This is a favorite cold-weather cookie of mine that I posted last year, and the photos have been updated & recipe has been updated to include metric measurements.

2016 has been a hectic, stressful, exhausting, but mostly, joyful, blur. I’ve baked more (maple brown sugar) cookies than any other year of my life, learned more about Pinterest than anyone should ever need to know, slept less (mostly because of all the time spent on Pinterest — not even kidding), decoded my Rubik’s cube of a camera just a little bit more, and improved my photography as a result (see today’s pictures and the original pictures at the bottom of the post for comparison). I’ve even begun to dabble in video on my Facebook page, but that’s an entirely new beast that I plan on going after with torch and pitchfork in 2017. Sure, I’ve got a long way to go and I’m looking forward to growing this space even more in 2017, but right now I’m just so grateful for everything this year has been for me.

But now, let’s talk cookies. I shared these maple brown sugar cookies over a year ago, but they were in dire need of a new photo shoot. They’re one of my favorites, and actually served as the inspiration for my Worst Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe after I realized how utterly amazing maple syrup tasted in cookie dough. Maple syrup has a wonderful and warm flavor to it, an almost “cozy” taste, and it goes perfectly with a warm plate of cookies in the cold weather — they’re great fall or winter cookies and belong next to a glass of milk for Santa on Christmas Eve (only one day left!).

I’ve made these cookies many times using both pure (pricey!) maple syrup and plain old Aunt Jemima, and I’ve finally admitted to myself that I firmly prefer the inauthentic maple syrup. Is that embarrassing? I feel like I should prefer the fancy tree-tapped stuff, but I don’t. These will still certainly taste wonderful with pure maple syrup, but faux-syrup seems to be more prominent, more fragrant, and is far less expensive! Combined with all brown sugar, these cookies are soft, chewy and simply perfect and rich in fall flavors.  The dough is amazing — don’t taste it if you can help it, because it’s addictive. These maple brown sugar cookies nearly melt in your mouth– the maple flavor a subtle warmth on your tongue.

If all goes as planned, this will be my last post of 2016.  I have a lot of trouble going any length of time without posting, but I’m going to try to take off from doing so next week — I’ll still be doing plenty of behind-the-scenes work, though. Before I figuratively sign off for the year, though, I wanted to give a special THANK YOU to all of you, for visiting my website, trying my recipes, leaving kind comments and writing encouraging e-mails.  It’s because of you that I have been able to build Sugar Spun Run up to be what it has become in 2016. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year — let’s make 2017 a great one!! Original photos

Browned Butter & Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best Ever Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Cookies

Chewy Pumpkin Cookies

Maple Brown Sugar Cookies were originally posted 11/18/15 — Updated 12/23/16

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