There’s a reason why I don’t post many cookie recipes on “Making Life Sweet,” and it’s not because I don’t like cookies. Believe me, aside from ice cream, cookies are one of my favorite things on this planet. I could make, decorate, admire, eat and, of course, share my cookies every day and my heart would be content.
It’s my future dream of owning a bakery that keeps me from posting too many of my cookie recipes.
Cookies have always been a large part of my life. I had the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe memorized from a very young age (I used this skill for several of my grade school demonstration speeches). I grew up baking cookies on a daily basis with my mother. Each night we made fresh and warm chocolate chip cookies — something my father still looks forward to almost every night, even though the kids are gone.
I don’t know what it is about cookies, but they are simply delightful. Someday, like mentioned earlier, I plan to open a bakery, where fresh baked cookies and a coffee bar will offer a sweeter, cozy and conversational environment to all who enter.
But enough about me. Let’s get to the reason for today’s post: The 2012 Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, of which I am a participant, along with 576 other bakers. Together, we raise about $4,400 raised for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. (For a recipe roundup click here.)
My matches were: Julie from Table for Two, Ashley from Girly Obsessions and Mackenzie from Susie Freaking Homemaker. I sent all three of them a dozen of these cookies.
For this year’s swap, I whipped up something I had never made before. I’m not kidding you, I was blown away by the recipe I came up with. I couldn’t eat just one. They were too good!
Needless to say, if I’m ever able to open a bakery later in life, I will serve these to my customers. They are my new favorite, and I hope you enjoy them as well. The following pictures take you on a journey through the baking process for these little treats!
Fresh out of the oven, waiting to be glazed.
When I dip, you dip, we dip.
Maple Almond Brown Butter Glazed Cookies
Makes: 60 cookies | Author: Lauren Hardy
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup roasted/sea salted almonds, processed fine and chunky
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the glaze:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla, mixing until well combined.
2. Divide the almonds in half. In a blender, grind half of the almonds into a fine almond meal. Blend the other half until almonds are in chunky, small pieces.
3. In a bowl separate from the wet ingredients, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking soda and salt until well combined. Slowly add this mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in remaining almond pieces.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease two cookie sheets. Refrigerate the dough for at least a half an hour before baking them in the oven.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Shape the dough into balls, about the size of 1 tablespoon, and set 2 inches apart on the greased baking sheets.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool on a wire rack.
7. While the cookies are cooling, make the glaze. Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour the butter into a bowl. Do not scrape the sides of the saucepan when you do this!
8. Add the sugar, vanilla and milk, and stir until smooth. Use immediately.
9. Using your hands, dip the top of each cookie into the glaze. Do not submerge the entire cookie. The goal is to only coat the top. You might have to twirl your wrist to prevent any glaze from getting on the bottom of the cookies.
10. Place the cookies on baking sheets until the glaze sets and is cool.
