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The best ever Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies. Homemade brown sugar cookies, made with browned butter, sweet maple, and a secret ingredient that really makes these cookies better than the rest. These cookies are generously glazed with a sweet, thick, and creamy maple glaze that melts in your mouth. There’s really nothing not to love! Perfect for autumn, Halloween night, and any other day in between.
We’re ending the week with cookies…yes, always a good idea! And these are extra, extra special cookies.
I know it’s hard to beat a classic chocolate chip cookie, especially my mom’s, but these cookies give all others a run for their money. They’re different, but not so different that you don’t want to give them a try. Think soft in the center, with perfect edges, and just the right amount of sweetness – all thanks to a mix of maple and brown sugar.
We LOVE these cookies and I’ve been excited to share them for well over a week!
The details
Originally I set out to make a fairly basic brown sugar cookie. But as I was writing the recipe I started to wonder, how could I make them better? And how could I make them with a slight twist that would make each cookie even more perfect for the autumn season?
Of course, brown butter came into play, because every dessert is made better with a little brown butter.
Then I wondered about maybe adding some pumpkin, but then I stopped myself. We can save the pumpkin desserts for October…what about apple butter? I wasn’t sure how apple butter in cookies would work. But I’m here to tell you all that it’s insanely delicious and actually the secret to these cookies. Promise, you don’t taste the apple.
My goal with these cookies was to create a maple cookie. Not only with amazing flavor, but also with a texture closer to my mom’s chocolate chip cookies. It took some playing around with the recipe, but I finally landed on a cookie that’s chewy and so DELICIOUS!
Brown the butter
First things first, brown about three-fourths of the butter, but leave the other fourth at room temp. This gives you the flavor of browned butter but leaves you with a cookie that has great texture too.
When the butter is browned, let it chill a bit before mixing up the dough. The rest goes really quickly.
Make the cookies
Take the reserved brown butter and beat it together with dark brown sugar and maple. Add the apple butter and some vanilla. Mix, mix, mix, then simply stir in the dry ingredients.
For the apple butter, I used my homemade maple apple butter. This is one of my favorite things to keep in the fridge all fall long. You can use my homemade apple butter or pick some up at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, your local market, or via Amazon. I will say that the homemade recipe works a little better for the cookies, but either is great! Just make sure your apple butter is spiced for best flavor.
Bake the cookies, and smell the wonderful scents as they bake. It’s better than your favorite fall candle, trust me.
While the cookies bake, make the glaze.
This glaze is everything. It’s what makes these cookies really melt in your mouth. It’s beyond delicious, and easy to make. Just butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar, and salt. Simple, yet delicious.
Drizzle the glaze over each cookie, then eat these warm and gooey. Or let them cool and store them. They’re great either way!
Make these tonight, make them this weekend, or maybe even for Halloween. And then, maybe even again for Thanksgiving. Just be sure to make them soon. Trust me, after the first bite you’ll be making batch after batch. These cookies are delectable, just perfectly set on the edges, but soft and gooey in the center with just the right amount of chew.
Looking for fall cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Glazed Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Chewy Brown Sugar Maple Cookies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Butter Chewy Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 243 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Maple Glaze
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Add 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat, cooking until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Stick in the freezer to chill, 10-15 minutes, but no longer.2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the remaining 1/2 stick butter, the cooled browned butter, and the brown sugar until combined. Beat in the maple syrup, apple butter, egg, and vanilla, beating until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.4. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon size balls and place 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 2 times to flatten them down. Return to the oven and bake another 1-2 minutes or until the cookies are just beginning to set on the edges, but still doughy in the center. Remove from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times to flatten them down again. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. 6. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Melt together the butter and maple syrup in a small pot over medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt.Eat warm (highly recommended), or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
If you’re Cookie Dough is Dry: reduce the flour to 2 1/4 cups and add 1-2 tablespoons additional maple syrup
Maybe my oven was too hot but I burnt the. and I followed everything exactly Lolol I’ll try again with less baking time. Still yummy tho
Hey there,
So sorry to hear this, let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Can the dough be chilled/frozen to make ahead of time or is it best to make the dough day-of?
