These soft and chewy brown sugar cookies with maple cream cheese frosting plus toasted & sugared walnuts are about as tantalizing as a cookie can get. Quick and easy, they boast a plethora of fall flavors that bring the season home.

I love the flavors of fall. They compliment the season so well, and truly this cookie makes me want to curl up on a rainy night with my favorite blanket and warm drink. Brown sugar, toasted walnuts, cream cheese, and pure maple syrup come together in this delightful cookie that’s sure to satisfy even the pickiest of dessert eaters. So grab a blanket, curl up by the fire, and enjoy some brown sugar cookies with maple cream cheese frosting. They’re going to change your world.

What you’ll need to make these brown sugar cookies with maple cream cheese frosting:

Salted butter

Dark brown sugar (light or golden would work too)

Large eggs

Baking soda

Salt

Pure vanilla extract

All purpose flour

Cream cheese

Powdered sugar

Chopped walnuts (pecans would work too if you prefer those)

Granulated sugar

The Cookie Base

This gloriously chewy and soft brown sugar cookie is made of seven simple ingredients. The ¼ cup dough balls are rolled in granulated sugar, refrigerated for 30 minutes, and then baked to golden perfection. The chilling of the dough allows the cookies to bake up nice and thick, and not spread too much. If you don’t have the time to chill the dough, however, simple bake and enjoy a slightly thinner but still wonderfully delicious brown sugar cookie.

The Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Now these cookies are amazing on their own, but topped with a sweet and tangy maple cream cheese frosting takes them to a while new level. This frosting is thick, creamy, and has the perfect blend of cream cheese and maple syrup. It heightens the flavor of the cookie without overpowering it, so you get a perfectly balanced dessert.

The Toasted + Sugared Walnuts

I really love walnuts. I would put them in almost all my cookies and pancakes and breads if I could, but alas, my family isn’t the biggest fan. That’s what’s so great about this topping. If you aren’t a nut person, simply omit the walnut topping. But for those who DO love walnuts (my kind of peeps 😉), this is the perfect topper for these cookies. You will toast the chopped walnuts and then toss them with a bit of granulated sugar. When the cookies are frosted, simply spoon about one teaspoon of the nut mixture on top and enjoy.

The Dietary Substitutions

I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either use and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.

As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy:

Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is a wonderful all-purpose sub, and it’s cup for cup, so use the same measurements as you would all-purpose flour.

Miyokos Butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change. Miyokos also makes a wonderful cream cheese that would be an excellent dairy free base for the frosting.

I hope you love these amazing little drops of fall in cookie form! If you make them and love them, be sure to leave a review so others can find my recipes and love them as well. 😊

If you’re a fan of frosted cookies, you will love these Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies !

XO,

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Print Recipe

Brown Sugar Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time15

Cook Time14

Total Time29

Course: Cookies

Keyword: brown sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, dessert, maple cream cheese frosting

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

For the Cookies

2 sticks Salted butter
1 ¼ cups Dark brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs Large
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups All purpose flour
½ cup Granulated sugar (for rolling)

For the Frosting

6 oz Cream cheese (softened)
½ stick Salted butter (softened)
1 cup Powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

For the Topping

½ cup Walnuts (toasted)
2 teaspoon Granulated sugar

Instructions

Cream the butter in a standing mixer, and add brown sugar. Continue to cream until light and fluffy; about 30 seconds. Add both eggs. Mix until well incorporated, and then add vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Give it anther good mix, and then add the flour. Mix until well incorporated, about 30 more seconds.
Using a 4-tsp cookie scoop, spoon cookie dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place dough balls onto a nonstick baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes.
Cool cookies on cookie sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.
As soon as the cookies come out, place walnuts on a shallow baking pan and toast at 375° for 7 to 9 minutes, or until slightly golden and aromatic. Remove and allow to coo. Toss in small bowl with granulated sugar.
Place ingredients for frosting in a small bowl and whisk until fully blended, about 30 seconds. Alternatively you can use a hand mixer as well. Pipe or spread frosting onto completely cold cookies. Top with cooled toasted walnut mixture. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days. Enjoy!