Maple Walnut Cookies Recipe (2024)

by Jennifer Bell

These maple walnut cookies have crispy edges, chewy centers, and the right balance of sweet and salty flavors. They’re paleo diet friendly, vegan, gluten free, and refined sugar free. These nutrient-dense maple cookies are quick and easy to make.

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What to serve with these maple walnut cookies

If you’re adding these cookies to a dessert table and would like to include another nutritious treat, try these chocolate dates. You can make an assortment with different toppings for your guests to choose from.

Maple Walnut Cookies Recipe (1)

Main ingredients and substitutions

You can use either raw walnuts or toasted walnuts in these cookies. Walnuts add richness, a satisfying crunch, and a slightly tannic flavor that balances the sweetness of these cookies.

Maple syrup adds a delicious flavor to these refined sugar-free cookies. Maple syrup and walnuts are a classic combination. The astringency of the walnuts and the complex sweetness of the maple syrup make these two ingredients the perfect pair.

I didn’t want these maple walnut cookies to be overly sweet. I think the maple flavor and sweetness is perfect, but if you have a particularly sweet tooth you can increase the amount of maple syrup to 1/2 cup instead of 1/3 cup and increase the baking time by one minute in that case.

These grain-free walnut cookies are made with coconut flour. I haven’t tried any substitutions yet, so I recommend sticking with coconut flour for optimal results.

Almond butter is the fat in this recipe. I opted for almond butter because it has a relatively neutral flavor that allows the maple syrup and walnuts to really shine. You could substitute peanut butter, tahini, or any other unsweetened nut or seed butter you prefer.

Vanilla extract complements the other flavors in this recipe. Be sure to use pure vanilla extract as opposed to artificial vanilla flavor if possible because you can definitely taste the difference.

How to make them

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Next you’ll stir the wet ingredients together with the salt, then stir in the coconut flour. Once the coconut flour is thoroughly incorporated into the wet ingredients, you can stir in the walnuts.

Next you’ll form the dough into cookies. The trick to making uniform looking cookies is to roll the dough into balls in your hands, then press them down into flatter cookie shapes. Start by scooping out a heaping teaspoon of dough, then use your hands to roll it into a ball before placing it on a parchment paper lined sheet pan.

Maple Walnut Cookies Recipe (2)

Then press the dough ball down into a flat, cookie like shape. You can use your fingers to do this. Repeat that process with the rest of the dough (you should have enough dough for 11 cookies, but go ahead and double the recipe if you need more).

Maple Walnut Cookies Recipe (3)

The last step is to bake the maple cookies at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Be sure to let them cool off for at least twenty minutes before removing from the baking sheet and serving.

Storage and freezing

You can store these maple walnut cookies in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze them for up to six months. Then defrost them at room temperature before serving.

Maple Walnut Cookies Recipe (4)

More gluten-free cookie recipes

  • These mouth-watering coconut oil cookies are quick and easy to make.
  • These buckwheat chocolate cookies are sweet and delicious.
  • These coconut flour peanut butter cookies are sweet with a hint of saltiness.
  • These cookies made with chickpea flour are soft and chewy.

Maple Walnut Cookies Recipe (5)

4.43 from 33 votes

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Maple Walnut Cookies Recipe

These maple walnut cookies are paleo, vegan, refined sugar free, and gluten free. They have a nice balance of sweetness with a hint of saltiness. These delicious maple cookies are quick and easy to make.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 11

Calories 155kcal

Author Jennifer Bell

Equipment

  • Baking Sheet

  • Parchment paper

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Add the almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt to a mixing bowl, then mix well.

  • Add the coconut flour and mix well.

  • Stir in the chopped walnuts.

  • Scoop out a heaping teaspoon of dough into your hands, then roll it into a ball shape and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

  • Use your fingers to flatten the dough ball into a round cookie shape.

  • Repeat with the rest of the dough.

  • Bake in a preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes.

  • Let the cookies cool off for at least 20 minutes before removing from the baking sheet and serving.

Notes

  • Store these maple walnut cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days or freeze them for up to six months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg

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Maple Walnut Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How much maple syrup to use in place of sugar? ›

When cooking with pure Vermont maple syrup, substitute 3/4 to one cup of maple syrup for every one cup of granulated white sugar. Decrease the liquid in your recipe by 2 to 4 tablespoons for each cup of syrup used.

