About Maple
Maple Facts
| Sugar and Red Maples are native only to northeastern North America. |
| Maple Sugar Cookies |
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The All-American Cookie Book
Nancy Baggett
1 ½ cups all-purpose white flour ¼ teaspoon baking powder ½ cup granulated maple sugar ½ (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened ½ cup sugar 1 large egg ⅛ teaspoon salt 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract Powdered sugar for rolling I love to bake cookies of all different types and my go to cook book for new and great cookie recipes is Nancy Baggett's The All-American Cookie Book. Several years ago we were fortunate to have Nancy visit us while she was doing research for her cookbooks. Her maple research resulted in the development of several great recipes one of which my girls and I baked up yesterday - Maple Sugar Cookies. This recipe's great maple flavor comes from pure maple sugar. Nancy has kindly allowed us to share this recipe and I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! - Emma P.S. You might want to visit Nancy's website because she's posted another great maple recipe - Maple Custard pie. (http://www.kitchenlane.com/2009/03/smooth-as-silk-maple-custard-pie.html)
In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the 1 ½ cups flour and the baking powder; set aside. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, maple sugar, and sugar until very light and well blended. Add the egg, salt and vanilla and beat until evenly incorporated. Beat or stir in the flour mixture just until evenly incorporated. ; the dough will be fairly soft. If it is too soft to handle, let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, or until firmed up slightly.
Divide dough in half. Place each portion between large sheets of wax paper. Roll out each portion ⅛ inch think; check the underside of the dough and smooth out any wrinkles that form. Stack the rolled portions (paper still attached) on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for about 1 hour,, or until cold and firm, or freeze fro about 30 minutes to speed chilling.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease several baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray.
Working with one portion at a time and leaving the remaining dough chilled, gently peel way, then pat one sheet off wax paper back into place. Flip the dough over, then peel off and discard the second sheet. Using a 2 ½ to 3 inch maple leaf-shaped cutter, cut out the cookies; if the cutter sticks, occasionally dip it into powdered sugar, tapping off the excess. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the cookies to the baking sheets, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart. Reroll any dough scraps. Continue cutting out the cookies until all dough is used.
Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the upper third of the oven for 6 to 9 minutes, or until just slightly colored on top and faintly tinged with brown at the edges. Reverse the sheet halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Using a spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks. |
