Sourdough Maple Pecan Cookies
Sourdough maple pecan cookies are perfect for fall and the holiday season. The maple flavor stands out and perfectly complements the nuttiness from the pecans. The cookies themselves are soft, which contrasts the crunchiness from the pecans. They are finished with a sweet maple glaze. If you prefer crisp and crunchy cookies, you have to try my maple pecan shortbread cookies, which is one of my most popular recipes.
I love that these cookies have an extra bit of nuttiness that comes not only from the pecans, but also from the flavor of browned butter. I love adding brown butter to my cookies. It adds more depth of flavor and makes for extra tasty cookies. I also used this technique in my white chocolate macadamia sourdough cookie recipe, my brown butter sourdough chocolate chip cookie recipe and my pumpkin sourdough cookie recipe.
Ingredients
Flour: Use all purpose flour for these cookies. You can also substitute one cup of the flour for bread flour for even chewier cookies. I do not recommend whole wheat flour as this tends to dry out the cookies. If you do choose to use it, I recommend whole wheat pastry flour and use no more than 25% of the total flour.
Salt: Fine sea salt or iodized salt is fine.
Baking Soda: This helps the cookies rise and contributes to the browning of the cookies.
Butter: Unsalted butter makes it easier to control the salt, but I occasionally use salted butter if it’s what I have on hand. I actually think it just makes the cookies even better and more flavorful!
Brown Sugar: We use only brown sugar because it has a richer flavor and adds moisture to the cookies. I don’t recommend using granulated sugar.
Maple Syrup: This is where most of the flavor comes from. Please don’t use a maple flavored syrup or the flavor won’t be right. Pure maple syrup works best.
Vanilla Extract: I love adding vanilla to almost all my baked goods because it just adds a subtle but delicious extra flavor.
Sourdough Discard: These cookies work well with either active starter or sourdough discard. The discard itself is not needed for leavening so you can use either.
Chopped Pecans: This recipe calls for raw pecans but you can use roasted, or toast them yourself for an extra flavor boost.
Powdered Sugar: We use powdered sugar, maple syrup and butter for the maple glaze. If you have salted butter, I recommend using it. Otherwise just add a pinch of salt to the glaze.
How to Make Sourdough Maple Pecan Cookies
Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
Brown the Butter
We only brown part of the butter for this recipe. If you brown all of it, it removes too much moisture and the resulting texture is a bit too dry.
Add the Rest of the Wet Ingredients
Mix in the remaining wet ingredients.
Add the Dry Ingredients
Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
Stir in the Pecans
Roll and Portion the Cookie Dough
The ideal size for these cookies is about 1-1/4 inches in diameter for each cookie dough ball.
Bake the Cookies
The finished cookies should be fluffy and have a very slight golden appearance.
Make the Maple Glaze
In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Be careful not to overheat the butter or it will explode in the microwave. If the butter is not completely melted after 15 seconds, stir it until all the butter has melted.
Add the remaining ingredients and whisk til thick and smooth.
Drizzle the glaze over each cookie and allow the glaze to completely set before serving the cookies.
How to Serve
You can serve them:
- Serve these cookies cold or at room temperature.
- While you certainly can microwave them for 5-10 seconds, the glaze will melt and the cookie will look quite messy.
- These taste great served with vanilla ice cream.
How to Store
Store these cookies in an airtight container or on a plate wrapped in plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can store them in a gallon plastic bag. I recommend using the cookies within 3-5 days for best results.
How to Freeze
Portion out the cookie dough balls as directed. Then, place them in an even layer in a gallon zip loc bag. Freeze completely, then you can let them stack on top of each other. When ready to bake, add 3-5 minutes to the baking time.
Can I Make these Vegan?
Yes! You can substitute dairy-free butter such as Earth Balance, but skip the step in which you brown the butter. Vegan butter does not brown like regular butter does.
You can also use egg replacers for the eggs. I have noticed that the egg replacer tends to make the cookies dry out faster so it is extra important to store these cookies in an airtight container and consume within 3 days for best results.
How to Fix Dry Cookies
I love to use my bread in a bag trick to restore dried out cookies. If you notice the cookies begin to dry out, simply place them in a zip loc bag with a slice of sandwich bread and leave them overnight. They should be softer in the morning.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also enjoy:
Maple Pecan Shortbread Sourdough Discard Cookies
Sourdough White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
Sourdough Maple Pecan Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2⅓ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup sourdough discard 100% hydration
Mix-Ins
- 1¼ cup chopped pecans
For the Maple Glaze
- 1 tablespoon salted butter (or unsalted +1 pinch of salt)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Over medium heat, melt 8 tablespoons of butter, stirring constantly.
- Once melted, increase the heat to medium-high and continue to stir constantly until the butter becomes golden brown and develops a nutty aroma.
- Remove from heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir until melted.
- Mix in the brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla with a rubber spatula and stir until fully incorporated.
- Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes, then stir in the egg and sourdough discard.
- Pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until well mixed and dough comes together.
- Stir in the chopped pecans until fully incorporated.
- Roll the cookie dough into 1¼ inch diameter balls and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden.
- Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
To Make the Maple Glaze
- Melt the butter in small bowl in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. If the butter is not completely melted, stir until all the butter is melted. Do not overheat.
- Add the maple syrup and powdered sugar and whisk until thick and smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze over each cookie and allow the glaze to fully set before serving.
I am wondering if it setter to chill the dpigh or does that not work in this recipe?
Hi Treasure,
You can definitely chill the dough if you would like but you don’t need to. I have made them both ways and they both turned out great. Some people like to chill their dough for several hours or even a day or two ferment the dough with the starter. This will produce a more sour flavor in the cookies. I hope this helps!