Maple Leaf Cookies with Caramel Drizzle

 

I made this leaf cookie cutter last year and never got around to using it. So I went for it and made maple leaf sugar cookies for our United Way Bake Sale at work. Normally I only make sugar cookies for Christmas time and frost them with buttercream. I think I changed my mind though, they can be all the time cookies. These cuties drizzles with salted caramel were divine!

 

 

Maple Leaf Sugar Cookies:

2/3 cup butter; room temp

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 egg

4 tsp milk

2 cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

 

1   cream butter and sugar together

2   then is in vanilla and milk. Beat until fluffy

3   add in dry ingredients and beat until creamy

4   divide dough in half and wrap each in plastic wrap. Let set in fridge for about an hour, up to overnight

5   preheat oven to 375 degrees F. generously flour work surface and roll out on of the balls of dough to about 1/8” thick

6   dip cookie cutters in flour and cut out the shapes, place each on a greased baking sheet

7   gather remaining dough into a ball, roll out again, cut shapes, repeat until all dough is gone. Then repeat with the other ball of dough.

8   As the cookie sheets fill up bake each for 8-10 minutes, edges should not get brown

salted caramel topping:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup heavy cream
generous pinch of sea salt

½ tsp vanilla bean paste

1   in a saucepan add 1/2 cup + 2 tbs sugar and the water, heat over medium heat until it

boils, stir occassionally
2   then with a pastry brush, or paper towel, wet down the sides of the saucepan so that

sugar doesn't crystalize on it
3   Stop stirring and let it sit until it turns dark amber, you can gently swirl it a few times
4   then remove from heat and stir in the cream, it will bubble
5   then stir in the sea salt and vanilla, let cool

6   drizzle or pour the caramel over the cookies