Can you use maple syrup instead of brown sugar in cookies? ›

For most recipes, maple syrup can easily be used to replace an equal amount of granulated white or brown sugar. To substitute for a cup of sugar, replace it with 1 cup of maple syrup and reduce the quantity of other liquids in the recipe by ¼ cup (60 ml) total.

Can you substitute maple syrup for maple sugar? ›

If using maple syrup, for each cup of sugar a recipe calls for, use ¾ cup of maple syrup and reduce the other liquids by ¼ cup. Using granulated maple sugar is even easier as that can be substituted 1:1 in any recipe.

What does more or less flour do to cookies? ›

More Flour

Because of the extra flour, the cookie was thicker and didn't spread as much.

How do you replace sugar with maple syrup in cookies? ›

To replace white sugar with maple syrup in general cooking, it is ideal to use ¾ cup of maple syrup for every one cup of sugar. When it comes to baking, that same amount is used but also be sure to reduce the amount of overall liquid in the recipe by about three tablespoons for each cup of maple syrup substituted.

Is baking with maple syrup better than sugar? ›

Yes, it has more antioxidants and minerals than table sugar. So, should you add maple syrup to your diet because of this? No. But, if you're going to use sugar in a recipe, you might as well substitute in maple syrup since it's slightly better for you than refined sugar.

How much maple syrup is equal to brown sugar? ›

The ratio here is a 3/4 C of maple syrup for every 1 C of brown sugar. There is, however, a small caveat. Because maple syrup is a liquid and brown sugar is a solid this substitution requires a second adjustment, a reduction of a liquid elsewhere in the recipe.

How much maple syrup equals 1 2 cup of sugar? ›

Maple syrup for sugar

Maple syrup is about as sweet as sugar, so you can replace it using an equal amount of syrup (e.g., for 1 cup of sugar, use 1 cup of maple syrup).

What happens if you don't add brown sugar to cookies? ›

Brown sugar adds a dense chewiness to certain types of baked goods like cookies. When brown sugar is replaced with white sugar, you may end up with a slightly crispier result. Still, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. White sugar can be used to replace brown sugar, producing only slight changes in texture and flavor.

Why do people use maple syrup instead of sugar? ›

Maple syrup is a healthier alternative to sugar. Maple syrups are not processed like the other kind of sweeteners we use in our daily life, so it still contains most nutrients from their natural state. The less someone changes an ingredient's original form, the more nutritional value will be kept.

Why is maple syrup better than brown sugar? ›

While brown sugar contains slightly more vitamins and minerals than white sugar, it still offers less nutritional value than pure maple syrup. Maple syrup has fewer calories and considerably more calcium, riboflavin and manganese than brown sugar.

How to use maple syrup in baking? ›

Baking with maple syrup is easy because substituting maple for white sugar is a breeze! According to the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association – and they should know – you can substitute each cup of white sugar with 3/4 cup of maple syrup as long as you reduce other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup.

Does sifting flour make a difference in cookies? ›

But is sifting flour necessary? That depends. Sifting flour is recommended for some desserts where the goal is light, delicate, and fluffy results (think angel food cakes, sponge cakes, and chiffon cakes). However, sifting flour isn't a must for desserts that are chewy or crisp, like cookies.

What flour do professional bakers use? ›

Pastry flour is the middle ground between cake flour and all-purpose flour. Professional bakers love that it's finely milled with a protein content that hovers around eight to nine percent, striking the perfect balance between flakiness and tenderness while maintaining structure.

What can I substitute for 1/2 cup white sugar? ›

Honey Or Syrup

General recommended substitution ratios are as follows: For every cup of sugar, you can replace it with a 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of honey or 2/3 cup agave. If using maple syrup or molasses, 3/4 cup to 1 cup will do the trick.

How much syrup can I use instead of sugar? ›

Here's the conversion: 1 tablespoon white sugar equals about ¾ oz simple syrup.

Is it healthier to use maple syrup instead of sugar? ›

Both of these natural sweeteners have a lower glycemic index than regular sugar and offer a wider profile of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. If you're going to reach for one over the other, maple syrup contains the fewest sugars, calories, and carbohydrates per serving.

Is maple syrup a better substitute for sugar? ›

While comparable in calories and carbs, maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than sugar. Also, because maple syrup tends to be sweeter, theoretically you can use less of it. But moderation is key, as it is with any sugar. More research is needed, though, before we consider maple syrup the next superfood.

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