Buttermilk Pancake Inspired Sugar Cookies & Maple Buttercream

To say that these delicious Buttermilk Pancake Inspired cookies were simply inspired by pancakes would not be doing them justice.

They weren’t only inspired by pancakes, they were born from a much deeper love that I have for buttermilk pancakes. You see, for as long as I can remember, my choice of a fun brunch out was pancakes. But not just any pancakes… Pancakes filled with butter and syrup. Pancakes that have slightly brown edges and a super light and fluffy inside. To enjoy a good buttermilk pancake is to basically taste heaven on earth…. and in this case taste it through cookies.

I am so excited for you to taste these heavenly cookies and to live out your innrer pancake lover.

Why am I using only the egg yolks & not the whites?

We want these cookies to be super rich and decadent, and soft in the middle! This is achieved by adding more fat (aka just the yolks) to the cookie dough rather than the full egg. Unfortunately for this recipe specifically, we won’t be saving the whites to use for later. However, I love this article from Epicurious for ideas on how to use those leftover egg whites if you don’t want to just discard them.

Do I need to refrigerate the dough?

You actually don’t! Not for this recipe, at least. 🙂 For almost ALL of my other cookie recipes I will pretty much demand that you refrigerate the dough. For this recipe, though, we don’t need to. There is a ton of flavor already mixed into the batter, and because it’s a thicker dough with only baking poweder and no baking soda, there isn’t a concern with the cookies becoming too fat. TLDR; no need to refrigerate the cookie dough.

However, if you do want to make the dough and can’t bake it until later, you can totally refrigerate it. Just make sure to let it come to room temperature first before baking.

When can I frost the cookies after baking?

When they are fully cooled, no exceptions. This one is super important! If you try to frost cookies that are even slightly warm, the buttercream will simply melt off and it’ll just be a mess…. plain & simple. Just give them the time to cool, promise it’s worth it!

Do I need to press the cookies down at all onto the baking sheet?

Nope! No need… unless you want a slightly flatter cookie. All up to your own personal preference.

Buttermilk Pancake Inspired Sugar Cookies & Maple Buttercream

5 from 3 votes

Recipe by Lindsey Goldschmidt

Servings

12

Cookies

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

12

minutes

Ingredients

• Cookies

• 3/4 Cup Cane Sugar

• 2 Tbsp Brown sugar

• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted

• 2 Egg Yolks

• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

• 1 Tbsp Heavy Cream

• 1.5 Cup All Purpose Flour

• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

• Maple Buttercream

• 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature

• 3 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

• 1 Cup Powdered Sugar

Directions

• Cookies
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking pan with parchment paper or silpat baking mat. Set pan aside.
• Begin by melting the butter either over the stove or by melting it in the microwave. Set the butter aside & let it cool.
• Once the butter has cooled, add to a mixing bowl and combine with egg yolks, brown sugar, cane sugar, vanilla, and cream.
• Then, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients and fold together until fully combined.
• Scoop cookie dough onto the lined cookie sheet, and bake for 11-12 minutes, until cookies are very slightly browning around the edges
• Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool completely! This is important – you don’t want to frost your cookies with buttercream until they are cool.
• Maple Buttercream
• Add room temperature butter to a separate mixing bowl, and cream the butter. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix the butter on low-medium speed for about 2 – 3 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides in between mixing. You’ll know when the butter is creamed when it is smooth and light in color.
• Once the butter is fluffy and creamy, add in maple syrup. Mix again until it is incorporated.
• Then, add the powdered sugar to the creamed butter and maple syrup. Add a little at a time so the powdered sugar doesn’t fly all over. Continue mixing and adding powdered sugar until all has been mixed in.
• Once your cookies have cooled, spread buttercream over top and enjoy your cookies!