Maple Leaf Cookies
Fall is in the air and the shift in the weather has us all back in the kitchen baking, so let’s make a batch of homemade maple leaf sandwich cookies! The cookies are a must make treat for the season in appearance and taste, featuring flavorful ingredients and a delicious creamy maple buttercream filling. Inspired by the Canadian maple leaf cookies we often bring home from Canada, but even better since they’re homemade! My hubby gave these maple cookies the stamp of approval and I think you will too, once you give them a try!
Maple Leaf Cookies
Delicious homemade maple leaf sandwich cookies filled with the sweet maple flavored buttercream and dusted in edible gold. An elevated spin on store-bought Canadian maple cookies, fitting for the fall season. (Dairy Free option)
Maple cookie inspiration
I made these maple cookies for fall and my hubby. As a Canadian living in the US, they’re one of his favorite treats that we often bring home when visiting the mainland. They certainly align with autumn, with sweet mapley flavor and aroma sure to fill your home while baking.
How the cookies taste
In addition to smelling amazing, the maple leaf cookies taste just as good, checking all the warm and cozy boxes. Buttery and crisp cookies, made with brown sugar and a splash of maple extract for depth of flavor, paired with the yummiest maple filling. You’ll enjoy notes of vanilla, caramel, and molasses and even a pinch of salt, all of which come together for the ultimate crisp maple flavored cookie!
How do you make maple cookies?
Making these maple leaf cookies is as simple as making a batch of sugar cookies. The cookies will take about 30 minutes to cut out and bake from start to finish. In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) mix the butter, sugar together until combined, then stirring in the eggs, vanilla and maple extract. Then mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the egg and butter mixture, mixing until the bowl is clean and the dough attaches to the paddle.
Once the dough has formed, roll it out to 1/4″ thick onto parchment,
cutting the shapes far enough apart that you can peel away the excess dough and transfer directly to the oven for baking. This will ensure that the cookies maintain their shape.
Once baked, let cookies fully cool before decorating.
Maple Buttercream
While the cookies are baking, prepare the maple buttercream. The recipe I use calls for plant based ingredients but regular butter also works well in the recipe.
Mix butter, salt and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes.) Then mix in vanilla extract and maple extract until thoroughly combined. Transfer maple buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round piping nozzle (12) and set aside until cookies are ready to fill.
Decorating and filling the maple cookies
Decorations
Although I love icing decorations, I also love the simplicity of these bare maple cookies, with a focus on the shape and flavor. The brown sugar naturally enhances the color of cookies, while the easy leaf veining can be completed with a paring knife just before baking. Once baked and assembled, sprinkle with a light dusting of edible gold and glitter for an easy finishing touch!
Filling
Filling the cookies is also easy! Stack one cookie on top of the other, filling the centers with the maple buttercream. Start by matching the maple cookies in pairs.
Place the first cookie on a flat surface and pipe buttercream onto the surface of the cookie, following the leaf design.
Top with the second maple cookie, then dust with glitter and gold and enjoy!
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Maple Leaf Cookies
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen+ 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Maple Leaf Cookies
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
Delicious homemade maple leaf sandwich cookies, filled with the sweet maple flavored buttercream and dusted in edible gold. An elevated spin on store-bought Canadian maple cookies, fitting for the fall season. (Dairy Free option)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups plant based butter (or real butter softened)
- 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp maple extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour (+ extra, for rolling)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp tsp salt
- Maple leaf cookie cutter
- Edible glitter and gold leaf (optional)
- 3/4 cups plant based butter (or real butter softened)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple extract
- piping bag
- Wilton round tip 12
Instructions
Maple Leaf Cookies:
- Pour measured flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, mix butter and sugar together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl.
- Beat the egg, vanilla extract and maple extract into the butter and sugars until smooth and fully combined.
- Pour dry flour mixture into the butter, egg and sugar mixing on medium.
- Mix until the the cookie dough forms and attaches to the paddle..
- The mixing bowl should be mostly clean when the dough is ready to roll out.
- No chilling required.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Lightly flour a rolling pin and a sheet of parchment paper.
- Roll out the sugar cookie dough to about 1/4 ” thick.
- Cut the dough into leaf shapes using a leaf shaped cookie cutter.
- Leave about 1″ between each cut cookie.
- Use a paring knife to create the veining on the leaves, cutting a vertical line in the center of each cookie followed by two diagonal lines on the outer leaves and smaller lines to complete the look.
- Remove the excess dough surrounding each cut shape, then transfer the cookies on parchment to a baking sheet and place in the oven.
- Bake in the middle rack for 5 minutes. 6 minutes if you prefer a crisper cookie.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.
- Repeat steps for remaining dough.
Maple Buttercream:
- Mix butter, sugar and salt together on medium until light and fluffy.
- Then mix in vanilla and maple extract, mixing until fully combined.
- Transfer to piping bag fitted with round tip.
- Set aside to assemble.
Assemby:
- Start by matching the maple cookies in pairs.
- Place the first cookie on a flat surface and pipe buttercream onto the top of the cookie, covering the surface.
- Be careful not to pipe too much buttercream onto the cookies, or it will ooze out the sized once sandwiched.
- Top with the second maple cookie and squish together creating a sandwich.
- Dust with glitter and gold.
- Set the cookies aside for about an hour for the flavors to mingle.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Store the cookies in an airtight container or ziplock for 2 days. Or freeze for up to 6 months.
Make a quick batch of these maple cookies for fall themed gatherings or even for Thanksgiving!
They look beautiful plated as you can see and would also make lovely homemade gifts when packaged.
If you enjoyed today’s recipe be sure to give it a share or save and tag me over on instagram if you five the recipe a try! @poshlittledesigns.
You can also visit my amazon link for all the supplies you’ll need to make a batch of these maple cookies!
More seasonal recipes are on the way soon!
This post titled Maple Leaf Cookies was seen first on Posh Little Designs. All Rights Reserved. 2024.
Hi,
Is it possible to substitute real maple for some of the sugar instead of using maple extract?
Hello, I have not tried this but I imagine it would be okay. I would recommend increasing the flour 1 tbsp at a time to make up for addition of the maple syrup.