Why You’ll Love This Cinnamon Maple Walnut Cookies

• Perfectly balanced cozy flavors. The maple isn’t too sweet, and the cinnamon isn’t overpowering—they work together in this lovely, warm harmony that just feels like home.
• An incredible chewy-yet-crisp texture. You get a slight crispness around the edges while the middle stays wonderfully soft and tender, thanks to the careful ratio of wet to dry ingredients.
• They fill your home with the most amazing aroma. Honestly, the scent of these baking is half the joy. It’s pure comfort—like a cozy sweater in cookie form.
• Surprisingly simple to make. You don’t need any fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients. It’s a straightforward dough that comes together quickly, making it perfect for a spontaneous baking session.

Ingredients & Tools

• 115 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 150 g dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 80 ml pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup!)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 210 g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 120 g walnuts, roughly chopped

Tools: Mixing bowls, whisk, spatula, baking sheets, parchment paper or silicone baking mat, cooling rack.

Using room temperature butter and egg is crucial here—it helps everything emulsify properly so your cookies have the right texture. And please, use real maple syrup. The imitation stuff just doesn’t have the same depth of flavor and can make the cookies too sweet.

Nutrition (per serving)

• Calories: 185 kcal
• Protein: 2.5 g
• Fat: 9 g
• Carbohydrates: 24 g
• Fiber: 1 g

Serves: 18 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10-12 minutes | Total Time: 27 minutes (plus cooling)

Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes

• Why is room temperature butter so important? When your butter is properly softened (cool to the touch but easily indented), it creams with the sugar to create tiny air pockets. This is what gives the cookies their lift and tender texture. If the butter is too cold, your dough will be stiff; if it’s melted, the cookies will spread too much.
• Can I use a different type of nut? Absolutely! Pecans would be a fantastic substitute for walnuts, offering a slightly sweeter, buttery flavor. Just make sure to chop them to a similar size so they distribute evenly throughout the dough.
• What’s the deal with maple syrup grades? For baking, I prefer Grade A Dark or even Grade B maple syrup. It has a more robust, caramel-like flavor that stands up beautifully to the cinnamon and brown sugar. The lighter grades can get a bit lost.
• How do I know if my baking soda is still active? This is a great question! If your baking soda is old, your cookies won’t spread or rise properly. To test it, add a small pinch to a few tablespoons of vinegar. If it doesn’t fizz vigorously, it’s time for a new box.

How to Make Cinnamon Maple Walnut Cookies

Serving Suggestions

Complementary Dishes

• A simple vanilla bean ice cream — The cool, creamy vanilla is a dream paired with the warm spices of the cookie, making for an easy yet impressive dessert.
• A sharp cheddar cheese plate — The salty, tangy punch of a good aged cheddar creates a surprisingly delightful contrast with the sweet, spiced cookie.
• Spiced apple compote — The soft, warm apples with their own cinnamon notes will make the whole experience feel like a cozy, autumnal celebration.

Drinks

• Hot chai tea latte — The cardamom and ginger in the chai echo the warmth of the cinnamon and create a beautifully spiced sip.
• Cold whole milk — Sometimes, the classic is best. The richness of the milk cuts the sweetness perfectly and highlights the toasty walnuts.
• A dark roast coffee — The slight bitterness of the coffee balances the maple’s sweetness and makes for a truly satisfying afternoon break.

Something Sweet

• Maple glazed donuts — Doubling down on the maple theme is a joy here, creating a breakfast-for-dessert vibe that’s just pure fun.
• Pumpkin pie bars — For a full fall flavor experience, the creamy, spiced pumpkin is the perfect partner to these nutty, chewy cookies.
• Dark chocolate truffles — A bite of intense, rich chocolate after a bite of cookie elevates the entire tasting experience to something quite special.

Top Mistakes to Avoid

• Using melted butter. This is probably the number one reason cookies spread too much and become greasy and flat. Softened butter is key for that perfect structure.
• Overmixing the dough after adding the flour. Once the flour is incorporated, stop mixing! Overworking the dough develops gluten, which leads to a tough, cake-like cookie instead of a tender, chewy one.
• Baking on a hot baking sheet. Always allow your baking sheets to cool completely before adding a new batch of dough. A hot pan will cause the cookies to start spreading immediately, resulting in uneven baking.
• Overbaking. It’s so tempting to leave them in until they look “done,” but they continue to cook on the hot pan. Pull them out when the edges are just set and the centers are still soft for the ideal chewy texture.

Expert Tips

• Tip: Toast your walnuts first. Spread the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and toast them at 175°C (350°F) for 5-7 minutes until fragrant. Let them cool before adding to the dough. This deepens their flavor immensely and adds a wonderful nutty crunch.
• Tip: Use a cookie scoop for uniformity. Not only does it make the process faster and cleaner, but it ensures all your cookies are the same size, which means they’ll bake evenly and you won’t have some underdone and some overdone.
• Tip: For a crispier cookie, press the dough balls down slightly. If you prefer a thinner, crisper cookie, just gently press down on the dough balls with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass before baking. This encourages more spreading.
• Tip: Add a flaky sea salt finish. Right when the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt, like Maldon, over the top. It enhances all the other flavors and creates a sublime sweet-and-salty situation.

FAQs

Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can scoop the dough into balls and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, just place the frozen dough balls on a baking sheet—you might need to add a minute or two to the baking time. The chilled dough often results in a slightly thicker, chewier cookie, which is a lovely bonus.

My cookies didn’t spread much. What happened?
This usually points to the flour. Did you spoon and level your flour, or did you scoop it directly with the measuring cup? Scooping packs the flour in, leading to too much dry ingredient and a stiffer dough that won’t spread. Another culprit could be butter that wasn’t soft enough. Next time, try fluffing your flour, spooning it into the cup, and leveling it off with a knife for the most accurate measure.

Can I use maple extract instead of syrup?
I wouldn’t recommend a straight swap. The maple syrup adds both flavor and liquid (and a little sugar) to the recipe. Using an extract would throw off the liquid balance and likely make the flavor too artificial and intense. If you’re out of syrup, a better substitute would be honey or even golden syrup, though the flavor profile will, of course, be different.

How should I store these cookies to keep them soft?
To maintain that wonderful chew, store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. A neat trick is to add a piece of bread to the container. The cookies will absorb moisture from the bread, keeping them soft for days! Just replace the bread if it gets hard.

Why are my cookies cakey?
A cakey texture often comes from too much flour or overmixing. Remember to measure your flour carefully using the spoon-and-level method. Also, if you used an extra-large egg or added too much baking powder/soda, that can introduce more air and lift, creating a cakier crumb. Stick to the recipe amounts and mix just until combined for the best texture.