Autumn Maple Leaf Cookies Recipes

AUTUMN MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar together.
• Add 1/2 cup of maple syrup and egg yolk, mix well.
• Sift in flour and salt, combine well.
• Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap and chill about 2 hours (this makes rolling and cutting the cookies possible. If you skip the chilling step you will have a huge mess when you try to roll them out!).
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll dough 1/8 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters (leaf shapes are the most fun!).
• Place on baking sheet (ungreased is fine).
• Bake apx 12 minutes.
• Cool on pan about 5 minutes and move to wire rack (leave them too long and they will stick!).
• To make glaze- combine 1/2 cup maple syrup and 2 cups powdered sugar (be sure to sift the powdered sugar if you don't want lumpy glaze!). You can dip, drizzle or pipe on the glaze. You can easily cut the glaze in half- it makes a lot!

MAPLE LEAF BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• In a standing electric mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in maple syrup and egg yolk until mixture is combined well. Sift together salt and flour over mixture and fold in thoroughly. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 2 hours. Dough may be made 4 days ahead and chilled.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Divide dough in half. Keeping one half chilled, lightly flour other half and on a lightly floured surface gently pound with a rolling pin to soften. Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick and with a 3-inch floured maple-leaf cookie cutter cut out cookies, chilling scraps. Arrange cookies on buttered baking sheets and if desired, with back of a knife, mark cookies decoratively. Make more cookies in same manner with remaining dough and with all the scraps pressed together.
• Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are golden, about 12 minutes, and transfer to racks to cool. Cookies keep in airtight containers 1 week.

AUTUMN MAPLE CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
• Cook until milk solids stop crackling and turn amber (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally.
• Transfer butter mixture to a small bowl, scraping pan to include milk solids.
• Cover and cool butter mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until soft and congealed but not firm.
• Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.
• Combine chilled butter mixture and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes).
• Add syrup, flavoring, and 1 egg white to butter mixture; beat at low speed 2 minutes or until well blended.
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat on low speed until blended.
• Divide dough in half. Shape each portion into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Place walnuts and turbinado sugar in a food processor; pulse 15 times or until mixture is coarsely ground.
• Place remaining 1 egg white in another small bowl; stir with a whisk.
• Working with one portion of the dough at a time (keep remaining dough chilled until use), roll dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface, and cut with a 2 1/2-inch cutter.
• Place cookies, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
• Gently brush tops of cookies with egg white; sprinkle evenly with half of walnut mixture.
• Bake for 12 minutes or until pale brown.
• Remove cookies from pan; cool completely on wire racks.
• Repeat procedure with remaining dough, egg white, and walnut mixture.

AUTUMN MAPLE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter together.
• Add egg and vanilla and maple extracts and mix well.
• Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and spices. Gradually add to butter and sugar mixture.
• Drop into small balls onto a nonstick cookie sheet. Decorate with sanding sugar or festive sprinkles.
• Bake for 10-14 minutes.

MAPLE LEAF SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Measure 3 cups of sifted flour and salt into sifter.
• Set aside. (I put the sifter on the flour tin lid, so I won't loose the flour that comes through before I sift into the other ingredients.).
• Beat softened butter and the two sugars until light and creamy. (medium high speed on electric mixer).
• Reduce speed and add egg yolk until well blended.
• Add 1/2 cup maple syrup and mix until blended.
• Remove beaters and now use a wooden spoon.
• Slowly sift flour into bowl mixing with wooden spoon, until just well blended.
• Divide dough into thirds and make each 1/3 into a flat disc.
• Place on sheets of floured wax paper, with well floured hands.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight to thoroughly chill dough.
• Take discs from refrigerator and roll out to 1/8" to 1/4" thickness, and put in freezer to firm for about 15 minutes. (this makes it easier to handle the cut cookies).
• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Line cookie sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable cooking spray.
• Cut cookies from chilled dough and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of cookie.
• Move cookies to wire rack and brush with maple syrup (this is the other 1/2 cup of syrup) and sprinkle with sanding sugar. (I use red, yellow, and green sanding sugars, although the white is lovely too.).
• Place in tin or serving plate when cool.

MAPLE LEAF SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat shortening, 1 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• Whisk all remaining cookie ingredients in large bowl. Beat into butter mixture at low speed just until blended. Shape into flat round; refrigerate 30 minute.
• Heat oven to 375°F Divide dough into 4 pieces. On lightly floured surface roll out each piece into 1/8" thick round. With 3" leaf shaped cookie cutter, cut out leaf shapes. Repeat with remaining dough. Reroll scraps (refrigerate dough if it gets soft). Place on baking sheet; bake 7 to 9 min or until light golden brown around edges. Cool on wire rock.
• Meanwhile, beat 1 cup butter, maple syrup and maple extract in medium bowl at medium speed until smooth. At low speed, beat in 3 cups of the powdered sugar adding additional sugar if necessary to achieve spreadable consistency. Spread half of cookies with about 1 tbsp frosting; top with remaining cookies.