Autumn Maple Sugar Cookies Recipes

MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add yolk, then 1/2 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).
• 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.
• Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, line with parchment, and coat parchment. Cut out cookies from frozen dough using a 3 1/2-inch maple-leaf-shaped cutter, and space 1 inch apart on sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
• 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 with 1/2 the sanding sugar. Let cool. Repeat with remaining dough, maple syrup, and sugar. (Cookies will keep for up to 2 days.)

MAPLE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in syrup and vanilla. Combine the remaining ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 350° for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

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.

MAPLE SUGAR COOKIES (NO CHILL, CUTOUT COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with nonstick silicon mats or parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate large bowl using a stand of hand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and creamy.
• Add egg, maple extract, vanilla extract and almond extract and beat to combine.
• Add dry ingredients 1 cup at a time, beating on medium speed to combine between each addition.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4" thick (I like to use rolling pin rings to ensure the dough is even). Use your favorite cookie cutter to cut out each cookie and place on prepared baking sheets. Since these won't spread, you can add more to a sheet than usual, but I still like to leave 1" between each cookie for even baking.
• Bake for about 8 minutes until cookies are set, but edges are not yet browned.
• Bake one batch at a time, allowing the baking sheet to cool completely before adding the next batch of cookies to bake - this will ensure even and consistent baking times.
• Let cool 5-10 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• While cookies are cooling, combine sifted powdered sugar and maple syrup in a small mixing bowl and use a whisk to combine - the icing will thicken and become a tan color.
• Use a small icing spatula to coat each cookie. I like to spread all the way to the edges, but you can also pour the icing into a piping bag and drizzle on top instead if you'd prefer.
• Let set completely, then serve and enjoy!

MAPLE BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and maple extract, then beat on high speed until combined.
• Pour the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until combined. Add the pecans, then beat on low speed until combined. Dough will be creamy and soft.
• Cover and chill the dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator (and up to 3-4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, though, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
• Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie. This cookie scoop is helpful. Bake each batch for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
• Remove from the oven. If your warm cookies look puffy, lightly bang the pan on the counter when you remove it from the oven. That will help slightly deflate the cookies, creating lovely cracks as you see in the pictured cookies. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners' sugar. Taste. Add a pinch of salt, if desired. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour.
• Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

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.