Maple walnut shortbread cookies are an easy slice and bake cookie recipe for holiday baking and delicious everyday snacking!
maple walnut shortbread cookies are a unique fall treat
Both maple and walnuts have a complex, lingering flavor that makes these cookies so, so special. I LOVE cooking with maple and this flavor combination is a classic I return to again and again. In this recipe I use maple sugar, maple extract, and maple syrup for a triple maple threat. Maple sugar is sugar made from maple tree sap in the same way white sugar is made from sugar cane. Find it in natural food stores, and you can always buy it from Amazon, here. You can also substitute brown sugar if you need to.
more maple walnut recipes to try
why gives shortbread that melt in your mouth texture?
With shortbread, it’s not just about the flavor ~ my basic slice and bake shortbread cookies have such a great melt in your mouth texture, whether you eat them warm from the oven, or let them cool. Why does shortbread have that special texture?
- It’s a really interesting question, and it has to do with chemistry! Shortbread cookie dough doesn’t contain any liquid ingredients like you normally find in cookie recipes, so they don’t rise, and there is less gluten formed.
- The addition of cornstarch (which is gluten free) reduces the total amount of gluten in the recipe which further tenderizes the shortbread.
- Shortbread cookies can be soft or crisp, depending on how thick they are and how long you cook them, but they will never be chewy like a classic chocolate chip cookie.
- Note: these cookies are not gluten free, although you can make them with a good gluten free baking mix.
how to make these shortbread cookies ahead
Most shortbread can easily be made ahead, which I love. Simply mix up the dough as written in the recipe and roll it into a log. Chill until firm and then slice it up and bake. The log of dough can sit for up to a week in your refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer (make sure to wrap it well in a freezer-safe ziplock bag).
3 tips for perfect maple walnut shortbread cookies
These three tips go a long way toward eliminating baking fails during the busy holiday season.
- Use good quality butter (stock up when it goes on sale and freeze it) don’t go for the inexpensive brand, it contains more water, for one thing, and will affect the texture of your cookies.
- I use a heavy duty USA baking sheet for all my cookie recipes, the pan bakes evenly and never warps.
- I keep an inexpensive oven thermometer in my oven at all times so I know exactly what the temperature is. It has a convenient hook on the top so you can hang it from the oven rack ~ mine just lives there.
make these maple walnut cookies your own
- You can use another nut, like pecans, if you don’t love walnuts.
- These shortbread cookies are nice without the frosting too. Have them with a cup of coffee or tea.
- If you have a leaf cookie cutter you can roll out the dough (form it into a disk, wrap, and chill first) and make cute maple leaf cookies.
- Did you know you can actually make your own maple sugar? There’s a recipe here, and all you need is maple syrup.
more maple please!
- Maple Frangipane Pecan Pie
- Salted Maple Caramel Sauce
- Maple Glazed Oatmeal Cookies
- Maple Cranberry Butter in 15 minutes!
- Baked Brie with Apples, Pecans, & Maple Syrup
- Maple Glazed Pumpkin Muffins
Maple Walnut Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup maple sugar, (substitute light brown or granulated if you like.)
- 1/2 tsp pure maple extract, (if you can't find, use almond extract.)
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts plus more for topping
frosting
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
- about 5 Tbsp pure maple syrup, (the real thing please, not imitation!)
Instructions
- Cream the butter and the sugar together.
- Beat in the extract.
- Whisk together the flour and cornstarch. Blend them into the butter and sugar, until it forms a dough.
- Stir in the walnuts and make sure you get them well distributed in the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and form it into a log, about 9 or 10 inches long. Wrap it in the plastic and smooth it into a uniform smooth shape, twisting the ends to secure.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Slice the dough into 1/4 – 1/3 inch slices and place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Thinner slices will bake up crispier, and thicker ones will be more buttery and soft.
- Bake for about 12 minutes. The cookies will still be pale and soft, but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then cool completely on a rack.
- Make the frosting by whisking the sugar with enough maple syrup to form a spreadable frosting. If it is too thick, add a bit more syrup, and if it becomes too think add more sugar. Spread a layer on each cooled cookie and dust with crushed walnuts. The frosting will harden as it dries.
These look so delicious. I love the combo of maple and walnut together. I may have to add this to my recipe book.
Bring on the shortbread! These look like the perfect dessert to follow the rainbow veggies – my kind of balance! 🙂
These cookies look wonderful and maple sugar is something new to me to try . Thank you, Sue!
So the oven stays on for hours while dough is in fridge?
fixed that 🙂
They turned out so well……..only problem now, I keep tasting just one more!!
You’re fast Frances!
Shortbread cookies are the best! That maple frosting makes them even more tempting, Sue.
All the flavours in this shortbread sound amazing. And they look incredible!
Oh my word these look so good! Perfect for the holidays! …and in my opinion, perfect for any time of the year! Thanks so much for sharing!
Shortbread cookies are among my favorites! I love, love, love the addition of the walnuts and maple!! I’m definitely giving these a try! Thanks for the inspiration!
Wow, they look so soft and delightful, like Christmas! Thanks for the tips, I always choose the best ingredients when making these and I agree, the butter can be crucial! Thanks for sharing! ?
Well these are just perfect Sue! Love the flavor combination and the maple sugar sounds fantastic. What a great way to kick off holiday baking. I’m just not sure if I should bake first or decorate – I want to do it all 🙂