Welcome to the last day of #AKCookieWeek 2019! I hope you all have enjoyed the recipes this year and have made a few. And if you haven’t yet, you must. You can check out all my cookie recipes right here.
Today’s recipe came from a love of pure maple syrup. It’s one of my favorite natural sweeteners to use and I pretty much love it on anything and everything: drizzled on my oatmeal, in maple granola, in the pockets of my grandma’s waffles, or even on salmon. And remember those Quarker oatmeal packets? Everyone knows the maple brown sugar was the absolute best.
So while dreaming up cookie week recipes, I somehow started to imagine that sweet maple syrup flavor infused into a cozy cookie that was made up of delectable brown butter, brown sugar and chewy oats. What could be better?!
Ingredients + tips to make these maple pecan oatmeal cookies
- Brown butter. The flavor profile is nutty, sweet, toasty and reminiscent of a caramel hazelnut flavor. If you aren’t sure how to brown butter, you can refer to my tutorial here. Tip: make sure your brown butter is cool enough to touch before using. I usually set it aside to cool for 10-15 minutes before making the recipe. Also, be sure to scrape every bit of brown butter from your pan.
- Dark brown sugar. This recipe calls for dark brown sugar. The brown sugar helps to keep the cookies softer and chewier in the middle, yet still allows for crispy, delicious edges. Normally I choose dark brown sugar because it has a tiny bit more molasses in the flavoring, which again, helps to achieve an out of this world cookie. Don’t worry though, light brown sugar also works.
- Pure maple syrup. Sweet maple syrup flavor takes these cookies to the next level! Make sure it’s PURE and not the fake stuff.
- Egg. Only one is needed.
- Pecans. I love the texture and crunch pecans bring to the cookies. SO GOOD.
- Oats. Make sure you use old-fashioned rolled oats in this recipe. Do not use quick oats or steel cut oats.
- Chilled dough. Yes, this recipe requires you to chill the dough, but only for for a little bit and I promise it’s worth it. Chilling cookie dough allows the cookies to create a smooth caramel flavor, with crispy brown edges, plus a chewy interior.
The addicting salted maple icing
The sweet salted maple icing truly makes these cookies AMAZING and I don’t recommend skipping it. It’s simple to make and will harden on the cookies after a bit.
How to freeze cookie dough for later
I LOVE freezing extra cookie dough because that way I can pop them in the oven whenever I want and it’s great when you want to bring something to a party or to a loved one’s house, but don’t feel like having a baking extravaganza. To freeze cookie dough for baking later:
- After dough is done chilling in the fridge for at least an hour, roll the cookie dough into balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. This is known as a flash freeze.
- Once the cookie dough balls firm up, you can transfer them to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container. Cookie dough will keep well for up to 3 months.
- When ready to bake, simply bake cookies as directed in the recipe. You’ll likely just need to add a few extra minutes of baking time! Enjoy.
How to freeze maple oatmeal cookies cookies for later
If you want to freeze the already baked maple oatmeal for later, simply wait for them to cool completely, then transfer them to a reusable freezer-safe bag or container lined with wax or parchment paper. I like to place them in a single layer to avoid any cookies breaking. Cookies will keep well for up to 2 months. Once ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature, and ice them.
#AKCookieWeek Giveaway Details:
We’ll be selecting one lucky person to win a 5-Quart KitchenAid Stand Mixer (in color of choice) at the end of #AKCookieWeek. To enter:
- Share any of your Ambitious Kitchen cookie recipe creations by posting a photo to Instagram or in our private AK Facebook group with the hashtag #AKCookieWeek. On Instagram your profile must be public and you must post a photo in your feed (not on stories) in order for the entry to count.
- The more you share, the great your chance of winning!
- 18+ USA only.
Winner will be randomly selected on 12/12 and contacted via Instagram or Facebook.
If you make these cookies, please leave a comment and rate the recipe below! Thanks for participating in cookie week. xo!
Iced Brown Butter Maple Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Amazing brown butter maple pecan oatmeal cookies with hints of pure maple syrup and caramel flavor in every bite. These incredible oatmeal cookies are crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle and are finished with an addicting salted maple icing.
- Wet ingredients:
-
½
cup
unsalted butter -
½
cup
packed dark brown sugar -
1/3
cup
pure maple syrup -
1
egg, at room temperature -
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract - Dry ingredients:
-
1
cup
all purpose flour -
1
cup
old fashioned rolled oats -
½
teaspoon
baking soda -
½
teaspoon
cinnamon -
1/4
teaspoon
salt -
½
cup
chopped pecans - For salted maple icing:
-
1
cup
powdered sugar -
2
tablespoon
pure maple syrup -
1
tablespoon
butter, melted -
1
tablespoon
milk to thin icing, plus a teaspoon or two more if necessary to thin icing -
Pinch
of sea salt, to taste
Brown your butter: melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Transfer to a bowl to cool for 5-10 minutes, or until cool enough to touch.
Add every last bit of the brown butter, brown sugar and pure maple syrup to the bowl of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and well combined. Next add in the egg and vanilla and mix again until smooth, creamy and well combined. It’s very important to make sure your egg is at room temperature (you can do so by running warm water over the egg for 1 min).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed just until combined. Next, add in chopped pecans and mix on low speed until combined. Chill dough in fridge for about 30-60 minutes.
Once ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a medium cookie scoop or your hands to grab a large heaping tablespoon full of dough. Roll into balls and place on the prepared cookie sheet, leaving at least 2 inches of space between each cookie.
Bake cookies 9-12 minutes. If you like cookies with a crispy edges, bake for about 12 minutes. If you like softer cookies, bake for 9-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool the cookies on sheets about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes about 18 cookies.
Once cookies have cooled you can make the icing: add powdered sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, milk and salt to a bowl. Mix to combine. Icing should be smooth and spoonable. Spoon 2 teaspoonfuls of icing onto each cookie and spread out a little. Return to wire rack to let the icing harden.
Nutrition
Servings: 18 cookies
Serving size: 1 cookie with icing
Calories: 171kcal
Fat: 8.7g
Saturated fat: 3.8g
Carbohydrates: 24.7g
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 14.2g
Protein: 1.9g
