Rustic Maple Pecan Cookies
We made these for the first time at Christmas 2008 with Katje and have made them a dozen times since. Warning: they are addictive! – Terry
Source: Great Cookies by Carole Walter
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon maple extract, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup superfine sugar (can grind granulated sugar in food processor to make superfine)
- ½ cup lightly packed dark brown sugar (make sure it’s fresh)
- 1½ cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Position the shelves in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Moderately butter the cookie sheets or line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter and set aside to cool to tepid.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Once the butter has cooled, add the maple syrup and mix well with a wooden spoon.
- To the butter mixture, blend in the egg, orange juice, and the maple (if using) and vanilla extracts.
- Whisk in the sugars, stirring until well combined and free of lumps.
- Stir in the dry ingredients in three additions, then fold in the nuts with a large rubber spatula.
- Using the tip of a teaspoon, drop mounds of dough the size of large walnuts onto the cookie sheets, placing them 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back toward the end of the baking time.
- Remove from oven and let stand for 2-3 minutes before loosening with a thin metal spatula. Cool on wire racks.
Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 3 weeks. These cookies may be frozen.
