We made it three weeks into 2019 before we hit a maple recipe. Glazed Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies, to be exact.
This is a recipe that involved heavy experimentation for me. The base recipe made maple logs, which were then dipped in chocolate. I found the log-making process awkward. I didn’t want milk chocolate paired with maple, either.
Therefore, I tweaked and twisted things around, and the end result was a cookie that reminds me a lot of Pecan Sandies from the grocery store, just with a necessary oomph of maple.
Instead of making the cookies into logs, I press them flat and used by bench knife to slice them into squares. A drizzle of maple glaze added just the right touch of sweetness after baking.
These are ideal cookies to go along with coffee or tea. They are a little dry and crumbly, but easy to eat in a bite or two.
Plus, you can omit the pecans if necessary! You’ll get fewer cookies, but the texture and maple goodness are still downright scrummy.
Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple flavor
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup pecans finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tablespoon + milk or half & half
- 1 teaspoon maple flavor
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and confectioners' sugar. Beat in the vanilla and maple flavor.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, oats, pecans bits, and salt. Gradually combine with the wet mixture until it forms a cohesive mix.
- Clean off a space of counter or tear off a large piece of parchment paper. Dump the cookie dough out and form it a roughly 8x8 square. Use a bench knife or a pizza cutter to slice into squares about an inch in diameter.
- Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Add a little space between cookies, but they won't spread much.
- Bake for 14-17 minutes, until cookies are set and lightly browned. Transfer to a rack to cool.
- Once all the cookies are baked and at room temperature, set out another piece of parchment paper. Place the cookies there, close together.
- In a small bowl, mix together glaze ingredients, adding enough milk to create a dribbling consistency. Use a fork to dribble glaze or the back of a spoon to coat each one. Leave out for an hour or so to set, then seal in container at room temperature.
- OM NOM NOM!