Maple Leaf Cookies - YUMMM!
We have a new family favorite at our home….Maple Leaf Cookies! These made such a moist, faintly sweet cookie that was so delicious, and the cookies seemed to improve with age, instead of becoming dry and stale after a day or two like most homemade cookies. You will need to use real Grade B maple syrup for these cookies, though, because if you choose to use maple flavoring (1 tsp. or so), the maple flavor will hardly be evident. I recommend sticking with the real maple syrup!
We tried this recipe again recently with regular maple syrup from the store, and they had very little maple syrup flavor. Huh? What’s with that? Well, I went back and looked at the new bottle of maple syrup, and it was Grade A. Normally, with the way that foods are graded, you’d think this would be better than Grade B, but this isn’t the case. For true, richer maple syrup flavor in these cookies, please make certain that your maple syrup is Grade B!
If the thought of cutting out cookies with a cookie cutter seems too time consuming for you, you may also roll out the dough and cut it into squares or rectangles and then bake the cookies without using cookie cutters.
Here’s the recipe:
Maple Leaf Cut-Out Cookies
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
Measure all ingredients into a large bowl. If using large stand mixer, beat ingredients on low speed until well combined, or beat by hand. Shape dough into ball; wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough 1 hour or until easy to handle.
Set oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 large cookie pans, or lightly spray pans with cooking spray and then place parchment paper onto pans.
On a lightly floured surface, roll small portions of the dough out at a time to about 1/4" thickness. With a cookie cutter (if desired), cut dough out and place cookies one inch apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie pans. Or, cut dough into squares or rectangles and place onto pan to bake.
Bake cookies for 5 minutes; switch and rotate pans and bake an additional 5 minutes or until golden. Carefully remove cookies to wire racks to cool. Repeat until all dough is used, greasing cookie sheet each time (if not using parchment paper).
Store cookies in a tightly covered container.
We tried this recipe again recently with regular maple syrup from the store, and they had very little maple syrup flavor. Huh? What’s with that? Well, I went back and looked at the new bottle of maple syrup, and it was Grade A. Normally, with the way that foods are graded, you’d think this would be better than Grade B, but this isn’t the case. For true, richer maple syrup flavor in these cookies, please make certain that your maple syrup is Grade B!
If the thought of cutting out cookies with a cookie cutter seems too time consuming for you, you may also roll out the dough and cut it into squares or rectangles and then bake the cookies without using cookie cutters.
Here’s the recipe:
Maple Leaf Cut-Out Cookies
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 eggs
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
Measure all ingredients into a large bowl. If using large stand mixer, beat ingredients on low speed until well combined, or beat by hand. Shape dough into ball; wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough 1 hour or until easy to handle.
Set oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 large cookie pans, or lightly spray pans with cooking spray and then place parchment paper onto pans.
On a lightly floured surface, roll small portions of the dough out at a time to about 1/4" thickness. With a cookie cutter (if desired), cut dough out and place cookies one inch apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie pans. Or, cut dough into squares or rectangles and place onto pan to bake.
Bake cookies for 5 minutes; switch and rotate pans and bake an additional 5 minutes or until golden. Carefully remove cookies to wire racks to cool. Repeat until all dough is used, greasing cookie sheet each time (if not using parchment paper).
Store cookies in a tightly covered container.