Maple cookies

It's time for an intermission from appetizers, because cookies are the order of the day at my house right now. Every year since I first heard of a tradition of Czech women getting together to bake up to a dozen kinds of cookies at Christmas I’ve been on a mission to do the same. But since I don’t live near my family, I’ve executed this tradition as best I can by myself, which leaves me exhausted and my kitchen buried in drifts of powdered sugar. We all have our hobbies, and mine is no more self-destructive than motocross.

In addition to a more or less rotating cast of favorites, I like to try one new cookie recipe a year. This year’s stems from a suggestion from a child at last year’s family Christmas, who was of the firm opinion I should make a cookie with maple flavor in the cookie and in the frosting. This recipe found online was the likeliest looking suspect, so I tried it.

I made a half batch, since I wasn’t sure how popular it was going to be. I wound up with just four cookies left after the first family Christmas this weekend, so apparently they don’t hate it. Young Henry is taking credit for having “invented” this cookie. I think they were fine, and better than I expected. If I make them again, I might cut them smaller so they’re prettier and not so big. When you’re offering eight or more kinds of cookies on a platter, smaller sizes help people sample a larger selection.

Maple cookies

From Dennis Brady via Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature, plus ¼ cup butter, divided

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1 teaspoon maple extract

½ cup maple syrup, divided

4 cups flour

2½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Heavy cream

1 cup powdered sugar

Method

Cream 1 cup butter in a medium mixer bowl. Beat in the sugars. Add eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon maple extract, ¼ cup maple syrup and beat until light and fluffy.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Blend into butter mixture. Form into a flattened ball of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 4 hours.

Roll out dough to ¼-inch thick. Cut into circles or desired shapes. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with heavy cream. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

For glaze, combine ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 teaspoon maple extract and 1 cup powdered sugar in a saucepan. Stir just until it reaches a boil. Brush over tops of cookies while still warm. Makes about 4 dozen if you cut them with the bottom of a drinking glass.