October 6, 2011

Maple Cookies { Week 2 of The 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies and Sweets!}

Yes, yes you read that right. I am posting a recipe for Christmas in the beginning of October. That's cuz I'm playing along in a blog hop called The 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies (and Sweets!), hosted by the lovely Brenda at Meal Planning Magic. Every Thursday for 12 weeks leading up to Christmas, we link up a holiday cookie or dessert recipe. I really want to start baking more so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity, plus I love themed goodies! We're in week 2 of the 12 weeks, I missed the 1st week but it's all good :)


I found this recipe over at Big Flavors From A Tiny Kitchen some time ago, and finally found the perfect opportunity to make them. 

The batter was actually very sticky and hard to manage. Definitely couldn't roll it into balls like Ashley did (dunno what I did wrong!) because it just got stuck all over my hands and would NOT form into a ball. So after I had to wipe all the gunk off and wash my hands, I decided to just scoop the balls by the spoonful onto the greased baking sheet, and then attempt to flatten it with a spoon, again with not very much success as it kept sticking to the spoon. Mess fest! And since I couldn't form balls I also didn't roll it in sugar, so I just sprinkled some granulated sugar on the top of each glob. Next time I'd try chilling the batter first and seeing if that makes it more roll-able.


I thought they turned out pretty good. I wasn't blown away by them, as I didn't think they were sweet enough. Maybe they needed more brown sugar or more sprinkled sugar on top? But then again, I didn't measure out the granulated sugar, I just sprinkled some on top of each cookie before baking. So maybe I needed to sprinkle more on. They also came out to more of a cake-like, blondie-like consistency... maybe because I didn't and couldn't flatten them very much? PJ wasn't too fond of them because he doesn't like thick, super soft cookies that taste more like cake than a cookie. Also, there was a hint of maple flavor but I could definitely up that amount too! 

So for next time, I would up the sugar and maple amount, as well as attempt to flatten them more somehow so that they don't bake so thick but more thin and possibly less cake-like. But I love the idea of it, because I really do love maple flavor. 


I cut the recipe down quite a bit since I didn't need to make 60 cookies! I only made 15 cookies so I pretty much cut all measurements down by 1/4th. Also, the original recipe calls for one egg, so I just tried to add about 1/4th of an egg, which obviously isn't an exact measurement. Maybe this could have possibly contributed to some of the mishaps? But how the heck do you measure out 1/4th of an egg?! I also didn't bother measuring out the granulated sugar because the original recipe called for 1/3 cup and there was no way I was going to try to measure out 1/12 cup lol! Again, that may have been a reason they weren't sweet enough.



Maple Cookies
ever so slightly adapted from Big Flavors From A Tiny Kitchen

*Yields: 15 cookies
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 of an egg
  • 1/4 cup real maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • granulated sugar, for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg, syrup and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Stir into mixture until well blended. Chill the batter for 5 to 10 minutes at least to make it moldable. Shape into 1 inch balls or scoops with a spoon, placing on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and flatten slightly. Sprinkle cookies with granulated sugar.

Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool on a wire rack.


Printable Recipe


Though this recipe is for a Christmas-themed linky, you sure can make these cookies any ole time. They feature maple, so they're also perfect for fall and Thanksgiving as well. 


My blogging friend, Kristen, suggested that I maybe add some kind of frosting. Well that's genius! I've still got some cookies left... maybe I'll find some kind of maple frosting to put on top to make them even sweeter and to bring out more of the maple flavor. Thanks, girl!




You can check out all of the other delicious holiday treats below! And feel free to contact Brenda if you wanna join in on the fun :)



Peace, and bacon grease!

 

20 comments:

  1. Can't believe it's already cookie-baking season! Those sound so good with maple syrup.

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  2. @ Angie - You and me both! Man time flies! Sept just flew by and I bet Oct will too :(

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  3. Maple cookies sound delicious. I wonder how some frosting would be on top.

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  4. Well aside from the mess they may have made they look pretty darn delicious!
    -Elyse @The Cultural Dish

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  5. They sure look good...I love maple flavor!

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  6. This is suck a lovely flavor for a cookie. So glad to be baking along with you.

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  7. They look delicious! I have found that maple syrup itself doesn't add much maple flavor in baking unless you use really dark maple syrup that is made for baking. So, if I am using a lighter maple syrup I almost always add maple flavor or extract to get a good maple flavor.

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  8. @ Stephanie - Yes they are! Though it's actually pretty nice and warm out here these days :)

    @ laurie - I'm with you! I'm all about enhancing that maple flavor!!

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  9. Dulce Dough is right: a dark syrup would help more with the flavor. Maybe you could even use all syrup instead of any granulated sugar? Though that won't help with the stickiness of the dough... Still, a maple cookie is a great choice for this time of year. Hope you can tweak it to your likings!

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  10. The dough may have been difficult to work with, but they sure do look good! I look forward to seeing what other cookies you come up with!

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  11. I can't believe it's already time for 12 weeks of Christmas cookies! I do love Christmas cookies though. The maple flavor in these sounds great.

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  12. I love the idea of these cookies too! The whole time I was reading I thought that maple icing would be great on top. I've always wondered how to reduce recipes that call for one egg.

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  13. Mmm...a maple glaze would be fabulous on these! You're so smart to start thinking about holiday baking- I love looking at all the cookie posts! :)

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  14. @ Ann - I actually liked them more and more as the days went on. I ate every single one! :)

    @ Sugarspiceiced - I have no clue how to reduce recipes that call for one egg! What the?! lol. There's gotta be a good method. And yes frosting would have really set them over the top, and I planned to make some, but the cookies didn't last long enough lol! Ate them all :)

    @ Scrambledhenfruit - I never would have thought about holiday baking if it weren't for this challenge. I've never really baked for the holidays and this is a good way to get started :)

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  15. Desi, I cannot believe it's soon to be mid-month of October. I keep telling myself that I must start on my Christmas baking mission, and yet I stil have not had the time to plan the list. I must try your maple cookie. Looks delish and bet it must be good to dunk into cold milk too. Cheers, Jo

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  16. @ Jo - You're telling me! Time just flies by. I can't wait to see some of your Christmas goodies :)

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