Maple Donut Cookies are soft & pillowy donut-shaped cookies with a lovely maple glaze topping. Everything you love about maple donuts, only in cookie form!
Cream together butter and sugars for 1 minute. Add in egg, buttermilk and vanilla and mix again until smooth.
Combine dry ingredients and add 1/2 to the mixing bowl. Mix, then add the other half. Dough will be softer and stickier than normal cookie dough. Cover and let cool in fridge for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray cookie scoop and your hands lightly with non-stick spray. Scoop out about 1.5 to 2 TBSP of cookie dough into your hand. Roll dough into a ball and gently flatten the ball until it's about 1/2" thick. You can shape the cookie dough into donuts in one of two ways. Method 1) Use a small round biscuit cutter to punch a hole in the center of the flattened dough. Place the donut hole back into the mixing bowl to be used for more cookies. This method is easier when you spray the biscuit cutter with non-stick spray first. Method 2) Press the top and bottom center of the flattened dough with your thumb and forefinger until you create a hole. Use your hands to pull the hole open wider, until it's about 2-2.5" wide. Place shaped donut cookies on the parchment lined cookie sheet, repeating process until you have 6-8 cookies on your sheet.
Place mixing bowl with remaining dough back in the fridge or freezer. Bake for 9-10 minutes and let cool for an additional 2 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack.
To make MAPLE GLAZE: In a small saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar. Whisk in milk and heat for about 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring often, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add in corn syrup and maple extract. Add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until smooth between additions. Add 1-2 tsp more milk if necessary. Glaze will begin to harden as it cools, so keep maple glaze warm on the stove, whisking occasionally. To make in the microwave, combine 2 TBSP milk and butter in a small mixing bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Add in brown sugar, corn syrup and an additional 1 TBSP milk. Heat another 30 seconds in the microwave. Whisk until smooth. Add in maple extract and powdered sugar until a smooth, dippable consistency is reached. Add in more milk if needed.
Dip the top round face of each cooled donut cookie in warm maple glaze. Sprinkle with fall-themed sprinkles immediately, if desired. Cool to set. Cookies can be stacked once cooled. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
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Notes
yields 2.5- 3 dozen cookiesMust chill dough for at least 1 hour before shaping into donuts! Dough is easier to handle if you return it to the fridge in between batches. Use non-stick spray on the cookie scoop, your hands and biscuit cutter when shaping to make the process easier.