Make the galette.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, maple sugar, and salt. Add butter and work into dough so that the butter is down to pea-sized chunks. Add just enough water to incorporate as dough, smearing butter chunks in the process. Shape dough into a disk and shroud in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Place parchment paper on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Make the interior.

• In a large bowl, gently stir together the flour, maple sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice; it will form a thick paste. Gently stir in the pears to coat. Expect the mixture to become more liquid as it sits with the pears in it.
• Use some extra flour to lightly dust a large work surface. Roll out the dough to at least a foot diameter circle. Transfer it to the prepared parchment paper on baking sheet; the dough might hang over the edges for now, but that’s okay.
• Arrange the pears in a circular pattern in the center; leave a 2 1/2 to 3-inch border. Scrape the rest of the maple paste over the pears. Fold the dough inward, with the center still exposed. Brush the egg over the top and sprinkle on the remaining maple sugar.
• Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles. Let cool before cutting.

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• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until they become light and fluffy. Beat in flour and vanilla, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. If the dough chills overnight, let it sit at room temperature for a bit before rolling out, as it can get quite firm.
• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Use a rolling pastry cutter or cookie cutters, shape cookies and move to parchment, granting each slight space to expand. Reform dough leftovers to shape more cookies.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg to break it up. Use a pastry brush to wash the top of each cookie with egg. Sprinkle almonds pieces atop each, followed by a dusting of decorator sugar, if using.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges turn a touch brown. Let sit on sheet a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.

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Brown the butter:

• In a stove pot, heat the 3/4 cup butter on medium, stirring often. Cook until the butter is medium-brown with a nutty aroma, which takes about 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside to bring to room temperature.

Make the dough:

• Line a 13×9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or a coating of butter.
• In a small bowl, mix together warm milk, yeast, and 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Let stand about 5 minutes. It should become foamy.
• In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix more base dough ingredients: white sugar, kosher salt, and remaining butter, beating for about 3 to 4 minutes until they become creamy. Stop and scrape the bowl as needed. To that, add the yeast mixture, flour, egg, and vanilla. Raise the speed to medium and beat until everything is combined and elastic, about 4 to 5 minutes, scraping the bowl on occasion. The dough should be tacky but shouldn’t stick to hands.
• Press the dough into the prepared pan in a thin layer. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot in the kitchen until it doubled in size, about 2 hours. In the meantime, clean the mixer bowl and paddle attachment.

Make the topping:

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
• To the mixer bowl, add the browned butter, white sugar, and salt, beating to combine, then raising the rhythm to medium to beat until fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in the egg.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the corn syrup, water, and vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the flour to the butter mixture alternatively with the corn syrup mix. Scrape the bowl as needed. Use an uneven spatula to spread the topping over the risen dough.
• Bake until the top is set and the edges are golden brown, anywhere from 25 to 35 minutes. The center can still be a touch soft and jiggly. Let cool completely in pan, chilling in fridge if desired. To cut, use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. Slice into finger sized (1×4) portions.

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• Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a food processor, dice up butter. Add flour, brown sugar, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and pulse to mix, scraping the blades clean as needed. Add golden syrup and pulse to incorporate.
• Use a teaspoon scoop to dole out dough, spaced out, on parchment paper. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, until cookies are set and crackled across the top. Cool on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to completely cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature; they will get stiffer in texture after a day, but the flavor is still wonderful.

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