Maple Butter Is The Best Way To Transition Your Sugar Cookies Into Fall

Fall is the season of warm and cozy desserts. So many different dessert flavors like pumpkin, apple, and cinnamon pop up on all the shelves and in all the bakeries. These desserts are so irresistibly spiced and comforting that people anticipate this time of year. Maple is another one of these favorite fall flavors with many signature desserts like maple scones and maple pecan pie. If you're looking for a way to transition your sugar cookies into the fall season, use these maple desserts as inspiration.

Sugar cookies are charmingly simple cookies that contain plenty of butter in them. Their simplicity makes them an excellent backdrop for fun flavor pairings through an array of frostings, icings, or toppings. Pair sugar cookies with maple, and you'll get a batch you can't stop eating. Maple flavor comes easiest through a simple maple syrup and powdered sugar icing, which can be drizzled onto the cookie and dusted with cinnamon. To go the extra mile, the maple flavor can be enhanced with a full or partial substitution of light brown sugar for white sugar in the cookie batter.

It's likely that when you hear the words maple and butter together, your mind goes to a decadent whipped butter spread containing maple syrup and spices. You might find this version of maple butter served with on-the-house bread at restaurants, or to accompany pancakes at brunch. Yes, this is maple butter, but there is also a version that doesn't contain butter at all. It goes by the names of maple butter, maple spread, or maple cream, and it's detrimentally delicious. It has a spreadable, yet thick texture and can be drizzled over your sugar cookies to up the maple butter game.

In order to make maple butter, all you need is maple syrup, along with a few pots, bowls, and ice cubes. The process involves boiling the syrup over the stove, pouring it out to let it sit in a bowl over a bath of ice, and then stirring it — for a whopping 30 minutes or so. The syrup will begin to crystalize and get lighter until it reaches the perfect spreadable consistency. Transfer your maple butter into a container and refrigerate. This process is long, but not very hard to do. If you're willing to put in the effort, maple butter would make for a killer sugar cookie topping that will wow your taste buds. Plus, it's so very fall.