both sugars, maple syrup, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar and beat for 2 minutes, scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.
- Mix in flour until combined.
- Shape the dough into 1 ½” balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cookies will still look soft but the edges will be light golden brown. (Don’t overbake or the cookies will not be soft)
- Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing by whisking together milk, butter, and maple syrup. Whisk the powdered sugar in a little at a time until you reach your desired drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle maple icing over the cookies. Let the icing set before storing them in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Love this ICED MAPLE SUGAR COOKIES recipe, so easy to make and turns out delicious, and very soft. My family loves this recipe. Thanks for sharing 🙂
What a delectable cookie recipe! The flavors are just out of this world incredible!
These maple cookies were delicious! Will be making these again for cookie gift baskets at Christmas.
I made a batch of these cookies to take into work and OMG were they delicious! The icing was the perfect sweet touch!
Oh yum! Such beautiful cookies. The flavor sounds fantastic and I especially love the drizzle over the top.
Whipped up a batch of these for an afternoon treat, and they do not disappoint! Turned out light, moist and delicious; exactly what I needed to cure my sweet tooth, indeed!
The icing makes these ridiculously good. And they look like they took a lot more work than they actually did. 🙂
So, so good. I love this twist on the traditional sugar cookie. Can’t wait to make them again.
As a life-long lover of all things maple, I canNOT wait to bake these cookies, Michaela! They are calling my name and sound absolutely WONDERFUL, not just for this season but for the entire year.
Thank you for sharing this recipe as a part of our cookie exchange! I hope you and yours have the merriest Christmas.
These cookies turned out so well!! They were super soft and chewy – had great texture, and the maple flavor really came through. The icing just put it over the top!