Vermont Maple No-Bake Cookies

October 17, 2012
Classic no-bake cookies get an extra special twist in these Vermont Maple No-Bake Cookies.  They're pure Vermont maple deliciousness!



I am a huge fan of maple syrup.  Pure Vermont maple syrup, to be exact.  As many of you already know, I grew up in Vermont.  Since moving to North Carolina (eighteen years ago after finishing college), I still have Vermont maple syrup shipped to me from my favorite Vermont sugar shack.  For me, there's just no substitute.

So when I had the opportunity to try Tonewood Maple's syrup, ...

I jumped at the chance.  Tonewood Maple is a producer of premium pure Vermont maple products.  And can I just tell you that I adore them already?  Like totally major crush.

And here's why.

1.  They're from Vermont and they make maple stuff.  To me, that alone makes them crush-worthy. 

2.  They sent me a package with their awesome syrup.  I looooooove to get packages!  It's like getting a Christmas present in the mail.  Even when you know what's in the box!  (My husband doesn't understand how I can get so excited about this.)

3.   The package arrived on my birthday.  Aren't they so sweet to make sure it arrived on my special day?  (I know, I know ... they had no idea it was my birthday ... but, a girl can pretend right?)

4.  They're either clairvoyant, or read my blog.  Because they sent me my favorite grade of maple syrup ... grade B, baby!  I did a post about grade B maple syrup a while back.  Grade B is where it's at.  Oh, just take a look at that beautiful bottle of grade B.  


5.  They included a hand-written note in the package.  I truly think hand-written notes are a lost art now a'-days.  But they so bring a smile.  I love getting hand-written notes in the mail.  Thank you for my note, Dori!



I have lots of maple recipes, but I wanted to make something new with my Tonewood maple.  So I popped on over to Dori's blog to take a look at the maple recipes she's shared.

I was intrigued with maple syrup no-bake cookies, so I gave them a try.  The ones on Dori's blog use maple syrup as the sweetener, and include cocoa and peanut butter just like 'traditional' no-bake cookies.  They were good.  But I wanted to taste more maple, not cocoa and peanut butter.

So I set about creating my own version of Vermont Maple No-Bake Cookies.  That taste maple.  I will admit that this took me many more tries than I thought it would, but my hubby and I are very happy with the result.


I ran into a couple of challenges while figuring out this recipe.

The first challenge was to find a replacement for the peanut butter that would let the maple flavor shine through more fully.  The solution?  Almond butter.  It lends the same nut butter-type base to the cookies without the overpowering peanut butter taste.

The second ... and major ... challenge was to get the consistency of the cookie mixture right.  This was actually a bit tough to work out.  Since almond butter isn't as creamy as peanut butter, it takes some milk to give a creamy cookie texture.  But too much milk tones down the maple flavor too much.  Not enough milk, and the cookies don't hold together.  

After several tries with differing amounts of butter, maple syrup, milk, and cooking time, I finally found a combination that gave the texture and flavor I was looking for ... soft, creamy texture with a definite maple flavor.


I had so much fun playing with my Tonewood Maple sample to create these scrumptious cookies.  They're pure Vermont maple deliciousness.

Thank you so much, Tonewood Maple!

Check out these other super tasty no-bake desserts:
Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!


maple cookies, no bake cookies recipes, no bake maple cookies, Vermont maple, Vermont maple cookies
Cookies & Bars
Yield: 1 dozen cookies

Vermont Maple No-Bake Cookies

Classic no-bake cookies get an extra special twist in these Vermont Maple No-Bake Cookies. They're pure Vermont maple deliciousness!
prep time: 15 Mcook time: 5 Mtotal time: 20 M

ingredients:

  • 1/4 c. unsalted butter
  • 1/2 c. pure maple syrup (preferably Vermont grade B)
  • 2 T. milk
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 c. almond butter
  • 3/4 c. old-fashioned oats

instructions:

How to cook Vermont Maple No-Bake Cookies

  1. Combine butter, maple syrup, and milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once at a full rolling boil, set timer and boil for a full 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
  2. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract, salt, almond butter and oats.
  3. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and allow cookies to cool.
TRACEY'S NOTES
  1. Boiling the maple syrup mixture for a full 3 minutes over medium-high heat is very important. The mixture will be kind of "frothy" for a while during boiling ... don't worry. Just keep stirring!
  2. Getting the proper consistency for the cookies can be tricky, due in part (I think) to differing consistencies of almond butters and to variations of the achieved thickness during the maple syrup boiling process. Adjust ingredient amounts, as needed:
  3. If your cookie mixture is too thick after stirring in the oats, add a teeny tiny bit of milk ... just 1 teaspoon at a time. The mixture goes from 'too dry' to 'too wet' pretty quickly when adding milk, so go slow. Also, while the milk adds a wonderful creaminess to the texture of the cookies, it seems to tone down the maple flavor ... so add sparingly.
  4. If your cookie mixture is too 'soupy' after stirring in the amount of oats called for in the recipe, stir in additional oats ... about 1/4 cup at a time ... until a 'drop-able' consistency is achieved. You may have to add anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1 cup more oats.
Created using The Recipes Generator

Please enjoy these other no-bake treats from The Kitchen is My Playground ...







Disclaimer:  Tonewood Maple provided a product sample of their Pure Vermont Grade B Maple Syrup.  Monetary compensation was not provided for the writing of this post.  All expressed opinions are solely those of Tracey at The Kitchen is My Playground.


