These maple brown sugar crinkle cookies are soft, chewy brown sugar cookies flavored with real maple syrup and rolled in granulated sugar, then powdered sugar, so the tops crack into white and caramel patches as they bake. The recipe makes 20 to 22 cookies. Hands-on time is about 20 minutes and they bake in 10 to 12, but the dough needs at least 2 hours in the fridge first.
Dark brown sugar does most of the sweetening and gives the chew. The 1/3 cup of maple syrup gives the flavor, and it is also why the dough is soft and sticky straight from the mixer. Chilling firms it enough to scoop and keeps the cookies thick enough to crack.
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- Yield: 20 to 22 cookies from a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop
- Flour: 2 1/4 cups (280 g), weighed or spooned and leveled
- Sweeteners: 3/4 cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- Lift: 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder plus 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Chill: at least 2 hours, up to overnight
- Bake: 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, 2 inches apart
- Keeps: up to 5 days in an airtight container
Light or Dark Brown Sugar in Crinkle Cookies?
This recipe calls for dark brown sugar, and on purpose. Dark brown sugar carries more molasses, which means more moisture, a sturdier chew and a deeper caramel flavor that holds its own next to the maple. The cracks also look darker against the white sugar.
Light brown sugar works if that is what you have. Use the same 3/4 cup, packed. The cookies come out paler and milder, the maple fades a little, and they dry out a day or so sooner. If you want a gentler maple cookie altogether, my brown sugar maple cookies are the better fit.
Which Maple Syrup to Bake With
Use pure maple syrup, ideally labeled Grade A dark or amber. Darker syrup has a stronger flavor that survives the oven. A very light syrup mostly disappears into the dough.
Pancake syrup is not a swap. It is mostly corn syrup with flavoring, so you get sweetness without real maple, and the dough turns looser. Whatever you use, that third of a cup is liquid, which is the reason this dough cannot skip the fridge.
Creaming, Mixing and the 2 Hour Chill
Beat the soft butter with the dark brown sugar and the 1/4 cup granulated sugar on medium for 2 to 3 minutes, until paler and fluffy. Add the egg, scrape the bowl, then pour in the maple syrup and vanilla. Right after the syrup goes in the mixture can look curdled. Keep mixing for another 30 seconds and it turns smooth and glossy.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Add them in two or three batches on low speed, stopping as soon as no flour shows. Extra mixing here makes the cookies cakey.
The dough should look like this: thick and soft, too sticky to roll. Cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. Cold butter melts more slowly in the oven, so the outside dries and cracks before the cookie has time to spread. Bake the dough warm and you get flat, cakey cookies with only a few faint cracks.
Rolling in Two Sugars for the Crinkle Tops
Scoop the cold dough with a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Roll it in the granulated sugar first, then in the powdered sugar, heavily, until no dough shows through. The granulated layer dries the surface so the powdered sugar stays on top instead of melting in.
The cracks come from the baking powder and soda. They push the center up while the sugared outside dries and sets, so the coat splits into patches. On a warm day, keep the balls you are not rolling in the fridge.
Spotting the Moment the Cookies Are Done
Space the balls 2 inches apart and bake at 350°F. Start checking at 10 minutes. They are ready when the cracks have opened, the edges look set and the centers still look puffy and a bit underdone. Do not wait for browned edges, or the middles dry out.
Leave them on the sheet for 5 minutes. They sink a little and finish setting there. Then move them to a rack to cool completely.
Flat, Crackless or Gray Maple Crinkles
- Flat with few cracks: the dough was too warm or chilled less than 2 hours, or the baking powder is old. Chill longer and test your leavener.
- Gray tops where the white sugar vanished: the granulated layer was skipped, the powdered sugar coat was too thin, or the cookies were covered while still warm.
- Cakey and dry: too much flour packed into the cup, overmixing, or baking past 12 minutes. Weighing 280 g of flour fixes most of it.
- Too sticky to scoop even after chilling: give it another hour in the fridge and dust your hands with powdered sugar while rolling.
Making the Dough Ahead and Freezing Dough Balls
Covered, the dough keeps in the fridge overnight. That is the easiest way to split the work for a holiday: mix in the evening, bake the next day. For longer, scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray, then bag them. They keep for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and roll them in both sugars just before baking. Skip coating them before freezing, because the powdered sugar turns wet and gray as the dough thaws.
