Autumn Maple Cutout Cookies

Total Time: 59 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 29 mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon maple flavoring
• 2 large egg whites, divided
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• cooking spray

Recipe

• 1 melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.
• 2 cook until milk solids stop crackling and turn amber (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally.
• 3 transfer butter mixture to a small bowl, scraping pan to include milk solids.
• 4 cover and cool butter mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until soft and congealed but not firm.
• 5 combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.
• 6 combine chilled butter mixture and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until well blended (about 3 minutes).
• 7 add syrup, flavoring, and 1 egg to butter mixture; beat at low speed 2 minutes or until well blended.
• 8 add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat on low speed until blended.
• 9 divide dough in half. shape each portion into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap. chill 1 hour or until firm.
• 10 preheat oven to 350°.
• 11 place walnuts and turbinado sugar in a food processor; pulse 15 times or until mixture is coarsely ground.
• 12 place remaining 1 egg in another small bowl; stir with a whisk.
• 13 working with one portion of the dough at a time (keep remaining dough chilled until use), roll dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface, and cut with a 2 1/2-inch cutter.
• 14 place cookies, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
• 15 gently brush tops of cookies with egg ; sprinkle evenly with half of walnut mixture.
• 16 bake for 12 minutes or until pale brown.
• 17 remove cookies from pan; cool completely on wire racks.
• 18 repeat procedure with remaining dough, egg , and walnut mixture.