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This versatile maple glaze is perfect for donuts, bread, cakes, muffins and more! The flavor is bold and sweet, and it sets up beautifully.
Want to add a pop to your baked goods? Try this easy maple glaze, perfect for donuts, quick breads, cakes, muffins, and more! In just 5 minutes, you can whip up a sweet glaze with a bold flavor that’s bursting with maple essence. You can customize the maple flavor according to your taste preferences, so it’s just what you need for various recipes. Try it on pumpkin bread, baked donuts, and more!
Ingredients for maple glaze
This easy maple glaze requires just 6 ingredients and has a quick prep time. It also sets nicely at room temperature, so it stays solid instead of becoming sticky like other glazes. The key? Maple extract, which brings just the right intensity of maple flavor. Technically you can make a maple glaze without extract, but it’s what brings in the true, pure maple flavor. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Powdered sugar
- Butter, salted or unsalted
- Maple syrup
- Salt
- Maple extract
- Milk of choice
For a vegan version of this glaze, use vegan butter and your non-dairy milk of choice (we like oat milk).
The secrets to this maple glaze
There are secrets to the bold flavor and robust texture of this maple glaze recipe: maple extract and butter. The butter is such a game-changer for homemade glazes and icings, because it makes them more stable at room temperature. Here’s what to know:
- Maple extract is a flavoring made from steeping maple syrup in a neutral syrup, like vodka or grain alcohol, for a few weeks to extract the flavor. The extract has a much stronger maple flavor than the syrup itself, which is very neutral. You can adjust the intensity of the maple to taste here.
- Butter used in this maple glaze is what lets it set up as solid at room temperature. Other types of glazes can become sticky at room temperature storage (especially this cream cheese glaze), but this maple glaze sets beautifully.
Whisk and adjust as needed
This maple glaze is similar to other powdered sugar icings and glazes: it’s simply a matter of whisking a few ingredients in a bowl. You can add additional liquid as necessary until the glaze comes to the desired consistency. Here’s what to know:
- Gradually add the milk. The milk quantity specified below should create a smooth, glossy texture to the maple glaze. Add it gradually to make sure it comes to a thick yet drizzle-able texture.
- Add a hint more milk as necessary. If it’s not yet to the correct consistency, add liquid a teaspoon at a time until the desired texture is reached.
- Taste the glaze and add more maple extract if desired. Want a super maple-y glaze? Simply add a few more drops of maple at a time until the flavor pops. It’s pretty potent stuff, so add it just a bit at a time!
- Use a fork to drizzle the glaze. This gets a much better drizzle consistency than a spoon, which makes very large lines.
Ways to use maple glaze
The best ways to use this maple glaze? We love using this one as a pumpkin bread glaze or for baked donuts. But there are so many other ways! Here are a few top ways to use maple glaze:
- Donuts like baked donuts or mini donuts
- Bundt cakes or pound cakes
- Sheet cakes like pumpkin cake or applesauce cake
- Cookies like applesauce cookies, apple cookies, or pumpkin cookies
- Quick breads like apple bread, applesauce bread, banana bread, pumpkin bread or zucchini bread
- Scones like pumpkin scones
- Bars like apple pie bars or blueberry pie bars
- Muffins like apple cinnamon muffins, sweet potato muffins, banana muffins, or banana oatmeal muffins
Storage info
Allow approximately 20 minutes for the glaze to dry. The glazed bread stores up to 5 days at room temperature (without getting sticky!) or for best results, store refrigerated up to 10 days.
More glaze recipes
Want more tasty glaze recipes for your baked goods? Here are a few more to try:
- Go for Vanilla Glaze or Easy Chocolate Glaze
- Make Easy Cream Cheese Glaze
- Mix up Easy Lemon Glaze
This maple glaze recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, use vegan butter and non-dairy milk.
Maple Glaze (for Donuts, Bread, Cake, & More!)
This maple glaze is perfect for donuts, bread, cakes, muffins and more! The flavor is bold and sweet, and it sets up beautifully.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 donuts, 12 muffins, or 2 quick bread loaves 1x
- Category: Essentials
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Drizzle
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup* powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, salted or unsalted (or vegan butter)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon maple extract, plus more if desired
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk of choice, plus more if needed
Instructions
- Heat the butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan until the butter melts. In a medium bowl, slowly whisk the powdered sugar, butter and maple syrup, salt and maple extract until a thick glaze forms. Gradually add the milk to make a smooth, pourable glaze. If the glaze is too sticky, add a teaspoon more milk until it comes to a smooth, thick consistency. Taste and if desired, add more maple extract to taste, a few drops at a time.
- Use a fork to drizzle across the bread. Allow approximately 20 minutes for the glaze to dry. The glazed baked good can generally stay up to 5 days at room temperature (without getting sticky!) or for best results, store refrigerated up to 10 days.
Notes
*For a lighter drizzle for pumpkin bread, quick bread, or muffins, make a half batch!
Hi there! What size measuring spoon is used for the maple extract in the Maple Glaze Recipe? Thanks! Gerry
P.S. I haven’t made the Apple Bars yet, so I couldn’t rate the recipe, but I’m looking forward to it!
Full recipe is here: https://www.acouplecooks.com/maple-glaze/#tasty-recipes-148264-jump-target 1/4 tsp.
Can I freeze the maple glaze? I have a bit lefto over and I won’t need it unitl Christmas time!
We haven’t tried it. Let us know if you do!
Let us know if you have any questions!