Cookie of the day · Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Vegan Maple Pecan Leaf Cut-Out Cookies
Tender leaf-shaped cut-outs made with toasted ground pecans, brown sugar and a little cinnamon, dipped in a pure maple glaze that sets glossy. They hold their shape well, have pressed-in leaf veins, and work well on a Thanksgiving dessert tray.
- Total time
- 3 hrs 50 mins
- Makes
- 24 cookies (3-inch leaves)
- Oven
- 350°F
- Ingredients
- 15
Includes 1 hr dough chill, 10 min freeze and 30 min glaze set.
About these cookies
These leaves are crisp at the edges and tender in the middle, with a brown-butter flavor that comes from toasted ground pecans worked right into the dough. A little maple syrup and brown sugar keep them warm-flavored but not too sweet, and the glossy maple glaze adds more sweetness and a soft shine. They keep their shape in the oven, so the leaves stay crisp-edged.
Steps
- Tap a step to check it off.
Tips for success
- Toast the pecans and let them cool completely before grinding. Pulse them with a little flour so you get fine meal, not pecan butter, which would make the dough greasy and cause spreading.
- Roll the dough between parchment instead of on a floured counter. That keeps it tender and stops extra flour from drying it out.
- Don't skip either chill: 1 hour for the rolled slabs and 10 minutes in the freezer for the cut leaves. Together they keep the leaf points sharp at 350°F (175°C).
- Take the cookies out when the edges are just barely golden and the tops look matte. They firm up as they cool, and overbaking dulls the maple flavor.
- Pure maple syrup alone gives the glaze a gentle maple flavor. Add the optional maple extract and the pinch of salt if you want it to taste clearly of maple.
Swaps
- Vegan butter: use 1/2 cup refined coconut oil, softened but not melted. The dough will be firmer and the cookies a little crumblier and more shortbread-like. Increase the salt in the dough to 1/2 teaspoon, and let the chilled slabs sit for 5 minutes before cutting so they don't crack.
- Pecans: use the same weight of toasted walnuts. The flavor is a bit more bitter and earthy. For a nut-free version, use 75 g toasted sunflower seed flour or finely ground toasted pumpkin seeds in the dough, toast only the seeds, and top the cookies with 25 g chopped toasted pumpkin seeds (or skip the topping). Expect a more savory, seedy taste.
- Light brown sugar: use the same amount of coconut sugar for a deeper, caramel-like flavor and slightly darker cookies, or granulated sugar for paler, crisper leaves with less caramel flavor.
- Maple syrup in the glaze: use agave syrup or brown rice syrup in the same amount. The glaze will set the same way but taste neutral, so add the 1/2 teaspoon maple extract to keep the maple flavor.
Storing
Once the glaze has fully set, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature with parchment between the layers for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap the unbaked rolled dough slabs well for up to 2 months, or freeze the unglazed baked cookies for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature, then glaze. To refresh unglazed cookies that have softened, warm them at 300°F (150°C) for 3 to 4 minutes and let them cool before glazing.
This recipe was developed with AI and checked for vegan ingredients and sensible baking times, but it hasn’t been test-baked in our kitchen yet. How our recipes are made.
