These Vegan Maple Snickerdoodles are truly the best soft and chewy cookie. With real maple syrup and maple extract for double the maple flavor, this is truly the best twist on a classic vegan Snickerdoodle cookie!
It's about time I shared a snickerdoodle cookie around here, and these maple snickerdoodles are seriously the perfect Vegan Christmas cookie!
If you loved my Vegan Chai Cookies or chewy Vegan Molasses cookies, then you will love this eggless & dairy-free snickerdoodle cookie with a maple twist.
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Maple syrup: You really need to use REAL high-quality maple syrup to get the right flavor and texture for these vegan maple cookies.
- Maple extract: Maple syrup alone doesn't give these cookies enough of a maple flavor, so I decided to add in some maple extract. I used this maple flavor because I think it has the most natural flavor, but this brand is another great (and easier to find) option.
- I also use maple extract in my Maple Pecan Coffee Cake so definitely try that next!
- Vanilla bean paste: I always prefer vanilla bean paste for baking for the best flavor, however, you can substitute vanilla extract 1:1.
- Cream of tartar: This is an ESSENTIAL ingredient to get that soft snickerdoodle texture and acts as the acidic ingredient needed to interact with the baking soda, so you really cannot substitute it.
How to make maple snickerdoodles:
Make the maple sugar cookie dough
First, cream together the butter and sugar. For snickerdoodles, I prefer to make them with just white sugar for a more traditional texture.
Then, mix in the flax egg, maple syrup, vanilla, and maple extract for about 30 seconds until combined.
After that, add in the dry ingredients including the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix into a thick cookie dough.
Chill the cookie dough
Cover the bowl of maple snickerdoodle dough with plastic wrap or a towel and store in the fridge for 30 minutes-1 hour.
This helps make the dough easier to scoop and actually leads to a sweeter chewier cookie texture.
Roll the cookie dough in cinnamon sugar
Remove the dough from the fridge, use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out 10 cookies, then roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
If you have any cinnamon sugar left over, save it! I like to add it to the top of the maple cookies after baking for a sparkly finish.
Bake the maple cookies
Add the cookie dough balls to a parchment-lined tray and bake for 11-12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately swirl each inside a large mug or pastry cutter to make perfectly round cookies. Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the tray, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Then, serve & enjoy these extra soft maple snickerdoodles!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make these vegan maple cookies gluten-free?
I haven't personally tried it, but substituting a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix meant for baking should work. Please note that substituting almond flour, coconut flour, or other GF flour alternatives will NOT work for this vegan snickerdoodle recipe.
How do I store maple snickerdoodles?
Baked and cooled maple syrup cookies can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 48 hours, in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
I highly suggest storing cookies in the freezer as it's the best way to maintain their soft and chewy texture!
I can't wait for you to try these soft and chewy Vegan Maple Snickerdoodles! They make a great classic cookie to have on hand for cookie exchanges, Christmas gatherings, or to bake for loved ones just because. Enjoy!
-TSG
More vegan cookie recipes you will love:
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Vegan Maple Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Maple snickerdoodle cookie dough:
- ½ cup vegan butter room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon (8 grams) ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoon water, left to sit 5 minutes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon maple extract add more or less as desired depending on brand
- 1 ½ cups+ 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon sugar coating:
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make the cookie dough:
- First, add the vegan butter and cane sugar to a large mixing bowl. Then, cream together with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Next, add in the maple syrup, flax egg, vanilla, and maple syrup. Whip with the butter and sugar for another 30 seconds until combined.
- Add the all-purpose flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt to the mixing bowl. Make sure to add the flour first and then add the other ingredients on top. Then, use the electric mixer to mix everything together until a thick cookie dough forms. The dough will be slightly sticky, but should not be wet.
Chill & roll the cookies in cinnamon sugar:
- Cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap and add the bowl of dough to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes- 1 hour.
- About 10 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Then, fill a small bowl with the the sugar and cinnamon for rolling and mix together.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out 10 evenly sized cookies. Roll into balls between your palms and then roll in the bowl of cinnamon sugar until each cookie dough ball is coated.
Bake the cookies:
- Place the cookie dough balls onto the parchment-lined baking sheet making sure to leave the cookies 2 inches apart. If all of the cookies will not fit on one baking sheet, only bake one tray of cookies at a time for the best results.
- Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned and the cookies are cooked through but have slightly soft centers. The cookies will continue baking after they are removed from the oven so the centers should still be soft, but not glossy or raw, when they are removed from the oven.
- Remove the cookie tray from the oven and immediately tap the tray on the counter to produce a more “wrinkly” cookie. For round cookies, use a round cookie cutter/ mug that is slightly larger than the cookies and swirl the cookies around inside to form them into a round cookie. This step will only work if you do it while the cookies are still warm.
- Then, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. The cookies will be soft and puffy out of the oven and will naturally deflate a little while cooling. If you have any leftover cinnamon sugar, you can sprinkle it over the finished cookies at this time to give them a sparkly finish.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling. Then, serve & enjoy these maple snickerdoodles!
Notes
- Baked and cooled maple cookies can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 48 hours, in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Please see the blog post for more recipe tips & substitution ideas!
Naudia says
Amazing! I substituted the flour with whole wheat flour but used a tablespoon less. They were delicious!
Megan says
So glad it worked out!