Maple Cookies 2 Ways from Cleo Coyle

Spring is the season for tapping maple trees and boiling down their sap into sweet, delicious syrup. In fact, this weekend marks the annual Maple Festival in Vermont. (April 27 - 29, 2012) Click here to learn about the festival activities or get directions to St. Albans, VT. (They even select a King and Queen of Maple. :))

Maple syrup was a star ingredient in some of my past recipe posts. If you missed my recipes for my Supernatural Sticky Wings or Smoky-Sweet Vinaigrette, then click here and here to get the illustrated PDFs.

My post today uses maple syrup in a more traditional way: an old-fashioned maple cookie. 


BAKING FYI...


Here are some tips for bakers on replacing the sugar in your recipe with maple syrup...

According to the Vermont Maple Festival Cookbook, you can replace 1 cup of granulated sugar with 3/4 cup to 1 cup of maple syrup. Just be sure to decrease the liquid in your recipe by 2 to 4 tablespoons per 1 cup of syrup because syrup contains more moisture than solid granulated sugar. You'll also need to add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon baking soda because maple syrup has a slight acidity, which needs to be neutralized for the batter to rise and form properly. Note: If your recipe contains buttermilk, sour cream, sour milk, or yogurt, then the ingredient list should have baking soda in it already for this same reason, so don't worry about adding more. Finally, decrease your oven by 25 degrees F. because a batter containing maple syrup will tend to caramelize and burn on the top edges more quickly than a batter using a solid sweetener like sugar.

Happy baking, everyone!
 ~ Cleo  



Above you see my 1st version of this maple cookie, which
I finished with a simple brushing of maple syrup. (It really kicks
up the maple flavor.) See a photo of my 2nd version
of this cookie at the end of this recipe. . . . 

       

Cleo Coyle, author
of The Coffeehouse
 Mysteries

Maple Cookies 
2 Ways! 

Adapted from
The Vermont Maple Festival
Maple Cookbook

To download this recipe in a free PDF that you can print save or share, click here. 






Makes about 2 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS:

For cookies
½ cup (8 tablespoons) butter
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup (the real stuff, not "pancake syrup")
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For (1) Sugar-dusting
1/3 cup white, granulated sugar

Or for (2) Quick maple glaze
¼ cup maple syrup

Step 1 - Make the Batter: Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and light brown sugar. When well blended, add the maple syrup, lightly beaten egg, and vanilla, and mix until well blended. Lightly sift the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda) into the bowl and mix until a dough forms. Do not over mix or you will develop the gluten in the flour and your cookies may be tough instead of tender. Chill for about 30 minutes.

Step 2 - Prep the Oven: Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 3 - Roll and Bake: Roll the dough into balls of about 1-inch in diameter. If you want to maple-glaze some or all of your cookies then simply place the dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving room for spreading. If you want sugar-coated cookies, then drop each dough ball into a shallow bowl of granulated sugar (about 1/3 cup) and lightly coat before placing on the sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 4 - Quick Maple glaze: For those cookies you’d like to glaze with maple, work with the cookies while they’re still warm. Dip a pastry or silicone brush into a bit of maple syrup. Brush the tops of the cookies with the syrup. This will really kick up the maple flavor.

Traditional Maple Glaze: For another maple glaze recipe, one that will harden into a more traditional glaze, click here to download a free PDF of my Healthier Oatmeal Cookies with optional Maple Glaze.

In the Maple Cookie pictured below, I rolled the dough ball
in granulated sugar before baking for a simple,
old fashioned maple sugar cookie.

Eat with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle, author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries

To get more of my recipes, enter to win

free coffee, or learn about my books, including
my bestselling Haunted Bookshop series, visit my online coffeehouse: CoffeehouseMystery.com

The Coffeehouse Mysteries are national bestselling

culinary mysteries set in a landmark Greenwich Village 

coffeehouse, and each of the ten titles includes the 

added bonus of recipes. 

 

The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure

Book #1 of 
The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries, which Cleo writes
under the name Alice Kimberly
To learn more, click here.

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