Maple Sugar-Pecan Cookies--A Winning Recipe!
Author: Nancy Baggett
Rich with maple sugar and pecan flavor, and prefect for any holiday occasion. Be sure to use only real maple syrup and maple sugar.
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups all-purpose unsifted unbleached white flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup granular pure maple sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup finely chopped pecans, preferably lightly toasted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Quick Maple Leaf Cookie Drizzle
  • ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Generous ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted after measuring if lumpy
  • 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup (preferably deep amber colored), plus more as needed
  • ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. If the maple sugar is coarse-grained, grind it in a food processor until the consistency of granulated sugar. In a mixer bowl with mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, maple sugar, and sugar until well blended. Beat in egg and vanilla until well blended and smooth. Gradually beat or stir flour mixture and pecans into butter mixture to form a smooth, slightly soft dough. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes to firm up slightly.
  2. Divide dough in half. Place each portion between large sheets of wax paper or parchment. Roll out each portion ¼-inch thick; check underside of dough and smooth out any wrinkles that form. Stack rolled portions (paper still attached) on a baking sheet. Refrigerate about 25 minutes or until cool and firm. (Or freeze for about 15 minutes to speed up chilling.)
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease several large baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray. Working with one portion at a time and leaving remainder chilled, gently peel away, then pat one sheet of paper back into place. (This will make it easier to lift cookies from the paper later.) Peel off and discard second layer. Using assorted 2-inch to 3-inch maple leaf shaped cutters (or as desired), cut out cookies. If at any point the dough softens too much to handle easily, transfer the paper and cookies to a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm again.
  4. Using a spatula, carefully transfer cookies from wax paper, spacing about 11/4 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Re-roll any dough scraps. Continue cutting out cookies until all dough is used; if dough become too warm, refrigerate it briefly before continuing.
  5. Bake one pan at a time in upper third of oven 6 to 11 minutes or until cookies are lightly colored on top and slightly darker at edges. Turn around pans about halfway through baking if necessary to ensure even browning. Transfer pan to a cooling rack; let cookies firm up a minute or two. Using a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks and let cool thoroughly. Decorate cookies with drizzled or piped icing, as directed in icing recipe below, if desired.
  6. Store airtight for up to 2 weeks in a cool spot or freeze, airtight, for up to 2 months. Makes about 30 to 35 2- to 3-inch cookies (depends on the cutters used).
  7. For the Icing:
  8. In a small, deep, microwave safe bowl melt the butter until almost hot. Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla, stirring until well blended. If needed, thoroughly stir in more maple syrup to thin out the icing for drizzling or piping.
  9. To decorate with an accent drizzle as shown, spoon the mixture into a snack-size baggie. Tightly seal the bag, then force the glaze into a bottom corner.
  10. Line up the cookies, spacing slightly apart, on a rack set over wax paper. Snip off the tip of the corner, and pipe out thin, back and forth random icing lines over the cookies. Alternatively, put the icing in a pastry bag fitted with a fine writing piping tip. Pipe lines of icing on the cookies to suggest maple leaf veins; use a real leaf for inspiration.
  11. Let the cookies stand until the drizzle completely sets, at least 2 hours. Pack air tight with wax paper between the cookie layers. Yields enough icing to decorates about 35 2- to 3-inch maple leaf sugar cookies.
Recipe by KitchenLane at http://kitchenlane.com/2017/11/maple-pecan-leaf-cookies-winning-recipe.html