It's finally Christmas cookie season and I couldn't be more excited!! I've been testing a ton of fun new cookie recipes for the holidays and this is one of my favorites! Brown butter maple shortbread cookies sandwiched with a thick, delicious maple filling that is simply to die for!
One of my best friends got married in September in New Hampshire and I brought home some pure New Hampshire maple syrup in my carry-on. I was trying to decide how to use that precious little bottle and I definitely made the right choice with these cookies!
Shortbread Sandwich Cookie Tips
- My favorite trick that I use for almost all baked goods, is substituting a portion of the regular flour with nut flour (usually almond flour). This helps keep your cookies, cakes, etc. super moist and delicious and can add a little extra flavor too. Adding nut flour also helps keep the cookies from spreading too much which is super important when you're using a stamped design! For these brown butter cookies, I use almond flour* because it really compliments the nutty brown butter flavor, but in my hazelnut shortbread cookies, I use hazelnut flour!
- For the cute patters I use these Nordic Ware cookie stamps* and a 2 ¾ inch round cookie cutter from this set* but you can cut the cookies in whatever shapes you like!
- It's super important to chill the dough when you're making cutout cookies!! You want to chill the dough overnight (or a minimum of 2 hours) before you roll it out. And then freeze the cutout cookies for at least 20 minutes before baking! This might seem unnecessary, but I promise it's important! If you don't chill the dough or freeze the cutout cookies, you'll likely end up with cookies that, at best, don't keep their shape. Or at worst, flatten into one giant burnt cookie.
- Bake shortbread cookies on the middle rack of the oven and rotate the pan halfway through baking for the best results.
If you make these brown butter maple shortbread cookies, please leave us a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. Happy baking!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, browned
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- pinch salt
Maple Filling
- 2 tablespoons brown butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
Cookies
- To make brown butter, melt unsalted butter over medium heat, stirring frequently. Watch closely for the butter to develop brown specs and a nutty aroma. Once you start seeing brown specs, let cook for just a few seconds longer (watch very carefully or it will burn). Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl so that it doesn't continue to cook. Set aside and let cool to room temperature (you can place it in the fridge for about 20 minutes). Set aside 2 tablespoons (about 30 grams) of brown butter to use in the filling.Â
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the room temp brown butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in the maple syrup and mix until combined.
- Fold in the flour, almond flour, and salt until just combined.
- Transfer the dough into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight (but a minimum of 2 hours if you just can't wait).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough ¼ inch thick and cut into 2 ¾ inch rounds. Generously flour the tops of the rounds and your cookie stamps, then stamp your designs into each cookie. Place cutout cookies 1-2 inches apart on your baking sheet (they won’t spread much).
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes (or the fridge for 40 minutes) before baking to allow the cookies to firm back up. This ensures the cookies won't spread during baking.
- While the cookies are chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set and just starting to brown. Bake on the middle rack of the oven and rotate the pan halfway through baking for the best results.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack.
- Let the cookies cool completely before filling.
Maple Filling
- In a small bowl, mix together the 2 tablespoons of brown butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add in the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the filling is a thick but spreadable consistency.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of filling onto the back of a cooled cookie and then top with a second cookie and enjoy!
Notes
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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I don’t have cookie stamps so I just made round cookies, but they were delicious!!