Maple, maple, maple. I love maple. It’s only right to transition with a cookie that is perfectly fall or Christmas–both its flavor and appearance.
Have you ever had Pecan Sandies from the grocery store? These are kinda like that, but better. They boast a strong, clean maple flavor. I loved the combination of pecan bits and pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds); they both crunch, but in different ways.
Plus, look at the red and green colors! Perfect!
These are fridge cookies. That means you roll them into logs, like so, then keep them in the fridge for a day or two, or freeze them.
When it’s time to bake them, just slice. Sometimes the dough crumbles a bit because of the nuts. That’s okay. Just mush it together again.
As shortbread-style cookies, these will also keep exceptionally well–days, and probably for over a week, if you can make them last that long. I’d bet they are great for mailing as gifts, too.
The gift of maple-flavored things is the gift of happiness and love.
Recipe modified from Jo Ann Kurtz’s Maple Pecan Refrigerator Cookies recipe, as featured in Relish Magazine (December 9th 2012).
Bready or Not: Maple Pecan Pepitas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 Tb real maple syrup
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoon maple flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup pepitas
Instructions
- Beat the butter for several minutes, until creamy. Slowly add the sugar. Add syrup, egg yolk, and extracts. Stir in the flour and nuts.
- Divide dough in half. On plastic wrap, shape the dough into long log shapes about 1 1/2 inches or so high. Completely wrap the logs and stash in fridge until firm, at least two hours. They can also be frozen.
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- Slice logs into 1/2 inch thick rounds and set on parchment papered or greased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until cookies are set and just barely tinted with color.
- OM NOM NOM.
