Chewy Maple Oatmeal Cookies with Rice Krispies
Chewy maple oatmeal cookies with lightly crisp exteriors, soft, chewy centers, quick oats, and crisp rice cereal, flavored with maple, molasses, and cinnamon. Add the optional maple glaze for a sweeter, more maple-forward finish.
Ingredients
Butter & Sugars
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon butter (185 g), unsalted, cool room temperature, about 65°F
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (175 g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (213 g)
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs (100 g without shells), room temperature
- 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses (21 g)
- 2 teaspoons maple extract (9 g)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (2 g)
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (263 g)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder (6 g)
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt (4 g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (3 g)
Oats & Cereal
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats (178 g)
- 2 cups crisp rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies (56 g)
Optional Maple Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (113 g)
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup (52 g)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (14 g), melted and slightly cooled
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract (1 g)
- small pinch of fine salt
- 1½ teaspoons milk or cream (7 g), plus more as needed
Instructions
Make the Cookie Dough
- Preheat the oven: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Line a light-colored aluminum baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugars: Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on low to medium-low speed for about 2–3 minutes, until creamy, cohesive, and slightly lightened. The mixture will still look slightly grainy.
- Add the eggs and flavorings: Beat in the room-temperature eggs one at a time on low speed, mixing just until incorporated. Add the molasses, maple extract, and vanilla, then mix on low until evenly combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well.
- Add the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low just until no dry streaks remain.
- Fold in the oats and cereal: Add the quick-cooking oats and crisp rice cereal. Fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed, taking care not to crush the cereal.
Tip: Use butter around 65°F. A fingertip should leave a shallow impression, but the stick should still hold its shape and have a matte surface. Butter that is too warm can cause the cookies to spread more.
Tip: The dough will look soft and quite sticky at this point. That’s normal. The oats and cereal will help give it more structure, so there’s no need to add extra flour or chill the dough before baking. If the dough becomes unusually warm or soft while you're working, refrigerate it briefly until it firms up slightly.
Scoop and Bake
- Portion the dough: Scoop into 30 g portions, about 2 tablespoons each. Arrange 8 cookies per prepared baking sheet, leaving a few inches between them. Do not flatten.
- Bake and cool: Bake one sheet at a time for about 10–11 minutes, until the edges are set and barely golden and the centers are still soft and a little paler. A little glossiness in the centers is fine, but the dough should not look wet or fluid. Cool on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Make the Optional Maple Glaze
- Make the glaze: Whisk the melted butter, maple syrup, maple extract, and salt until combined. Whisk in the powdered sugar and 1½ teaspoons milk or cream until smooth. Add more milk or cream a few drops at a time if needed, until the glaze is thin enough to drizzle but thick enough to leave defined lines on the cookies.
- Glaze the cookies: Once the cookies are completely cool, drizzle the glaze lightly over the tops. Let the glaze set before serving or storing.
Notes
- Measurements: I develop and test my recipes primarily by weight. Volume measurements are provided for convenience. I use King Arthur Baking’s ingredient weight chart as my standard for conversions when available. For the most consistent results, I recommend using a kitchen scale, especially for flour. If measuring flour by volume, fluff it first, gently spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it off without packing.
- Brown sugar: Use soft, moist light brown sugar for the best results. Dry or sandy brown sugar can affect the chew and how well the cookies hold their texture. Some organic brown sugars have a coarser texture, and I haven't tested those in this recipe. Dark brown sugar may also work, but it will give the cookies a stronger molasses flavor and may affect the texture.
- Room-temperature eggs: Room-temperature eggs blend more smoothly into the butter mixture and help keep the dough temperature consistent. To warm cold eggs quickly, place them in warm tap water for 5–10 minutes.
- Oats: I developed and tested this recipe with quick-cooking oats. Old-fashioned oats may give the cookies a heartier texture and may affect spread and chew.
- Molasses: Use regular unsulphured molasses. I don’t recommend blackstrap molasses, which has a much stronger, more bitter flavor.
- Maple syrup: Don’t substitute maple syrup for the maple extract in the cookie dough. It is less concentrated and adds extra liquid and sugar.
- Storage: Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They have their best fresh-baked texture the first day, but in my testing they were still moist, soft, and chewy two days after baking.
- Altitude: I develop and test my recipes at approximately 4,850 feet elevation in Utah. This recipe has not yet been tested at lower elevation, but altitude does not affect every baked good in the same way. I recommend starting with the recipe as written and using the visual cues for doneness, since spread and bake time can vary between kitchens.
- Calories: Estimated per cookie, including the optional maple glaze.