These incredible Maple Brown Sugar Cookies will blow your guests away with their festive vibe and addictive flavor! With a ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom spice combination that tastes like Christmas, you won't be able to stop at just one.
With a little maple syrup in the cookie dough and the glaze, there is an unmistakable late Fall/early Winter vibe as you transition from the pumpkin and apple flavors of Thanksgiving to spiced holiday cookies!
While these Maple Brown Sugar Cookies are delicious all Fall and Winter long, I think they are at their best for the Thanksgiving through New Years Holiday Season! If you haven't tried something like this before, you'll be thrilled to experience a brand new holiday cookie!
While not one of the traditional Christmas cookies, the flavors fit right in with all of our favorites. Without a doubt, they will be the first Christmas Cookie I make after Thanksgiving every year, since they mark the perfect transition between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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This flavor combination was inspired by the maple syrup in my Gluten-Free Fried Pumpkin Donut Holes, the cinnamon and cardamom combo in my Gluten-Free Apple Pie, and the gingerbread spices of my Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake.
For more amazing classic Christmas and Holiday cookies, be sure to check out my:
- Gluten-Free Monster Cookies with holiday themed M&Ms!
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Coconut Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Spiced Paleo Molasses Cookies
- Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Cut Outs
- Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies
Or consider making these delicious gluten-free holiday cookies into Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches.
And for more Christmas dessert favorites, check out my Unforgettable Christmas Rocky Road, Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake, Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake, and a number of tasty hot chocolate recipes in my GF Drink Recipes archive!
How to make it (with photos)
Ingredients Notes + Substitutions
You need maple syrup plus common Christmas cookie ingredients to make these flavorful maple brown sugar cookies!
Wet Ingredients
- Butter - Use regular butter or vegan buttery sticks for dairy-free! We've used both with great results. I used salted butter in this recipe but you can use unsalted butter and add an extra ¼ teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients.
- Egg (or potato starch + water for egg-free) - If you're making these egg-free or vegan, add 3 tablespoons of water to the wet ingredients and 1 tablespoon of potato or cornstarch to the dry ingredients. It's my favorite egg replacement for cookies. You can't tell they are egg-free with this substitution! Right now, since my daughter can't have eggs, I make the egg-free version unless I'm recipe testing and passing them off to the neighbors.
You will also need brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
Dry Ingredients
- Gluten-free All Purpose Flour - For cookies, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour is hands-down my favorite gluten-free all purpose flour for cookies. Lately, I buy the 25 pound bag and find it's a great value for gluten-free flour.
- Cardamom - Ground cinnamon is an easy replacement for cardamom. However, cardamom is definitely my 2023 baking spice of the season! I also use it in my Gluten-Free Apple Pie and it has such a cozy vibe. I recommend picking some up. You can use it as a partial replacement for cinnamon in any recipe that calls for it.
You will also need baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt.
Maple Glaze
You need these common ingredients for the simple maple glaze:
- powdered sugar
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- milk or water
See the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Only 6 easy steps and 30 minutes are needed to make this recipe!
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Wet Ingredients: To a large mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined.
- Dry Ingredients: To a medium mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and whisk together. Then add this gluten-free flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Prepare for baking: Drop the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet in rounded tablespoons, leaving 2 inches between cookies. I like to use a melon baller. They should be roughly round but you do not need to roll the dough into compact balls.
- Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is set. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Maple Glaze: Meanwhile, add the maple glaze ingredients to a small bowl. Whisk together. When the cookies have cooled to a point where they can be pushed closer together without losing their shape, drizzle them with glaze. Enjoy!
Jamie's Note
It can be so easy to fuss over complicated Christmas cookies, trying to get them just right! For this cookie, you can take it easy and enjoy the holiday baking process.
They don't need to be refrigerated, or rolled into balls, which makes them come together effortlessly. And they are unbelievably delicious!
Recipe FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about making Maple Brown Sugar Cookies. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments and we'll get back to you within two business days!
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This cookie dough does not need to be refrigerated before baking. Let the butter and egg come to room temperature before making the dough. Do not melt the butter.
Related Gluten-Free Christmas Cookies...
Looking for more holiday and gluten-free Christmas cookie recipes like this one? Try these other favorites!
For more Winter Holiday and Christmas Desserts, check out my Unforgettable Christmas Rocky Road, Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake, Dairy Free Tiramisu, and S'mores Bites.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card or comment field below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe
Maple Brown Sugar Cookies (gluten-free)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter , softened at room temperature (170 grams)
- ¾ cup brown sugar , lightly packed (150 grams)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (79 ml)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour (287 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
Maple Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (113 grams)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk or water
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Wet Ingredients: To a large mixing bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined.
- Dry Ingredients: To a medium mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and whisk together. Then add this gluten-free flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Prepare for baking: Drop the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet in rounded tablespoons, leaving 2 inches between cookies. I like to use a melon baller. They should be roughly round but you do not need to roll the dough into compact balls.
- Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is set. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Maple Glaze: Meanwhile, add the maple glaze ingredients to a small bowl. Whisk together. When the cookies have cooled to a point where they can be pushed together without losing their shape, drizzle them with glaze. Enjoy!
Amber says
Can I use regular all purpose flour instead? Or will it mess the recipe up?
Jamie says
Hi Amber! While I haven't tried making this recipe with regular all purpose flour myself, I have friends who have and it worked great for them. Use the same amount of flour by weight, which is equivalent to 2 1/3 cups of regular all purpose flour. It's a bit more than gluten-free flour because gluten-free flour weighs more.
Charlotte says
OMG just make these! They are gingery and delicious. I bought cardamom just for this recipe and am a fan!
Leslie says
Loved how easy this recipe was and that there was not refrigeration needed. They are truly ready in under 30 minutes!
Jamie says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them Leslie!
Lili says
Wow these are top notch. I made them exactly as written with the vegan substitutions and was blown away! Next time I’ll freeze some immediately because I ate like 6 on the first day lol
Jamie says
Thank you for the review! We often make them with the vegan subs in my house too.
Amy says
I threw these together in one-bowl because I was in a rush to make something for my daughter’s dance class. They turned out great and were a hit!
Jamie says
I'm so glad the one-bowl method worked! Thank you for the review Amy!
Emily says
My whole family loved these! A must-make holiday cookie.
Jamie says
I'm so glad your family enjoyed them!
Leila says
These are a new holiday cookie for me!!! After eating about half the dough I finally made them and added the glaze. SO good! My daughter requested that I make them for Christmas too ☺️
Jamie says
Awww thank you for sharing Leila!
Krista says
These are amazing! I don’t usually comment on blogs but I am so excited for this cookies. My boyfriend doesn’t eat gluten free but he LOVED these! I’m making them again for a holiday potluck next week.
Jamie says
Thank you Krista! I appreciate the comment so much 🙂
Olivia says
These cookies are incredibly delicious! The maple glaze is perfect with the spiced cookie flavor. My boyfriend and I devoured the whole batch in 3 days!