Two weeks ago I did a TBT cookbook review for Rosie’s Chocolate-Packed Jam-Filled Butter-Rich No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book. It can be a salivating hoot to go through a twenty-two-year-old cookie encyclopedia and find an overlooked treat. A cookie from the past that is ideal for now and for all the holiday seasons to come.
America’s favorite flavors? Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry … Maple does not make the top five flavors list in most cases, but it’s close. You could not imagine pancakes or waffles without that syrup. Here, maple appears in the cakey cookie dough and a very interesting glaze.
These cookies are made with cake flour, so they are decidedly cakey. Light and easy to bite. That glaze is a heated mixture of water, maple syrup, corn syrup, brown sugar and maple exact — heated and then poured over confectioners’ sugar. The recipe calls for coating the cookie tops with the glaze and then adding a pecan half. We preferred to pipe and craft those Celtic circles.
Maple extract? Yes, you need it. No, you can’t just substitute more maple syrup. Will that bottle of maple extract go unused? Not after you taste these.
Maple Softies
Yield: 24 large cookies, 36 smaller ones
Ingredients:
For the cookie:
- 2 cups plus 6 tablespoons cake flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (lightly packed) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- % teaspoon pure maple extract
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup sour cream
For the glaze:
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons light com syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons (lightly packed) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure maple extract
For the topping:
- 1 pecan half for each cookie [if you decide to dip the cookie into the glaze and not pipe]
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease them with vegetable oil.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a small bowl and set aside.
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter, both sugars, vanilla, and maple extract together until light and fluffy, 1 minute. Stop the mixer twice during the process to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Scrape the bowl a third time before going on to the next step.
Add the eggs one at a time, blending for about 10 seconds on medium speed after each addition. Scrape the bowl.
Add one-third of the flour mixture with the mixer on low speed, and blend for 5 seconds. Scrape the bowl.
Add half of the sour cream, and blend on low speed for 5 seconds. Scrape the bowl.
Repeat steps 5 and 6. Then add the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed for 5 seconds.
Give the batter a few broad strokes with a rubber spatula. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake the cookies until they are just golden and firm to the touch but not
crusty, 11 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Then slide the sheet of parchment onto the counter (or, using a spatula, carefully transfer each cookie to a sheet of aluminum foil or waxed paper on the counter), and let them cool further.
When the cookies have cooled, prepare the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium‑size bowl and set aside.
Place the water, maple syrup, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the maple extract.
Immediately add this hot mixture to the confectioners’ sugar and beat it vigorously with a whisk until velvety smooth, 20 to 30 seconds.
Dip the rounded top of each cooled cookie into the glaze, and place a pecan half on top of the cookie. Return the cookies to the paper or foil, and allow them to sit until the glaze hardens, 2 to 3 hours (or pop them into the fridge for 1 hour to set quickly).
If you plan to eat the cookies that day, leave them sitting out. To store them, place them in an airtight plastic container with plastic wrap, parchment, or waxed paper between the layers. Store them in the refrigerator if you plan to eat them the next day. Otherwise, place the container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Bring the cookies to room temperature before eating.
Source: Rosie’s Chocolate-Packed Jam-Filled Butter-Rich No-Holds-Barred Cookie Book by Judy Rosenberg [Workman, 1996]
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/2.8 for 1/100th second at ISO‑250