Maple Walnut Spritz Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the maple syrup, egg, vanilla and maple extract. (The mixture may look curdled.) Reduce the mixer speed to medium low; add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Cover and refrigerate until the dough is no longer sticky, about 30 minutes (it will still be soft).
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Put the turbinado sugar in a shallow dish. Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in the turbinado sugar. Press a walnut half into the center of each cookie and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the edges of the cookies are set but the centers are still soft, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Toast the walnuts in a preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let the nuts cool. Then process in a food processor, using the pulse action, until they are finely ground. Do not overprocess or you will end up with a paste.
• Cream together the butter and maple syrup. When light and fluffy, add the egg and beat well for 1 minute. Stir in the extracts, then the flour, and the finely ground nuts. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for 20 minutes to make it easier to handle.
• Preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with baking paper.
• Using a #24 scoop (2 tablespoons) or a spoon, scoop out the dough and place the balls 1-inch apart on the baking sheets. With lightly moistened fingers, flattern each cookie to a thickness of 1/2 inch.
• Bake the cookies until golden brown, for 15-18 minutes on an insulated or double pan.
• Let the cookies cool on the pans before removing.
• Variations:
• Maple Almond: Substitute almonds for the walnuts.
• Maple Hazelnuts: Substitute hazelnuts for the walnuts.
• Maple Pecan: Substitute pecans for the walnuts.
• Almond: Substitute almonds for the walnuts and fruit sweeteners for all or part of the maple syrup.