Maple Chai Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing.

Maple Chai Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing: a cross between a really great soft, chewy maple cookie and a delicious steaming chai latte made with real espresso. These cookies are made with sweet dark brown sugar, rich maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, all-spice, pepper, and the real secret – espresso powder. They’re generously glazed with a sweet, thick, creamy brown butter icing that melts in your mouth. They’re the perfect cookie to bake, share, and soon gift for the holiday season!

Is there anything cozier this time of year than a latte on a cold day? It’s honestly one of my favorite things. I often make a steaming apple or chai latte at home while cooking to keep warm.

During the winter, that will turn into hot chocolate, but right now, I’m loving a good latte. My favorite is that pecan latte I shared a couple of weeks ago. It is so good.

But you know what makes a latte on a cold afternoon even better? A cookie!

My mom and I were just discussing this the other night. Sometimes, we forget about the things we used to love. For us, that was baking and sipping on something warm back home in Cleveland.

During October, November, and December, my mom would bake nonstop. The best was when November hit; she would blast Mariah Carey’s Christmas non-stop. These are some of my favorite memories! When I told her about these cookies, she said I had to make them. What excited her most was that they sounded like the coziest cookie, yet didn’t involve pumpkin or apple. Something I’ve been receiving a lot of requests for – enough already, we need a fall cookie without pumpkin! These are delicious and wonderful cookies to bake all season long!

These are the details

Ingredients

• salted butter
• dark brown sugar
• espresso powder or instant coffee powder
• vanilla extract
• an egg
• maple syrup
• flour
• baking soda
• cinnamon
• ginger
• cardamom
• nutmeg
• all-spice
• pepper
• granulated sugar
• powdered sugar
• milk
• flaked sea salt

What you will need in the kitchen:

• parchment paper
• mixing bowl
• spatula
• small bowl
• tablespoons
• prepared baking sheets
• Christmas cookie cutouts
• airtight container
• wire rack
• electric mixer

Steps

Step 1: make the cookie dough

Start by preheating the oven to 350° F and lining two baking sheets with parchment paper!

Next, beat soft, room-temperature butter with dark brown sugar and a high-quality espresso or instant coffee powder to create a butter mixture. Then, add an egg and your favorite pure maple syrup. Runamok sent me a vanilla bourbon maple syrup that’s wonderful in these cookies!

Add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.

Step 2: the chai spice blend

I create a mix of ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, all-spice, and pepper. I only do a small, small amount of pepper.

It’s perfectly spiced and the espresso only helps to highlight the warming chai spices.

Step 3: roll the cookies

Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon-sized balls. I use a cookie scoop for this, but you can also use a tablespoon measure for the correct size. This is a sticky dough, but if you’re really having trouble, add a couple of tablespoons of additional flour.

Next, add granulated sugar to a bowl and roll each cookie lightly through the sugar.

step 4: baking

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. I find 9 minutes to be perfect, but all ovens are different! I love making these into drop cookies because they’re chewier than, say, a cutout cookie would be.

Not to mention, they’re incredibly easy!

Step 5: the brown butter icing

I love the nutty brown butter flavor and creaminess of this icing. It’s one of my favorites for cookies! I find it’s what makes these cookies really melt in your mouth. The icing just seeps into the cracks of each cookie, it’s so scrumptious!

The ingredients: salted butter, sugar, vanilla, a pinch of flaked sea salt.

The key is to brown the salted butter on the stove in a skillet. I like to use a 6-inch or 8-inch skillet for this. Add the butter to a pot set over medium heat to brown the butter. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes. Once cooled, add everything to the brown butter and thin it out with some milk. The milk is essential in bringing the icing together and preventing the butter from separating.

Tip: ice each cookie quickly; the frosting sets up pretty fast.

Decorating Tips

For decorating, I didn’t do anything fancy. I used some star anise and flaked sea salt.

If you want to be fancy, you can use some edible gold glitter, but you certainly don’t have to!

The warm chai spice and espresso with the maple and brown butter is unexpected, but I’m finding that everyone LOVES it.

The result is a chewy maple cookie with rich notes of chai, espresso, and vanilla. And the frosting really makes them special.

Hope you guys love these just as much as I do!

Looking for other sweet pumpkin recipes? Here are my favorites: 

Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes

Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Pumpkin Butter Bread

Lastly, if you make these Maple Chai Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!