Maple Cookies

Author: Erin Bott

Yield: 8 Dozen

Ingredients:
3 Cups All-purpose or Whole Wheat Flour (plus more for surface)
½ Tsp Salt
1 Cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
½ Cup Granular Maple Sugar
½ Cup Crushed Maple Sugar Candies (to replace brown sugar)
1 Large Egg Yolk
¾ Cup Maple Syrup
1/3 Cup Maple Sugar (to replace sanding sugar)
Sunflower or Canola Oil (for brushing)

Directions:
1. Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter and both maple sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add yolk, then ½ cup maple syrup, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a sheet of lightly floured parchment. Place parchment with dough on baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
3. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray (or brush with oil), line with parchment, and coat parchment. Cut out cookies from frozen dough using a 3 ½ inch maple leaf shaped cookie cutter, and space 1 inch apart on sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
4. Bake cookies until edges begin to turn golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer parchment with cookies to wire racks, and let cool for 5 minutes. Brush cookies with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and sprinkle ½ the maple sugar for sprinkling. Let cool. Repeat with remaining dough, maple syrup, and sugar.

ChapterBakingAndDesserts