Maple Shortbread Cookies

Maple syrup typically plays a supporting role in desserts, adding heft to recipes (and their names) like apple-maple blondies or maple-orange pear crisp. But in these maple shortbread cookies, the tree-tapped sweetener is the whole shebang. From the tender, buttery, leaf-shaped maple cookies to the maple syrup glaze on top, there’s no shortage of the cookie’s namesake flavor.

Ingredients for Maple Shortbread Cookies

• Butter: Soften two sticks of butter to room temperature to whip them easily with the sugar.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar is best here for a crispy exterior, but you can use light brown sugar instead if you want a very soft cookie.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch binds the ingredients, giving the cookies a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Maple flavoring: Maple flavoring is not maple syrup. It’s basically the maple version of vanilla extract, so it’s very concentrated.
• All-purpose flour: No need for any fancy flour here. Cookies turn out best with all-purpose flour thanks to its mix of hard and soft wheat.
• Confectioners’ sugar: If your confectioners’ sugar is looking a little clumpy, sift it before mixing it with the maple syrup. Even teeny, tiny lumps will be noticeable in the glaze.
• Maple syrup: Don’t be fooled by misleading syrup bottles. Pancake syrup and maple syrup are not the same thing, and the former is filled with corn syrup and preservatives. Buy a quality maple syrup so you know it’s both real and will taste its best.

Directions

Step 1: Make the cookie dough and let it chill

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, sugar and cornstarch until they’re blended. Beat in the maple flavoring, then gradually add the all-purpose flour so the flour doesn’t fly out of the bowl.

Editor’s Tip: I like to cream the butter and sugar together on high for about seven minutes, allowing the sugar to dissolve and introducing air pockets into the dough, which creates more tender cookies. You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer to make the job easier.

Step 2: Chill cookie dough

Shape the cookie dough into a disk. Wrap the disk tightly in storage wrap and refrigerate it until it’s firm enough to roll, about 45 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: At this point, you could even decide to leave your dough in the fridge for 24 hours. Chilling cookie dough for that long hydrates the flour, making the cookies more flavorful and tender.

Step 3: Roll and cut out dough

Preheat the oven to 325°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut it with a floured 2-3/4-inch maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Place the cutouts 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.

Step 4: Bake

Bake the cookies until the edges are light brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheets for a few minutes to firm up, then remove the cookies from the pans to wire racks to cool completely to room temperature.

Step 5: Decorate with the maple glaze

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and maple syrup until they’re completely smooth. Spread or drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Let the cookies stand until they’re set.

Recipe Variations

• Include nuts: Chopped pecans, almonds, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts would add a lovely nutty sweetness to the cookies. I like to toast the nuts first to deepen their flavors. It’s always worth the effort.
• Add orange zest: A bit of orange zest makes a lovely, bright pairing with the deeply sweet maple syrup. Add about 1 teaspoon of orange zest to the cookie dough when mixing the wet ingredients.
• Turn them into sandwiches: Take the deliciousness one step further and turn these cookies into sandwiches. Whip up the vanilla bean frosting recipe from our gingerbread crinkle cookie sandwiches. Pipe it on the bottom of half the cookies and place the other cookies on top.

How to Store Maple Shortbread Cookies

Store maple shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They can be kept for up to four days. If you find that the cookies are drying out a bit, stick a piece of sandwich bread in the container. The cookies will absorb the bread’s moisture and soften.

Can you freeze maple shortbread cookies?

Yes, you can freeze maple shortbread cookies, but only if they’re not glazed. To freeze the cookie dough, form it into a disk, wrap it in a few layers of storage wrap and freeze it for up to two months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before rolling it out and cutting it.

To freeze baked cookies, allow them to cool to room temperature, then transfer them to an airtight container with pieces of parchment or waxed paper between stacks to prevent them from sticking. Thaw the cookies on the counter for about an hour, then glaze them.

Maple Shortbread Cookies Tips

Can you make maple shortbread cookies gluten-free?

We haven’t officially tested this maple shortbread cookie recipe with gluten-free flour, but I always have luck making cookies gluten-free with King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour as a 1-to-1 replacement for all-purpose flour. It’s one of the best gluten-free flour blends! For anyone particularly sensitive to gluten, double-check that all other packaged goods are certified gluten-free.

How can you thicken the maple glaze?

To thicken the maple glaze, simply add more confectioners’ sugar to the bowl. Start with 1 tablespoon at a time and whisk until it reaches your desired consistency. If you accidentally add too much, simply thin it out with additional maple syrup, milk or water.

What if I don’t have a maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter?

If you don’t have a maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter, no worries! Use whatever cookie cutters you do have, even if they’re simple shapes like circles or squares. You can use other autumnal-shaped cookie cutters, but just remember that using shapes like pumpkins or apples might make people associate the flavor with the cookie shape, so be very vocal that the flavor is maple.

Also, if using cookie cutters smaller or larger than 2-3/4 inch, make sure to adjust the baking time. Larger cookies will take longer to bake, and smaller cookies will take less time to bake.