Hey Meredith,
Yes, you could make the dough and freeze it to use later. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try. xTieghan
Hi! I just finished baking my second batch of these cookies and have some thoughts. It is a great cookie for this time of year- the maple drizzle pairs perfectly with the cinnamon-y browned buttery-ness of the cookie. I have no idea how she got the cookies to look the way they do in her photos. I left out the chocolate chips (they confuse me in this flavor story) and the nuts (because I don’t ever put nuts in my baked goods). With my first batch, I followed the directions exactly as written. They were delicious, but flat as a pancake and definitely… limp. In my second batch, I put the browned butter in the fridge for a few hours for it to harden up. I then brought it to room temp before using it in the batter. I take my time when prepping cookie batter- let the butter and sugar cream for a good 2-3 minutes, let the mixer run for a good 5 minutes after adding the egg and apple butter/ maple syrup/ vanilla. Then just mix in the dry stuff until combined. I scooped out the dough onto the cookie sheets and popped them in the fridge for about 10 minutes before baking. I then baked the cookies for 12 minutes-with no banging of the pans. The cookies are still flat, but definitely have more bite and crispness to the edges. Anyways, not sure why I’m writing a novel about these cookies, but hope these ideas help.
Hey Emily,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xTieghan
So good very decadent
Thank you so much, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Happy Monday ? xTieghan
Just made these for my son who came home from college for the weekend and wanted choc chip cookies! I happened to have a jar of apple butter so this was perfect. Like some of the other folks, they didn’t get crispy or chewy but more cakey. Still delicious and that maple glaze is everything!!
Hey! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I really appreciate it! Happy Monday ? xTieghan
Haven’t even baked these off yet but had to give 5 stars. Wanted to make something special for a sendoff for my husband’s coworker…his team are gonna LOVE these. OMG the cookie dough is so good. It will be hard to save any for the team.
Hey! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xxTieghan
I do not like cookies and I love these. Have made them three times already this year. The best ever. Do yourself a favor and make them!!!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
These cookies are bomb. Everybody that had them when I made them went nuts. Going to be making again asap! Tieghan, I honestly don’t know how you crush it over and over again. Thank you for making me look good:)
Hey! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I hope you loved it! Happy Halloween Weekend! xTieghan
Made these for a cookie bake off for work.
The glaze took a little bit of work to get it to look like yours. I had to smack my cookie sheets a little bit more than the few times to get them to look like yours. A different taste than what I’m used to with cookies but really a good flavor. The apple butter and browned butter really make it.
Happy Thursday! So glad this recipe was enjoyed and thanks for making it! xTieghan
I’ve never loved a cookie more!!! My fiancé is also obsessed. I have made these 5 times already. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe! I added more salt then called for in the maple drizzle and it’s perfect!
Happy Thursday! So glad this recipe was enjoyed and thanks for making it! xTieghan
I didn’t like apple butter until this recipe! I only had walnuts on hand so used those instead and baked some cookies without chocolate chips. Delicious – thank you!
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
These cookies are so soft, so chewy, and so decadent! They required a few extra steps when it came to baking, but they are so worth it! I made them for friends and they couldn’t stop talking about them! One of the best cookies I have ever baked! Love me some brown’d butter!
Hi Karli! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan
Just made these! and while they taste delicious (perfect for fall), my texture turned out a little different. Unfortunately they were more cake-y than chewy and they didn’t spread out as much as I had wanted, and they’re much lighter than yours. My theory is that I didn’t brown the butter enough and maybe used a little too much flour? I will follow up if I try again with these things in mind!
My turned out the same way too, cakey. Not crispy. Bummer
Hey Stephanie! I’m so sorry about that! Yes, it could be not browning the butter long enough or too much flour! Is there anything you did differently? xTieghan
Updating my review here! I remade these and used less flour and they turned out so good! Also after stirring in the powdered sugar for the glaze, I put the bowl in the freezer to get a much thicker consistency like yours!
Really love these cookies!
Hey Stephanie,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
These smelled so good and the batter looked yummy! Mine did not flatten or spread out the way yours did. I assume it was something to do with the butter? Can you tell me what I might have done wrong?
Hi Laurie! So sorry about that! Is there anything you did differently? xTieghan
Definitely want to make these!! Any ideas on what to substitute with the pecans? My kiddo has a nut allergy :/
I would just omit them completely! xTieghan
Made these yesterday & they are so good! They smell amazing as you’re making them and they have the perfect chewy yet soft texture. Everyone in my house said the brown butter flavor made the cookies while I found the apple butter taste to stand out more! Perfect fall cookie!
Also a note: we didn’t add the pecans out of personal preference and they were still a hit! Adding this to our usual cookie recipe rotation for sure.
Hi Aimee! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Weekend 🙂 xTieghan
Just made these this weekend. So good!!! I am obsessed with the browned butter for baking now. This recipe is a top favorite. Next time I am going to leave out the chocolate chips, for these cookies are full of flavor with the browned butter/maple/apple butter.
Hey! This is awesome, I’m so happy to hear this recipe turned out the way you’d hoped! 🙂 xTieghan