29 comments

  1. How creative! These sound amazing! I always have almond butter on hand because my daughter is allergic to peanuts, so I want to try this today! I think it would make a great, healthy snack for my kids. Pinning!

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  2. Hi Tracey,
    Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great weekend and come back soon!
    Miz Helen

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  3. These cookies look awesome and I cannot wait to try!

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  4. There's not much to eat in this world that I love better than MAPLE..maple ANYthing...can't wait to try your recipe...:)

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  5. Oh these look so delicious! I'm making these cookies for my weekend family hardwood floor laying party! Wow! LOVE maple syrup. I'm going to have to look up Tonewood! Thanks for sharing these yummy cookies at ON THE MENU MONDAY!

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  6. I love your recipes! Thanks for sharing them at Cast Party Wednesday!
    ~Sheryl @ Lady Behind The Curtain~

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  7. They look awesome! I want one right now!
    I would love to have you join my new link party Wednesday Extravaganza! Come by and share this or other recipes. Here is the link
    http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/1/post/2012/10/wednesday-extravaganza.html

    Can't wait to see you there!

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  8. I will try these cookies this weekend. But I don't know if this maple syrup (which I own) is grade B. Here's the link: http://www.canadathestore.com/products/pure-canadian-maple-syrup-500ml. How can I tell? I really to try this recipe, because looks really yummy and not too sweet!

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Melanie! I just checked out the link you shared ... based on these words in their description: "(Medium Grade). Produced in the middle of the season", my guess is that your maple syrup is the equivalent of U.S. grade A Dark Amber (the U.S. and Canada do not use the same maple syrup grading system). Grade B is considered "dark grade" and is typically produced at the end of the season. But don't worry!! ... the cookies will still taste FABULOUS with the Medium Grade maple syrup!

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  9. I love maple soooooooo much. This sounds amazing!

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  10. Wow, I'll have to try this one! Would love it if you linked up on my blog hop www.w-t-fab.com/search/label/bloghop. Also let me know if you'd like to follow each other!

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  11. These sound amazing! I love no-bake cookies and with maple...oh goodness.

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  12. I made these tonight and am waiting for them to cool to try out. I love maple and these seemed like they'd be AMAZING!

    However, I measured out the ingredients, using my measuring cups for some, and my scale for others, and found that I needed to use quite a bit more oats than what the recipe called for. Is is possible that there's an error in the amounts listed in the recipe? Until I added another 3/4 cup of oats it seemed like soup and I was worried about spooning them onto my wax paper.

    Thoughts?

    Regardless, I'm excited for them to cool and for me to try them! :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Therese, for stopping back by to let me know how these turned out for you! I'm thinking one of two things is going on:
      1. Different almond butters may be different consistencies, leading to the more 'soupy' result you got.
      2. The maple syrup boiling process may have reached a different state of 'caramelizing,' which could also lead to a different batter consistency.
      Adding more oats was a great strategy! Honestly, I think the amount of oats used may vary slightly each time these are made, based on the above two factors. I'll add a note to the recipe in the post about this.

      Thanks so much for reading The Kitchen is My Playground!

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    2. Someone had your Turtle Cookies on Pinterest and I followed that to your page and feel like I haven't left since! :)

      I am looking forward to trying out many of your recipes and always appreciate the photos and descriptions and all your time with the trial and error to get us such great food!

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  13. I have always been a fan of the no bake cookies and can't wait to try this version. I love Maple Nut Goodies and had to give them up because of the nuts and my sensitive tummy in my old age...hoping this will be a replacement to my taste buds!

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  14. I have been on the search for natural sugar desserts. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, it is delicious! I did make a few changes that I wanted to share. I used natural peanut butter, because that is what I have in my kitchen. The first time I made these they were very soft and needed to be stored in the fridge to keep their shape and they weren't salty enough for my taste. So the second time I made them (because they were sooo delicious), I boiled the caramel to the soft ball stage using a candy thermometer and did 1/4 tsp of salt. They were absolutely perfection!

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  15. Can you double the recipe, if yes do you need to cook longer

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  16. These look delish! Recipe is printed and ready to go. Can't wait to try them... I too crush hard on maple syrup!
    Visiting from the Show & Tell Linky Party

    Bridget
    craftybridge.com

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  17. What a lovely package to receive, Tracey, and on your birthday too! I love real maple syrup as well, and I love the recipe you've made with yours from Vermont. Your No Bake Cookies look delicious! Thank you for sharing them with us at Hearth and Soul. Hope to 'see' you again this week!

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  18. What about using maple butter in place of almond butter?

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  19. Ohhhhh these are so unique! And delicious and I think more like candy than a cookie. So glad your recipe was posted to pinterest! THANK YOU!

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  20. Like someone else above i needed to use lots more oats... and even then they would not hold together. I ended up putting them in the freezer - but unless i eat them out of the freezer (yum!) they get sticky & messy, falling apart...

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  21. Before they cool sprinkle tops with Tonewood Maple Flakes!!

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  22. Can you use butter instead of almond butter?

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  23. I’m going to try this recipe with oat-milk : )

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  24. I have been wanting a maple version for no bake cookies for a long time, yours look absolutely delicious. Thank you for working out the recipe and sharing. Definitely going to try soon.

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