Maple Leaf Sugar Cookies Recipes

MAPLE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in syrup and vanilla. Combine the remaining ingredients; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. , Bake at 350° for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add yolk, then 1/2 cup maple syrup, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a sheet of lightly floured parchment. Place parchment with dough on baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, line with parchment, and coat parchment. Cut out cookies from frozen dough using a 3 1/2-inch maple-leaf-shaped cutter, and space 1 inch apart on sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake cookies until edges begin to turn golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer parchment with cookies to wire racks, and let cool for 5 minutes. Brush cookies with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and sprinkle with 1/2 the sanding sugar. Let cool. Repeat with remaining dough, maple syrup, and sugar. (Cookies will keep for up to 2 days.)

MAPLE CREAM SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies:In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides as necessary.
• Divide dough into four disks; wrap each in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough 1/8 inch thick, lightly dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Cut out cookies using a 4-inch maple-leaf-shaped cutter, dipping cutter in flour as needed. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Repeat process with remaining dough.
• Bake, rotating halfway through, until edges begin to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Filling:In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and maple syrup; beat until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe 2 tablespoons filling onto bottoms of half the cookies, then sandwich with remaining cookies. Filled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/8-in. thickness; cut with a cookie cutter dipped in flour. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned (do not overbake). Remove to wire racks to cool. For frosting, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Add syrup; beat until smooth. If leaf veins are desired, set aside 1/2 cup; add food coloring to remaining frosting. Spread red frosting on cookies. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert round tip into bag. Fill bag with reserved frosting; pipe veins on leaves.

MAPLE LEAF SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Measure 3 cups of sifted flour and salt into sifter.
• Set aside. (I put the sifter on the flour tin lid, so I won't loose the flour that comes through before I sift into the other ingredients.).
• Beat softened butter and the two sugars until light and creamy. (medium high speed on electric mixer).
• Reduce speed and add egg yolk until well blended.
• Add 1/2 cup maple syrup and mix until blended.
• Remove beaters and now use a wooden spoon.
• Slowly sift flour into bowl mixing with wooden spoon, until just well blended.
• Divide dough into thirds and make each 1/3 into a flat disc.
• Place on sheets of floured wax paper, with well floured hands.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight to thoroughly chill dough.
• Take discs from refrigerator and roll out to 1/8" to 1/4" thickness, and put in freezer to firm for about 15 minutes. (this makes it easier to handle the cut cookies).
• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Line cookie sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable cooking spray.
• Cut cookies from chilled dough and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of cookie.
• Move cookies to wire rack and brush with maple syrup (this is the other 1/2 cup of syrup) and sprinkle with sanding sugar. (I use red, yellow, and green sanding sugars, although the white is lovely too.).
• Place in tin or serving plate when cool.

MAPLE LEAF SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat shortening, 1 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• Whisk all remaining cookie ingredients in large bowl. Beat into butter mixture at low speed just until blended. Shape into flat round; refrigerate 30 minute.
• Heat oven to 375°F Divide dough into 4 pieces. On lightly floured surface roll out each piece into 1/8" thick round. With 3" leaf shaped cookie cutter, cut out leaf shapes. Repeat with remaining dough. Reroll scraps (refrigerate dough if it gets soft). Place on baking sheet; bake 7 to 9 min or until light golden brown around edges. Cool on wire rock.
• Meanwhile, beat 1 cup butter, maple syrup and maple extract in medium bowl at medium speed until smooth. At low speed, beat in 3 cups of the powdered sugar adding additional sugar if necessary to achieve spreadable consistency. Spread half of cookies with about 1 tbsp frosting; top with remaining cookies.

MAPLE LEAF BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• In a standing electric mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in maple syrup and egg yolk until mixture is combined well. Sift together salt and flour over mixture and fold in thoroughly. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 2 hours. Dough may be made 4 days ahead and chilled.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Divide dough in half. Keeping one half chilled, lightly flour other half and on a lightly floured surface gently pound with a rolling pin to soften. Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick and with a 3-inch floured maple-leaf cookie cutter cut out cookies, chilling scraps. Arrange cookies on buttered baking sheets and if desired, with back of a knife, mark cookies decoratively. Make more cookies in same manner with remaining dough and with all the scraps pressed together.
• Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are golden, about 12 minutes, and transfer to racks to cool. Cookies keep in airtight containers 1 week.

MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Blend in egg yolk. Add 1/2 cup syrup; mix well. Gradually add flour, mixing well after each addition.
• Divide dough in half. Shape each half into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours.
• Roll out each dough disc on lightly floured parchment sheet to 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer parchment to baking sheet; freeze 15 min. or until dough is firm.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Use 2-1/2-inch maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter to cut dough into 68 cutouts, rerolling scraps as necessary. Place cutouts, 1 inch apart, on parchment-covered baking sheets.
• Bake 10 to 12 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 2 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Mix cream cheese, maple extract and 1 Tbsp. of the remaining maple syrup in medium bowl until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition.
• Brush remaining maple syrup evenly onto tops of 34 cookies; sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Spread cream cheese mixture onto bottom sides of remaining cookies, adding about 1 tsp. cream cheese mixture to each cookie. Cover with sugar-topped cookies, top sides up, to make sandwiches; press together gently to secure.