Amish Friendship Maple Sugar Cookies
Discover a delightful twist on a classic treat with these mouthwatering Amish friendship maple sugar cookies! Simple, balanced, & so easy to make!
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Food scale
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone mats
- Hand or stand mixer
- Portion scoop
Ingredients
For the Amish friendship starter
- 15 grams sourdough starter (fed within 48 hours )
- 15 grams sugar
- 60 grams milk
- 60 grams all-purpose flour
For the maple sugar cookies
- 113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (softened )
- 200 grams (1 cup) sugar (for a less sweet cookie decrease to 180 grams)
- 120 grams (1/2 cup) Amish starter (from above )
- 1 large egg (room temperature )
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 80 grams (1/4 cup) pure maple syrup
- 330 grams (2 & 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 4 grams (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
- 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) salt
For the maple glaze
- 125 grams (1 cup) sifted powdered sugar
- 30 grams (2 tablespoons) maple syrup
- 15-20 grams (1-2 tablespoons) milk (for desired consistency )
- cinnamon for dusting over the cookies (optional )
Instructions
Make the Amish friendship sourdough starter
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The evening before you make the cookies, mix the Amish starter ingredients (sourdough starter, milk, sugar, & flour) in a glass jar. It will be thicker in texture. Cover it loosely and allow it to rest overnight for 8-10 hours. It will double in size by the morning and be light and fluffy in texture.
The following morning
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Ensure your Amish sourdough starter has doubled in size before mixing the dough.
In a large mixing bowl cream together the softened butter and sugar until fluffy.
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Next, add the Amish starter, egg, vanilla extract, and maple syrup, and mix until everything is combined.
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In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
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Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until a dough forms.
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Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour (you can refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours.
TIP: If you would like to roll the dough out and use cookie cutters you can separate the dough into 2 even balls, create a disc shape, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it into the refrigerator.
Shape & bake the Amish friendship maple sugar cookies
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Once the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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I like to weigh each cookie to ensure they’re exactly 60 grams, but you can also use a large cookie scoop—about 2 ounces—to portion them out evenly.
Pro tip: Gently roll each dough portion by hand to create perfectly round cookies.
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Align about 6-8 cookies on your baking sheet (making sure they are spaced about 2 inches apart) and bake for 15 minutes. If making smaller cookies, adjust the time accordingly (they may only need 8-10 minutes).
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Remove the cookies from the oven and firmly tap the tray on the counter to create those signature bakery-style cracks. This step is optional, but it adds a beautiful finish to the cookies.
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Place the cookies back in the oven for 3-5 more minutes to ensure they are done baking. Every oven is different, so yours might only need the initial 15 minutes.
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Upon removing them from the oven let them rest on the pan for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.
Make the maple glaze
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Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before glazing them or it will fall right off.
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To make the glaze, sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Next, add the maple syrup and whisk together until combined.
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If the glaze is too thick add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time to achieve the desired consistency.
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To effortlessly glaze the cookies, simply place them face down in the glaze and allow any excess glaze to fall off before placing them on parchment paper to dry a bit.
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Optional: dust with some cinnamon if desired.
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These cookies will keep for 5–7 days at room temperature in an airtight container. To prevent them from sticking, place a sheet of parchment paper between each layer.
Notes
Baker’s schedule: Make the Amish friendship starter (milk starter) the evening before you make the cookies. If using discard this step can be skipped. Use a discard that is no more than a week old to avoid a sour taste in the muffins.
Using regular sourdough discard? No problem! Keep the recipe the same, but increase the flour to 360 grams to balance the extra moisture.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation only.
