To begin with, let me start by letting you know that these mouth watering cookies will have you falling in love with fall at this time every single year.
I have 16 reasons to fall in love with Fall just like I do every year, and these cookies are now on that list.
It’s no secret that an influx of Pumpkin Spice this and Pumpkin Cold Brew that are everywhere.
Almost in an instant, we are reminded that anything vanilla spice, maple, chai, or coconut become the step sister to Pumpkin Spice.
To demonstrate my point, it’s only September and I’ve already seen enough people posting their Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte on Instagram stories.
Being the curious researcher that I am, I looked to Google to answer this question for me:
When did pumpkin spice lattes become so popular?
Truth, it was the glorious year in 2003 and Starbucks is to blame. As can be seen by the picture, this recipe calls for people who are not pumpkin seekers.
What’s more, these cookies are the perfect jumpstart to Fall because of their beautiful colors and ingredients that send your heart swooning.
Equally important are these ingredients, be sure to save this ingredient list right now while I have your attention.
One glance on Pinterest, and the name alone was all I needed to send me running to the store to make these at home.
Most importantly, I wanted to find out for myself if these cookies were as good as Sally made them look in the picture.
Read more to find out my honest thoughts about these cookies.
The first thing I asked myself when making these cookies for my blog, what are some questions someone new to the Maple Family would have.
The difference between maple sugar and brown sugar lies primarily in the taste. Maple sugar has caramel notes accompanied with a woodsy maple flavor that is similar to what you taste in maple syrup.
Comparatively, many people often say that you taste vanilla, cinnamon, and even notes of hazelnut.
Brown sugar is made from sugar cane and you won’t find any notes of maple with this type of sugar.
Brown sugar flavor is pulled from molasses which also is the reason why the sugar is brown.
Maple syrup is extremely hard to find on aisles where you would normally find vanilla, coconut, or almond extract.
I suggest you calling your local stores before heading out because after 5 stores, I ended up doing the same thing.
Also, if you’re the impatient type, place an order a couple days before your baking day on Amazon to avoid running into the issue of not being able to find it in stores.
As far as baking with a liquid sweetener, it’s up to you. It’s important to note that maple syrup is just as sweet as sugar so you’re all good here. Another great liquid sweetener to use is molasses.
Maple syrup is pricey due to the process of making it. Get this, it takes 30-50 gallons of sap to make ONE gallon of syrup. As an illustration, this amount of sap takes one single mature maple tree an entire sugaring season to produce.
That is to say, all of the meticulous steps lend itself to the price point of maple syrup.
Great question. It’s so key that I leave you for other options because there might be a few of you who do not like maple flavor foods. A great substitute to maple syrup is honey and brown sugar syrup.
Are you ready for this?
2. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high 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.
3. Pour the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until combined. Add the pecans, then beat on low speed until combined. The dough should start to feel creamy and soft.
4. Cover and chill the dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper and place them to the side. Trust me, you will need the parchment paper because you’ll end up with at least 20 cookies.
6. Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie. Make sure you space the cookie doughball at least 3 inches apart. This cookie scoop happens to be my favorite one to use when baking cookies. Bake each batch for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft and that’s a great sign.
7. Remove from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool off for at least 5-7 mins before transferring to the wire rack.
8. MAKING THE ICING: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar. The icing really takes no more than 10 minutes to set, and as long as the cookies are cooled, taste and enjoy.
Obviously, these cookies passed the test and I enjoyed the Maple aroma these cookies created in my house.
I fell hard for these cookies and so, these will be a repeat for sure in my household for parties, dinners, holidays and more.
One piece of advice I will leave with you is to set your measured ingredients to the side so that you’re organized.
I work better this way versus scrambling to get my measuring cups and spoons as I’m reading off the recipe.
