Start by letting your butter sit out for about an hour to properly soften. You should be able to easily press your finger into it, but it shouldn’t be melty or shiny. If you’re in a hurry, cut it into tablespoon-sized pieces to speed this up.

While the butter softens, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until it’s smooth and creamy – about 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar and beat for about 2 minutes until it gets really light and fluffy.

Pour in the maple syrup (make sure it’s pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup) and beat until well combined. The mixture might look a bit curdled at this point – that’s totally normal!

Add the egg and vanilla, beating until everything’s smooth and well combined, about 30 seconds.

Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed just until you stop seeing dry flour streaks. The dough will be soft but not sticky – it should easily form a ball without clinging to your fingers.

Pop the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. This firms up the butter and helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much. The dough should feel cool and firm but still scoopable.

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour the granulated sugar into a shallow bowl for rolling.

Scoop the dough into 1½-tablespoon balls (I use my #40 cookie scoop). Roll each ball in the granulated sugar until completely coated – this gives the cookies their signature sparkle and slight crunch.

Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. They’ll spread as they bake, so give them room.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Here’s what to look for: the edges should be lightly golden brown, but the centers will still look slightly underbaked and puffy. Don’t wait for the centers to look completely done – they’ll continue baking on the hot pan.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.