Maple Cinnamon Cornbread Cookies

These maple cinnamon cornbread cookies with maple cream cheese frosting are soft, not too sweet and bursting with nostalgic fall flavors like cinnamon and cornbread.

As a kid, we ate a lot of chili in the fall and winter months and I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t my favorite meal. My mom always used kidney beans and I just couldn’t get myself to eat them (haha). As I grew older, I eventually learned to like it and love making it now for my family. Where I’m from, we eat our chili with cornbread, some sour cream and and shredded cheddar cheese on top. The next day, we’d always have some cornbread leftover and we’d eat it warm with a little maple syrup.

So when I think of fall now, one of the foods I think of is cornbread. It’s something we only have at this time of year and it’s absolutely a special, simple treat. These cornbread cookies are sweet, but not too sweet, have a hint of cinnamon and maple syrup, which makes them even better. They’re perfect for using up leftover cornmeal after Thanksgiving and are a wonderful fall treat.

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FAQs

Can I use Jiffy cornbread mix in place of cornmeal in this recipe?

You cannot substitute cornbread mix for the cornmeal in this recipe because it contains other ingredients besides cornmeal that will affect the over all texture and outcome of the cookie. Opt for yellow cornmeal, which can be found in the baking aisle and is inexpensive. You can also use other types of cornmeal if you have them, but yellow is ideal because it has a higher level of sweetness, making it perfect for baking.

How do I store cornbread cookies?

Store these cornbread cookies unfrosted in an airtight container for up to 3 days for maximum freshness or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If your cookies are frosting, you can keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You may want to freeze cookies on a sheet pan, then transfer them to a container once they are frozen.

How many cornbread cookies does this recipe make?

This recipe makes 12 large cookies using a traditional ice cream scoop or 40 small cookies using a small cookie scoop. I prefer the larger cookies personally, but make as many as your heart desires.

Ingredients

Flour: Good old all-purpose flour works great in these cornbread cookies, but you could use a 1:1 gluten free flour if needed.

Cornmeal: I use yellow cornmeal for these cookies because it’s inexpensive and widely available, plus it’s a little sweeter than other types of cornmeal you can find.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to make these cookies soft, like you get from the bakery.

Baking soda: Although these cookies don’t rise much, baking soda is the leavening agent that helps make them not so flat.

Salt: I always use Himalayan pink salt in my recipes, but any fine salt will do. It helps balance the sweetness in the cookie.

Cinnamon: I absolutely love cinnamon and I think it helps enhance the flavor of these cornbread cookies. If you’re not a huge fan of cinnamon, you can absolutely leave it out.

Brown sugar: I make my own homemade brown sugar and love using it in baking because it gives cookies and baked goods more flavor, but you can use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe.

Granulated sugar: Cane sugar is my preferred sugar, but you can use white sugar too.

Butter: When it comes to baked goods, I almost always use salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, I’d recommend adding another 1/2 tsp of salt.

Eggs: Eggs help bind all the ingredients together and give the cookies a moist texture.

Maple syrup: I prefer real maple syrup for its depth of flavor, but you can use table syrup or maple extract if needed, you’ll just have adjust the amount down slightly.

Vanilla: You can’t have a cookie without vanilla in my opinion, so this is a must, unless of course you’ve run out of it, then it’s okay to leave it out.

How to Make Cornbread Cookies

TOOLS YOU MAY NEED

• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Whisk and mixing spoon
• Ice cream scoop or cookie scoop

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup room temperature butter (1 stick)
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup corn meal
• 2 tbs cinnamon
• 1 tbs corn starch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Then in a mixing bowl, mix together: all purpose flour, cornmeal, corn starch, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, then set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl, cream together: brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter.

Mix in the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until fluffy.

Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time and mix until just incorporated until the dry ingredient mixture is fully incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the cornbread cookie batter onto a lined baking sheet.

Bake the cookies at 375°F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

How to Make Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS

• 6 oz softened cream cheese
• 4 tablespoons softened butter
• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 tbs maple syrup
• 1 tbs milk, half and half or heavy whipping cream, if needed

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together softened cream cheese and softened butter until fluffy.
2. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape the bowl as needed.
3. Add vanilla, then half and half until you reach desired consistency.
4. Keep the cream cheese frosting in an airtight container or frost your baked goods immediately.

Cornbread Cookie Notes

• This recipe makes 10-12 large cookies using a traditional ice cream scoop or 40 small cookies using a small cookie scoop.
• It’s best to chill the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight to make the perfect soft baked cookie, but you can bake them right away.
• Eat them plain or with the addition of delicious maple cream cheese frosting, which adds an extra layer of flavor and sweetness.
• Store cornbread cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days for maximum freshness or freeze for up to three months (maybe even more).

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR MORE COOKIE RECIPES?

Looking for more cookie recipes like these cornbread cookies? Check these out!

• Spiced Browned Butter Oatmeal Cookies
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies
• Cinnamon Butterscotch Cookies
• Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

Did you make these cornbread cookies with maple cream cheese frosting? If you enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate if you came back and gave the recipe a five star rating! Tag me on Instagram (@thesimplehomeplace) to show me your own recreation of this recipe!