MAPLE CUTOUT COOKIES (w/maple-cream cheese frosting)

Variation of recipe from Cooking Light magazine (myrecipes.com).

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
12 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. maple syrup
2 tsp. maple flavoring
2 eggs
2/3 c. chopped walnuts
Baking spray

Makes 42 medium-sized cookies.

These are great for the beginning of fall, when you want to make cookies but it's too soon for Halloween. The frosting should really be called butter frosting, because the butter flavor actually overpowers both the maple and the cream cheese. All I can say to that is - Mmm. Butter.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until milk solids stop crackling and turn amber, stirring occasionally. Transfer butter mixture to a small bowl, scraping pan to include milk solids. Cover and cool butter mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until soft and congealed but not firm.

Combine chilled butter mixture and granulated sugar in a large bowl; mix with a wooden spoon.



Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.



Add syrup, flavoring, and egg to butter mixture; stir until well blended.



Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir. Divide dough in half. Shape each portion into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour or until firm.



Preheat oven to 350°. Working with one portion of the dough at a time (keep remaining dough chilled until use), roll dough to a 1/8 or 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface, and cut with cookie cutter. Place cookies, evenly spaced, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until pale brown. Remove cookies from pan; cool completely on wire racks. Repeat with remaining dough.


Frosting Ingredients:
Recipe from Sunset magazine (myrecipes.com).
3/4 cup maple syrup
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Makes about 2 cups... plenty for 42 cookies.



In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring maple syrup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until reduced by about a third, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour into a glass measure nested in a bowl of ice water and stir constantly until syrup is very thick and barely warm to touch. Remove from ice water. In a bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until well blended. Stir in powdered sugar. Scrape in reduced syrup; mix until smooth. Frost cookies and sprinkle with walnuts (if desired).