Friday 28 September 2012

Maple Syrup Butter Cookies


When Dom from Belleau Kitchen and Karen of Lavender and Lovage announced that this month, their two challenges; Random Recipes and Tea Time Treats were getting together I had mixed feelings. Not that this isn't a good pairing, but rather that my heart sort of sinks when I have no control over the recipe I have to make - I am a complete control freak and hate having decisions taken out of my hands. And this month this would apply to another of the challenges I like to enter, not just random recipes itself.


So I took a deep breath, opened one of my (many - what, are you surprised I have many) baking books. I chose 'Mix' which is one of my books containing recipes from the Australian Women's Weekly. I really like these recipe - there are often combinations that I haven't thought of, or different presentations that inspire me to bake. And my recipe was these rather cute little maple syrup butter cookies.

The chosen book - note all the stickers for recipes I want to make

Perfect - nothing says 'Teatime' to me more than biscuits. These were really quick and easy to put together. They're a melting-moment type biscuit. I tried to find the recipe online, but find the AWW website very hard to navigate so I had to give up. They consist of butter beaten with maple syrup and a tiny dash of vanilla. This was my only real problem making them - the butter and maple syrup is supposed to become light and fluffy but mine split and wouldn't do light and fluffy. Plain flour and cornflour is then added and they are piped onto prepared trays to be baked. They were fun to pipe (I like piping generally), if a little sticky.

First batch - nicely cooked

After the first batch came out of the oven I decided to refrigerate the rest and see if they would keep their shape better - they didn't so I wouldn't bother wasting time refrigerating them again. The first batch were baked while I had something else in the oven underneath them, the second batch were alone in the oven and have consequently coloured more on the base. I am still trying to learn the foibles of my new oven.

Second batch - overbaked

The house smelled particularly delicious while these were baking - what's not to like about warm maple syrup and butter - utterly divine! I would try these again - I wanted to see if I can get them to keep their shape a little better and I might try using the fan oven instead of the conventional setting.They were very buttery and quite crisp at first with a melt in the mouth texture that comes from the use of cornflour as part of the flour. The maple syrup flavour was unfortunately not to my taste at all. I don't know why, but they really didn't appeal to me at all. The texture was great - melting and delicate, but the flavour was just so wrong. I haven't baked a lot with maple syrup before, but these were not pleasant. And I also found that as the only sweetening agent was the syrup they weren't quite sweet enough for my taste in biscuits either. A bit of a disappointment and a definite don't make again.

I can't decide what to do with them now, whether to give up on them as a bad job (made about a week ago now) or whether to whip up a batch of buttercream and sandwich them together - this would counteract the problem of them not being sweet enough but might make them soggy. Hmm, what would you do? Or can you recommend good baking recipes using maple syrup please?

Edited to add: I am also submitting these into Jac's Bookmarked Recipes feature, since they are also something in this recipe book that I have been meaning to make for ages.


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm, how about dipping them in milk or white chocolate? That would help with the sweetness but avoid the potential of going soggy...

As for the maple syrup - pecan pie! Or just pour it all over a stack of pancakes...

Alicia Foodycat said...

They sound good and look pretty! While they weren't to your taste, I think they would be to mine.

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Mmmmmm, sandwiched together sounds good, but I think I would like the maple syrup flavour.

Katie said...

They look wonderfully buttery little cookies. Love how the piping has given them a pleated edge.

Stacy said...

I would be tempted to try them again, adding just a bit more flour or cornstarch to make a little bit stiffer dough that could still be piped. You could always add a bit more sugar too, if you want them sweeter.

As you said, what's not to like about warm maple syrup and butter.

I think they came out very pretty and I like the ones that are browner on the bottom!

Chele said...

Well they all look pretty good to me. Such pretty biscuits. I have this book myself, must go to the bookshelf and have a wee read.

The Caked Crusader said...

Lovely biscuits - perfect size too.

I do that with my books. Sometimes Mr CC will look at one of the books and ask: wouldn't it be easier to tab the pages of things you DON'T want to make? I get through a lot of tabs....!

Julia @ JuliasAlbum.com said...

Yummy cookies! I bet they melt in your mouth. Vising from Bookmarked Recipes at Tinned Tomatoes.

Karen S Booth said...

SO sorry to have stressed you out a bit Caroline! LOL! I KNOW what you mean about being in control.....but, these cookies look and sound lush, so alls well that ends well! LOVELY entry thanks so much! Karen

Susan Lindquist said...

Good for you analyzing a recipe that you just don't care for ... most can be finagled with if you've got the time and the inclination. I live where maple syrup is a main local product so I think I would use a dark amber (thicker and more sweet with a heavier maple flavour) if I were to try this recipe. As for your idea of sandwiching them ... great way to make for a creamy sweet addition to balance the mellower sweetness in the cookie! Good luck!

Ruth Ellis said...

These look so dainty and delicate! Lovely

Johanna GGG said...

they sound lovely - though I thought that maybe I would prefer golden syrup mainly because the smell of golden syrup and butter melting together takes me back to my childhood - I love baking with maple syrup - it has such a wonderful deep smoky flavour but I know what you mean about it not being as sweet as other sweeteners - I hope you made some frosting and rescued the bikkies

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I will try it next week, after I will get this maple syrup: http://www.canadathestore.com/products/pure-canadian-maple-syrup-500ml. I've heard that it's really good and I'm curious how it is :D
I'm sure that I will make some really good cookies! :D I can't wait!

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