Maple is one of my favorite flavors. It also is a “winter” flavor for me, though I don’t really have a reason for that. Pancakes are year round food, so why should maple syrup only be reserved for winter on my pallet? Inexplicable. But it is of course still winter and it’s frigid out at that, so I’m just going to stay inside with these lovely cookies. They will not last the weekend.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 maple sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons maple extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
In a 300F degree oven, toast the chopped pecans for 15 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Set pecans aside.
In the work bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in eggs and maple extract on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Add the toasted chopped pecans, mix on low for about 5-10 seconds until evenly disbursed. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.
Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes; if the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
Once chilled, the dough might be slightly crumbly, but will come together if you work the dough with your hands as you roll into individual balls. Scoop and roll balls of dough, about 1 Tablespoon of dough each, into balls. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minute, until slightly golden brown around the edges. The baked cookies will look extremely soft in the centers when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. If the cookies are too puffy, try gently pressing down on them with the back of a spoon. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
