Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies
There are only so many pancakes two people can eat. The maple syrup bottle has sat in our cupboard staring at us for many months now, waiting for us to pull out the hotcake griddle. It finally became too much — we had to give into its thick, sweet, amber-colored pleading. We didn’t use our maple syrup for pancakes, but instead as the star in these crumbly, delicate maple pecan shortbread cookies.
Maple syrup makes us think of cool, fall-like weather, and frankly, fall can’t get here fast enough for us. Let’s just think of these as pre-fall celebration cookies.
Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies
adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe
In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 3/4 cups of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir in 3/4 cup chopped pecans and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together 2 sticks (1 cup) of room-temperature butter and 3/4 cup of sugar until smooth and light. Add 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup, 1 large egg yolk, and 1/4 teaspoon of maple or vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until just combined; the dough should be smooth and pliable. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds using a two-inch cookie cutter and place one inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with 1 beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar (turbinado for a coarse look; table sugar for a light glaze). Place a pecan in the center of each cookie, if desired. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
beautiful and so simply… love this
These were amazing.