Baked cookies keep up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature, with parchment between the layers. After a day or two the powdered sugar slowly soaks into the tops; a light dusting before serving brings the contrast back. Pack them only once fully cool. Powdered sugar smudges on warm cookies.
Doubling or Halving the Crinkle Dough
The recipe doubles with no changes. To halve it, beat the egg in a cup and use half, about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Using a whole egg in a half batch makes the cookies puffy and cakey. Whatever the batch size, keep the 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop. Smaller cookies dry out before they crack, and bigger ones stay raw in the middle when the edges are done.
A Thanksgiving Cookie Box With Maple Crinkles
These hold their shape in a tin, which makes them good for a Thanksgiving cookie box. Put them next to something crisp, like brown sugar maple shortbread cookies, and something darker, like dark chocolate brown sugar cookies. For a fancier maple cookie on the same tray, my brown sugar maple meringue cookies pipe a crisp maple meringue swirl over a small brown sugar cookie.
If you like the double sugar roll, it works the same way in pecan pie crinkle cookies, molasses crinkle cookies and gingerbread crinkle cookies, each with its own spice and chew.
What Bakers Ask About Maple Crinkles
What are brown sugar crinkle cookies?
Brown sugar crinkle cookies are soft cookies sweetened mostly with brown sugar and rolled in sugar so the tops crack as they bake. This version adds 1/3 cup of maple syrup for flavor.
Can I skip chilling the dough?
No. The maple syrup makes the dough too soft to scoop warm, and unchilled dough spreads flat with very few cracks. Two hours is the minimum.
Can I use maple extract instead of maple syrup?
Not as a direct swap. The dough is balanced around 1/3 cup of liquid syrup, so leaving it out changes the texture and the bake.
Can I leave out the cinnamon?
Yes. The 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon is optional; without it the maple and brown sugar come through more clearly.
Maple Brown Sugar Crinkle Cookies
These maple brown sugar crinkle cookies are soft, chewy brown sugar crinkle cookies made with dark brown sugar, pure maple syrup, butter, vanilla and a little cinnamon, rolled in granulated and then powdered sugar. The recipe makes 20 to 22 cookies that bake in 10 to 12 minutes at 350°F after at least 2 hours of chilling, with crackled white tops and soft centers. Chilling firms the syrup-rich dough so the sugar coat dries and splits before the cookies spread. Bake these maple crinkle cookies for Thanksgiving cookie boxes, fall cookie swaps, holiday trays or lunchboxes. Light brown sugar works for a milder cookie; the dough keeps overnight, unbaked balls freeze for a month, and baked cookies keep 5 days.
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup (Grade A dark or amber recommended)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until fully combined. Set aside.
- CREAM THE BUTTER AND SUGARS: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- ADD THE WET INGREDIENTS: Add the egg to the creamed mixture and beat until incorporated. Then pour in the maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix until the batter is smooth and glossy.
- COMBINE DRY AND WET: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in two or three additions, mixing on low speed after each until just combined. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
- CHILL THE DOUGH: Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. This step is important for proper texture and crackling.
- PREHEAT AND PREP: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop the chilled dough into balls using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop.
- ROLL IN SUGAR: Roll each dough ball first in granulated sugar, then generously coat in powdered sugar. This two-step coating creates the signature crinkle effect when baked.
- BAKE: Arrange the sugar-coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are cracked and the cookies look just set around the edges.
- COOL AND SERVE: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They will firm up as they cool while staying soft in the center.
Notes
Use pure maple syrup, ideally Grade A dark or amber; pancake syrup will not work. Chill the dough at least 2 hours or overnight, because warm dough spreads flat with few cracks. Roll each ball in granulated sugar first, then coat it heavily in powdered sugar. Pull the cookies when the cracks have opened and the centers still look puffy. For make-ahead, freeze uncoated dough balls for up to a month, thaw overnight in the fridge, then roll in both sugars and bake. Store baked cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, and let them cool completely before packing for gifts. To halve the recipe, use half a beaten egg.
Nutrition Information
Yield
22Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 173Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 4gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 25mgSodium 117mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 0gSugar 17gProtein 2g
