Brown Sugar Maple Oatmeal Cookies: #CreativeCookieExchange

Brown Sugar Maple Oatmeal Cookies are thick, sturdy, chewy cookies that can be made with raisins for added sweetness or dried tart cherries for zing. Keep reading to see what other cookies the Creative Cookie Exchange bakers would make in honor of their mothers for Mother’s Day!

My choice for this month’s Creative Cookie Exchange celebrating Mother’s Day was a no brainer. Caramel might be my mom’s favorite flavor, but Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are her first pick, every time. Sadly for my mom, I think everyone else in the family might prefer Chocolate Chip Cookies (I know I do), so she actually does not get Oatmeal Raisin cookies that often. And extra sadly, she did not get these Brown Sugar Maple Oatmeal Cookies this time either, since she is two hours away in Columbus. Ergo the dried cherries. Everyone in my family prefers dried tart cherries. So imagine them with dark raisins for my mom!

My mom also loves brown sugar and maple. So when I came across this Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookie at Serious Eats I knew I had found a cookie to work with. Every baking recipe using maple I come across calls for grade B syrup, which has a much stronger maple flavor. Of course I always have grade A on hand because that tends to be what is sold for topping pancakes. My solution is not to buy different syrup, but instead to add maple syrup extract. Whichever route you take, the different sweeteners definitely darken these cookies. So I had better luck baking these at 325 F.

My favorite “dried fruit” oatmeal cookies are probably still the Coconut Dried Cherry Oatmeal Cookies, which would horrify my mom because of the coconut flakes. But Sammy and I especially still really enjoyed these Brown Sugar Maple Oatmeal Cookies. I recommend using a Ceylon cinnamon, so that it complements the maple flavor instead of trying to overtake it. If all you have is a cassia cinnamon, use about half as much. Keep reading to see what other cookies we baked up in honor of our moms–and tell me: what cookie would you bake for your mom on Mother’s Day?

5 from 1 vote

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Brown Sugar Maple Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries

These cookies bake up much more nicely if the dough rests for at least 3 hours and preferably overnight, so plan ahead! Adapted from Serious Eats.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cookies

Author: TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (95 g) AP flour
• 1 scant t Ceylon cinnamon
• 1/2 t fine sea salt
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 T maple syrup
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t maple syrup extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup dried tart cherries or other dried fruit of choice

Instructions

1. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
2. Whisk together the butter and brown sugar. Whisk in the maple syrup. Whisk in the extracts and egg.
3. Mix in the flour mixture gently. Then mix in the oats and dried cherries. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
4. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
5. Scoop out 2-tablespoon sized balls of dough, placing 6 to a baking sheet. Bake for 13-16 minutes, until the cookies are set, browned, and just turning dry (as opposed to wet raw) in the center.
6. Let cool completely on the cookie sheet on a cooling rack.

Mother’s Day is coming! And what better cookies to make than those either in honor of or for our mothers?

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

• Classic Spritz Cookies from All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
• White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies from 2 Cookin’ Mamas
• Crystallized Ginger Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Candied Flower Shortbread Cookies from Live… Bake… Love…
• Coconut cookies from Flours and frostings
• Brown Sugar Maple Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries from The Spiced Life
• Mint Chip Chocolate Cookies from A Baker’s House
• Rhubarb Sauce Cookies from Food Lust People Love

And for those who love collages to pin: