Maple Flavored Stamped Christmas Shortbread Cookies by Tom
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| Frosted on the bottom |
When the most recent holiday edition of the King Arthur Flour catalog arrived a few weeks before Christmas, on the cover was featured a maple flavored shortbread cookie. They even bragged on the cover that it was really good. That piqued my interest because I like shortbread cookies and I like maple syrup.
The only problem that I foresaw was that I did not have cookie stamps nor did I have concentrated maple flavoring. But I thought both of those problems could be overcome. Barbara ordered both for me and they arrived a few days before Christmas. Still time to make them and distribute to our neighbors along with other baked cookie delights.
This recipe was new to me as I had never used a cookie stamp before. It is a little trickier than working with a cookie cutter. With a cookie cutter you push it down into the dough and the shape is easily removed from the rolled dough sheet. With a cookie stamp, you roll a ball of dough and then press down until the shape hits the baking sheet. Then the trick is getting the pressed shape out of the stamp. Easier said then done.
The original recipe called for putting two shaped cookies together using a maple icing to hold them together. Because no two of my pressed cookie shapes were exactly the same, I decided to use the maple icing on the bottom of the cookie so that the design from the stamp could be seen on top. Once the icing dried, I could easily place the icing side down without the icing coming off. In my opinion this cookie needs the icing to add some sweetness to it.
I may have done something wrong when making the dough because my dough was very crumbly. Maybe that is just a characteristic of shortbread dough. I really do not know. In any case, after refrigerating the dough for two hours, forming the dough into small balls for pressing with the stamp was at times a bit of a challenge.
But in the end I prevailed. The cookies tasted like shortbread with maple flavoring. The maple icing added the sweetness that I was looking for. An effort to make, but well worth it.
The only problem that I foresaw was that I did not have cookie stamps nor did I have concentrated maple flavoring. But I thought both of those problems could be overcome. Barbara ordered both for me and they arrived a few days before Christmas. Still time to make them and distribute to our neighbors along with other baked cookie delights.
This recipe was new to me as I had never used a cookie stamp before. It is a little trickier than working with a cookie cutter. With a cookie cutter you push it down into the dough and the shape is easily removed from the rolled dough sheet. With a cookie stamp, you roll a ball of dough and then press down until the shape hits the baking sheet. Then the trick is getting the pressed shape out of the stamp. Easier said then done.
The original recipe called for putting two shaped cookies together using a maple icing to hold them together. Because no two of my pressed cookie shapes were exactly the same, I decided to use the maple icing on the bottom of the cookie so that the design from the stamp could be seen on top. Once the icing dried, I could easily place the icing side down without the icing coming off. In my opinion this cookie needs the icing to add some sweetness to it.
I may have done something wrong when making the dough because my dough was very crumbly. Maybe that is just a characteristic of shortbread dough. I really do not know. In any case, after refrigerating the dough for two hours, forming the dough into small balls for pressing with the stamp was at times a bit of a challenge.
But in the end I prevailed. The cookies tasted like shortbread with maple flavoring. The maple icing added the sweetness that I was looking for. An effort to make, but well worth it.
---Tom
Maple Flavored Stamped Shortbread Cookies
(from King Artur Flour 2019 Holiday Catalog)
Makes approximately 36 - 2" cookies
Cookies ingredients:
1 cup/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup maple sugar (I did not have this so I used all granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon maple flavor
2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour
Icing/Filling ingredients:
1/2 cup maple sugar (I did not have this so I used all granulated sugar)
1 teaspoon maple flavor
2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour
Icing/Filling ingredients:
2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple flavor
1 tablespoon milk, optional if needed to make the icing more spreadable (I did not use)
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple flavor
1 tablespoon milk, optional if needed to make the icing more spreadable (I did not use)
To make the cookies:
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, salt, sugar, and maple flavor.
Add the two flours and mix just until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for two hours. The box the stamps came in said to chill the stamps as well. I put them in the freezer to get them really cold.
Add the two flours and mix just until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for two hours. The box the stamps came in said to chill the stamps as well. I put them in the freezer to get them really cold.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Have two ungreased baking sheets ready. I used parchment paper on the baking sheets.
Remove one packet of dough from the refrigerator. Scoop or break off scant to full tablespoonfuls of dough onto one of the baking sheets. I found rolling the dough in my hands into a ball the easiest way to get the crumbly dough to hold together.
Lightly dip the tops of each piece of dough in flour and then dip the stamp into a bowl of flour. Center the stamp over the ball of dough, and press down until the inside edge of the stamp makes contact with the cookie sheet. Remove the stamp, tapping the edge firmly against the pan if the dough "happens" to stick. It will!
Bake the cookies for 23-28 minutes until they have begun to brown a little bit. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the pan for a few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
To make the icing/filling:
Mix together all of the filling ingredients, except the milk, stirring until smooth. If the icing/filling is not spreadable, add a bit of milk to soften its texture. Spread about a teaspoonful onto the underside of the cookies and let air dry on a wire rack. Once dry the cookies can be turned over to show the design from the cookie stamp.
Remove one packet of dough from the refrigerator. Scoop or break off scant to full tablespoonfuls of dough onto one of the baking sheets. I found rolling the dough in my hands into a ball the easiest way to get the crumbly dough to hold together.
Lightly dip the tops of each piece of dough in flour and then dip the stamp into a bowl of flour. Center the stamp over the ball of dough, and press down until the inside edge of the stamp makes contact with the cookie sheet. Remove the stamp, tapping the edge firmly against the pan if the dough "happens" to stick. It will!
Bake the cookies for 23-28 minutes until they have begun to brown a little bit. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the pan for a few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
To make the icing/filling:
Mix together all of the filling ingredients, except the milk, stirring until smooth. If the icing/filling is not spreadable, add a bit of milk to soften its texture. Spread about a teaspoonful onto the underside of the cookies and let air dry on a wire rack. Once dry the cookies can be turned over to show the design from the cookie stamp.
Here you can see the stamped cookies under the plastic wrap along with other cookie delights that we gave to a few of our neighbors.
---Tom