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Easy Maple Walnut Cookies Recipe

Easy Maple Walnut Cookies

Soft, buttery maple cookies filled with crunchy walnuts and made with pure maple syrup. This simple drop-cookie recipe yields about 30–36 cookies with lightly golden edges and tender centers.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 30 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookie Dough
  • 1 cup Unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup Packed light brown sugar
  • 1 Large egg
  • 1/2 cup Pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon Maple extract or maple flavoring, optional
Dry Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Fine salt
Add-In
  • 1 cup Walnuts, finely or coarsely chopped

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Beat the softened butter and packed brown sugar for 2–3 minutes, until light and creamy.
  3. Beat in the egg, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and optional maple extract until combined.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and fine salt together in a separate bowl.
  5. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, stopping as soon as the dough comes together.
  6. Fold in the chopped walnuts. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes if it feels soft or sticky.
  7. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
  8. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden while the centers still look slightly soft.
  9. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.

Notes

Use pure maple syrup rather than pancake syrup for the cleanest flavor. For richer walnut flavor, toast the walnuts at 350°F (175°C) for 6–8 minutes, cool them completely, and then chop them. Do not overbake; the centers should look just set because the cookies continue cooking on the hot baking sheet.