Maple Sandwich Cookies

I've been dreaming about quitting the 'ol nine-to-five corporate America job and starting my own bakery. I'm not sure how feasible it is at this time in my life, but I'd like to think that in the near future I'll be able to open something in the Minneapolis area. I've received nothing but praise and compliments on the stuff I bake, so hey, why not?

I decided to try out this recipe I found on Sweet Pea's Kitchen. I buy and consume a lot of maple cookies and candies when I travel to Canada, so I figured that these would work in a pinch til I get there again. I did not have a maple leaf cookie cutter, so I used my Montreal shot glass to cut round discs out of the dough.

The problem that I had with this recipe is that 2 teaspoons of baking powder seemed like an awful lot. The point of baking powder is to have the cookies rise just enough to not make them heavy and hard. I think that the two teaspoons added to this recipe is too much. The cookies rose to fast and fell (and spread out) too much while baking. If I were to make this recipe again, I'd probably use one generous teaspoon.

Oh, they are tasty, but they didn't turn out how I expected them too. The cookie is too thin and too crispy*. The filling is delicious, but could also use a little more maple flavor. I guess trial and error could make this a really delicious cookie.

Now, on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2. 2 teaspoon baking powder
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
4. 1 cup butter, room temperature
5. 1 cup sugar
6. 1/2 cup brown sugar
7. 1 large egg
8. 2 teaspoon maple extract
9. 4 tablespoon butter, room temperature
10. 1 cup confectioners sugar
11. 2 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and maple extract; beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.
3. Divide dough into two balls and flatten each ball into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator onto a lightly floured surface.
5. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a maple leaf cookie cutter to cut out cookies, placing on prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake cookies in preheated oven 8-10 minutes, or until edges just start to brown.
7. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets about 3 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
8. While cookies are cooling, make the filling by creaming butter in a stand mixer. Add confectioners sugar and maple syrup and beat until combined and smooth.
9. Using a knife or spoon, spread the filling onto the backside side of the cookie. Top with another cookie, backside down. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Yields: 36 two-inch cookies

*I stored these in an airtight container over night and when I tried one this morning it was chewier and more maple-y tasting than last night. Maybe that's the secret?