Maple Walnut Spice Cookies
Here’s a recipe for Maple Walnut Spice Cookies turning out a delicious iced cookie that feels just perfect for fall baking.
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (½ stick) salted butter, (softened)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon nonfat milk ((or more if you'd like it thinner))
- 2 teaspoons salted butter, (softened)
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts, (toasted)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and next 6 ingredients (through cloves).
- Use an electric mixer to combine the brown sugar and ¼ cup butter in a large bowl; beat at high speed until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). Add 2 tablespoons syrup and egg; beat until well blended. Beating at low speed, gradually add the flour mixture; beat just until combined.
- Spoon the batter evenly into 30 mounds (about 1 tablespoon), 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat (or lightly grease baking sheets). Bake for 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
- In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons syrup, milk, and 2 teaspoons butter, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add ½ tablespoon more milk if a thinner consistency is desired.
- Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cooled cookies. Working quickly, sprinkle the cookies with nuts.
Many flavors evoke the sense of the arrival of fall, but maple is the flavor that most does it for me. At this time of year, I long to visit a region where maple is abundant… where maple farmers are tapping maple trees for sap in order to make fresh maple syrup. I can’t do that, so I baked these maple walnut spice cookies instead!
all purpose flour
baking soda and salt
ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
dark brown sugar
salted butter
maple syrup
egg
powdered sugar
nonfat milk
chopped walnuts
Use pure maple syrup if you can find it. Though expensive, it really makes a difference flavor-wise. Look for Grade B syrup (a darker variety with a more robust flavor) to use for cooking and baking.
How to make Maple Walnut Spice Cookies:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
ADD THE GLAZE:
Working quickly, sprinkle the cookies with nuts.
I do think these soft, little cookies are spicy and flavorful enough to eat on their own, but the thin layer of glaze drizzled on top adds even more maple flavor and acts as a sweet addition.
The glaze spreads on fairly thin, and some even drips over the sides a bit, but it dries up quickly and sets enough that you could store them in between layers of waxed paper if you wish. Just place paper towels or waxed paper underneath a rack and drizzle the glaze without worry of messing up your table or counter. Simply throw away the mess when you’re finished glazing.
A sprinkle of walnuts, lightly toasted of course, are an appropriate way to top this cookie. If you don’t care for walnuts, pecans would be a nice replacement. And if you’re not into nuts at all, the maple glaze is delicious enough to hold its own without a topping. Enjoy!
As an added bonus these cookies are only 98 calories. So plan to eat a few… practically guilt free! And, if you happen to be watching your weight, these are good cookies to bake!
