Tea cakes… but make them cozy.
These Easy Maple Cinnamon Tea Cake Cookies are soft, lightly sweet, topped with cinnamon sugar, and finished with a light maple glaze — the kind of cookie you make when you want something warm and comforting without being too heavy.
These cookies bake up thick and tall with a tender, cake-like crumb that falls somewhere between a scone and a sugar cookie. They’re not overly sweet, which makes them perfect with coffee, tea, or as an everyday dessert that doesn’t feel over-the-top.
Why You’ll Love These Maple Cinnamon Tea Cake Cookies
- Soft, fluffy texture — not dense or dry
- Lightly sweet and perfect with tea or coffee
- Cozy cinnamon flavor with warm maple notes
- Makes a large batch (great for sharing)
- Easy to halve if you want fewer cookies
- Perfect “not too sweet” dessert
Ingredients for Maple Cinnamon Tea Cake Cookies
Tea Cake Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (for dipping)
Maple Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 teaspoons milk
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
How to Make Maple Cinnamon Tea Cake Cookies
Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugar
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extract and beat until fully combined.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and nutmeg.
Dissolve baking soda into the milk.
Step 3: Combine
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture, beating until smooth.
Step 4: Scoop and Bake
Scoop dough onto well-greased baking sheets or parchment-lined trays.
Bake at 350°F for 15–18 minutes, until just lightly browned on the bottom.
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Add Cinnamon Sugar Topping
Mix sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Dip the top of each cookie into melted butter, then sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.
Let set for 15 minutes before glazing.
Add Maple Glaze
Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and maple syrup until smooth.
Drizzle over cookies and let set.
What Are Tea Cakes?
Tea cakes come in many forms around the world:
- English Tea Cakes: Yeasted buns with fruit
- Scottish Tea Cakes: Biscuit-style cookies
- Swedish “Kanelbullar”: Cinnamon buns
- Russian Tea Cakes: Powdered sugar cookies
- American Tea Cakes: Soft, cake-like cookies often flavored with vanilla or spice
These Maple Cinnamon Tea Cakes fit in the classic American-style category: soft, lightly sweet, and perfect with tea.
Tips for Perfect Tea Cake Cookies
- Don’t overbake — bottoms should barely brown
- Use room temperature butter
- Don’t overscoop — they spread slightly
- Add maple extract for stronger flavor (optional)
- If dough feels stiff, add 1 tablespoon milk
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
These cookies are best the same day, but you can:
✅ Freeze plain baked cookies (no topping) up to 1 month
✅ Add topping and glaze after thawing
✅ Store assembled cookies in an airtight container up to 2 days
Easy Maple Cinnamon Tea Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 5 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- Cinnamon sugar topping
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tsp milk
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp melted butter for dipping the cookies into
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Add eggs and almond extract, beating well
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cornstarch and nutmeg
- Dissolve the baking soda in the milk
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, beating well after each addition
- Using a large cookie scooper, place the cookie dough balls on a large well-greased cookie sheet or lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, removing when they are just lightly browned on the bottom
- Allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes
- Cinnamon sugar topping
- Mix the cinnamon, sugar, and brown sugar together in a small bowl
- Place the melted butter into a shallow dish
- Dip the top of each cookie into the melted butter and set the cookie down o a piece of parchment paper or plate. Using a spoon, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top.
- Allow the cinnamon sugar topping to set for 15-30 minutes
- Glaze
- Add the powdered sugar, milk, and maple syrup to a medium bowl and mix well until fully combined.
- Drizzle over the top of each cookie
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