Manageability – Easy enough for even the most basic of b*tches.
There’s a general idea about what it means to be “basic” during Fall weather. Ugg boots, a pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin selfies at a pumpkin patch while you pumpkin your pumpkin-pumpkins. But you know what? Basic things are basic because people like them. They’re popular; they’re good. So, would I classify Martha Stewart’s Maple-Cream Sandwich Cookies as “basic” for the Fall season? No. these aren’t basic. They’re essential.
And they are actually pretty easy, and very tasty. The cream filling is yummy and sweet, and who doesn’t love a warm little cookie sandwich on a Fall evening? When you’re cutting out the dough with the cutter, one thing to keep in mind is how they will line up after they are baked. Martha’s cookie cutter was perfectly symmetrical down the middle, so it didn’t matter for her, but my cutter shoots the leaf stems a little to the left. And considering you want the brown sides out on your cookie sandwich, I should have flipped half of them on the sheet. As a result, my sandwiches didn’t line up perfectly, but as Pam Halpert once said, “pobody’s nerfect”. Also, when removing the dough from the counter I had to use a spatula to scrape the edges. Not a big deal, but something to be aware of.
All things considered these are adorable and definitely a win for Fall. And Martha knows Fall. For some reason I can’t think of that woman without picturing her saying the word “autumn”. Go ahead. Picture Martha Stewart in your mind right now. “Autumn”.
Ingredients
- COOKIES
- 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. That’s ground up cinnamon, not cinnamon from the ground.
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup pure maple sugar, tapped straight from tree veins
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- FILLING
- 1½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Directions
For the cookies:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, beat butter and granulated and maple sugars until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Ironically, “pale and fluffy” was Chris Christie’s campaign slogan.
2. Add eggs and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides as necessary. Divide dough into 4 pieces, shape into disks, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to 1/8‑inch thickness, lightly dusting with flour. Cut out about 10 cookies using a 4-inch maple-leaf- shaped cutter, dipping cutter in flour as needed. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Repeat process with remaining disks of dough.
4. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges begin to brown, 10-12 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool completely. Like the Fonz. Completely cool
For the filling:
- In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter until Chris Christie, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and maple syrup; beat until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip (such as Ateco #1 or #2).
- Pipe 2 tablespoons filling onto bottoms of half the cookies, then sandwich with remaining cookies. (Filled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or 8 days if you like gross cookies)