Chewy Maple Sugar Cookies Recipe

Ditch the white sugar and bake a batch of beautiful maple sugar cookies—soft, flavorful, and made without refined white sugar. These cookies rely on maple sugar and maple syrup for a warm, caramel-like sweetness and use ricotta for a tender, creamy texture.

Maple Sugar Cookies – No White Sugar!

These maple sugar cookies are a perfect holiday or seasonal treat. They combine maple sugar and maple syrup for distinct maple flavor, and ricotta adds moisture and a delightful, slightly creamy crumb. The dough is easy to shape with cookie cutters, freezes well, and is ideal for decorating with a simple maple frosting.

What You Need

These ingredients create a classic rolled sugar cookie dough with maple flavor and a smooth, buttery texture.

• Flour: All-purpose flour is used as the base. Other flours may alter texture and have not been tested.
• Maple sugar: A granulated sugar made from maple syrup; it replaces white sugar and gives a true maple taste.
• Butter: Unsalted butter provides flavor and structure. Use room temperature for easier creaming.
• Ricotta cheese: Adds moisture and a creamy, tender texture—use full-fat and bring to room temperature.
• Vanilla: Enhances the maple flavor.
• Egg: Binds the dough and adds richness.

How to Make Maple Sugar Cookies

Follow these steps to make, shape, and bake the cookies so they keep their shape and bake evenly.

Make the Dough

Whisk the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, and salt—together and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the softened butter with the maple sugar on high speed until smooth and no granules remain. Add room-temperature ricotta and mix on low until incorporated. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low, scraping the bowl as needed. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough forms.

Refrigerate the Dough

Divide the dough into two portions. Press each portion into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes. Chilling firms the dough and prevents excessive spreading while baking—do not skip this step.

Roll Out and Cut

Lightly flour your work surface and roll one disk at a time to about 1/2-inch (roughly 1.3 cm) thick. Use cookie cutters to cut shapes, transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and return the cutouts to the freezer for 15 minutes. Freezing briefly helps maintain sharp edges and prevents spreading.

Bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake frozen cutouts for 11–13 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Simple Maple Frosting

A lightly sweet maple buttercream pairs perfectly with these cookies. Make a simple maple syrup base, combine with butter and powdered sugar, then chill briefly to thicken before piping.

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together 1/3 cup maple sugar and 1/3 cup water. Heat over medium until it begins to bubble, then remove from heat.
2. Add 1/2 cup chopped butter to the hot syrup and whisk until melted and smooth. Let cool for 10–15 minutes.
3. Transfer to a mixer and add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on low until combined. Once all powdered sugar is incorporated, mix in 3 tablespoons maple syrup.
4. Place the frosting in a piping bag and chill for about 30 minutes to firm up, then pipe onto cooled cookies.

Storage

Allow frosted cookies to sit for at least 2 hours so the frosting sets. Store cookies in an airtight container with parchment between layers. They keep well at room temperature for several days.

Easy Freezing Instructions

These cookies freeze wonderfully, either baked or unbaked.

1. Cool baked cookies completely. Frost if desired, then set on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes to firm them up.
2. Place stacked cookies separated by parchment into a freezer-safe bag or container, remove excess air, and freeze up to 3 months.
3. To freeze dough: roll, cut, and freeze the raw cutouts on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer to a bag and freeze until ready to bake. Bake from frozen, adding a minute or two if needed.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 3.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup maple sugar

Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup full-fat ricotta cheese, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

Maple Frosting

• 1/3 cup maple sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter, chopped into pats
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions (Condensed)

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. Cream butter and maple sugar until smooth. Add ricotta and mix on low, then add egg and vanilla.
3. Gradually add dry ingredients until combined. Divide dough, form disks, wrap, and chill 30 minutes.
4. Roll to 1/2-inch thickness, cut shapes, and freeze cutouts 15 minutes.
5. Bake at 350°F for 11–13 minutes until edges barely brown. Cool completely before frosting.
6. Prepare maple frosting as described above, chill 30 minutes, and pipe onto cooled cookies.

Tips & Notes

• Nutrition information does not include frosting.
• Maple sugar is essential for the intended flavor—do not substitute without expecting a different result.
• Make sure butter and ricotta are at room temperature for best creaming and consistency.
• Cream the butter and maple sugar thoroughly so the maple sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth before continuing.
• Frosting needs time in the refrigerator to firm before piping and serving.

Nutrition (approximate per cookie)

Calories: 160 kcal; Carbohydrates: 19 g; Protein: 2 g; Fat: 8 g; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 5 g. Nutrition is an estimate and does not include the frosting.