If you love maple, these soft and chewy Maple Pecan Cookies are packed with maple flavor! Made with brown butter for a deep, nutty flavor that enhances the sweet maple, these cookies are perfectly balanced with crunchy pecans. They’re the perfect fall cookie!
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Fall is my favorite season because of all the delicious flavors and the beautiful red and orange leaves. I wanted to create a cookie that felt like fall, and these Maple Pecan Cookies are just that.
They’re soft, chewy, and perfectly sweet, with chopped pecans adding a little crunch to every bite. If you’re looking for a new cookie to bake this fall, you need to try these!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted butter: Brown butter gives these cookies a deep, nutty flavor that makes the maple flavor shine. Try my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!
- Brown and granulated sugar: More brown sugar helps keep these cookies soft and chewy while adding to their rich, caramel-like flavor.
- Eggs: Help bind the ingredients together and give the cookies structure.
- Maple extract: I used maple syrup in my first attempt at these cookies, but it didn’t give me the maple flavor I wanted. Maple extract made all the difference!
- All-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch: These pantry staples give the cookies structure while keeping them soft and tender.
- Cinnamon: Adds another touch of fall flavor that pairs perfectly with the maple and pecans.
- Pecans: Chopped pecans add a little crunch and a delicious nutty flavor to these cookies.
Tip: Store your pecans and other baking nuts in the freezer to help them stay fresh longer. You can pull them straight from the freezer and add them to your baked goods without thawing!
How to Make Maple Pecan Cookies
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter: In a medium skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the butter turns amber in color and small brown specks form on the bottom of the pan. You’ll also notice a delicious, nutty smell. This usually takes about 5–8 minutes. Watch the butter carefully so it doesn’t burn. Pour the brown butter into a heatproof bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
- Mix the butter and sugars: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and well combined.
- Add the eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the maple extract: Add the maple extract and mix until combined.
- Mix in the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and cornstarch. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fold in the pecans: Add the chopped pecans and fold them into the dough until evenly distributed.
- Scoop and bake: Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden while the centers still look soft. Be careful not to overbake! The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
- Cool the cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy them warm or let them cool completely!
Helpful Tools
- Kitchen Scale: This kitchen scale has great reviews.
- Measuring cups and spoons: I use and love this set of measuring cups and spoons.
- Saucepan: This stainless steel saucepan has great reviews.
- Rubber spatula: These rubber spatulas are a best seller.
- Rimmed baking sheets: I love these Nordic Ware baking sheets.
- Cookie Scoop: I love and use this cookie scoop set.
- Parchment paper: Using parchment paper makes for a better cookie and easier to clean up.
More Fall Recipes You’ll Love
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread – You need to make this asap!
- Oatmeal Caramel Butterscotch Cookies – A delicious combination of chewy oats and sweet butterscotch.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake – Try this instead of pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year!
Maple Pecan Cookies Recipe
These soft and chewy Maple Pecan Cookies combine rich brown butter, sweet maple extract, warm cinnamon, and crunchy pecans for a delicious fall treat.
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheets
- parchment paper
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Skillet or saucepan
- rubber spatula
- Kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups (320 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) maple extract
- 2 ½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 1 teaspoon (3 g) cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (4.6 g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 g) cornstarch
- 1 cup (112 g) chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Brown the butter: In a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking and stirring until the butter turns amber in color and small brown specks appear on the bottom of the pan. This takes about 5-8 minutes. Be careful not to burn the butter. Pour the brown butter into a heatproof bowl and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Mix the butter and sugars: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until smooth.
- Add the eggs: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the maple: Add the maple extract and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix with a rubber spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add the chopped pecans: Fold in the pecans until evenly incorporated.
- Portion the dough: Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are beginning to turn slightly golden while the centers still look soft.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
