The Perfect Maple Cookies

Two years ago we moved up to the Northeast, Upstate New York to be exact. I never saw myself living in upstate New York growing up, except maybe that one time I did a state report on New York and saw how pretty it was. But alas we ended up in Upstate New York and are loving it. Every place has traditions and one of the traditions in New York and Canada is Maple Syrup. Maple syrup is harvested in the late winter/early spring from maple trees. It is a super long process and one I was going to try to do until I saw how much goes into making the syrup. That is when I decided to buy the syrup instead. The syrup is pricey, but once I tried it for the first time I could not go back to imitation maple syrup.

When I bought my first jug of maple syrup I wanted to make sure it did not go to waste because I paid so much for it. I looked up recipes for maple everything, cookies and cakes. I made these maple cookies below and I was hooked. I made them for everything until I ran out of maple syrup. I had to patiently wait for maple harvesting season again and for the Coronavirus business restrictions to let up before I could get it. But once I got it I made my first batch of maple cookies and they were as good as I remembered. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

I have included some tricks and tips below to get amazing cookies.

Maple Cookies

Super Soft Delicious Flavorful Cookies

Author: Jennifer Crowther

Yield: 36

Prep Time: 15 Min Cook time: 12 Minutes 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Cream the egg with the butter mixture until fluffy.
3. Add the maple syrup and the maple syrup to the mixture.
4. Mix the dry ingredients, flour, cornstarch, slat, baking soda, and baking powder.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
6. Combine the dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tarter.
7. Chill in fridge for 30-60 minutes before baking.
8. Form round balls and roll in granulated sugar.
9. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.
10. Let cool and enjoy!

*One of the secrets to getting amazing cookies is to mix the butter and eggs until they are light and fluffy.

I used a disher to make my cookies into balls. That way they come out uniform in shape and size. I also use parchment paper so the cookies do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Don't these look scrumptous?

Here is the finished product!

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How to Freeze Berries

When I lived in Oregon there were berry field super close by. The berries were super delicious and super cheap. One time I picked over 50 pounds of berries. What did I do with all those berries? I made jam and I also froze them. Frozen berries are perfect for smoothies, shakes, making jams and syrups later, adding to a recipe, toppings on ice cream etc. The possibilities are endless.  My son prefers frozen berries to fresh berries. There are some important tips to follow when freezing berries, they are not complicated, but can make life a lot easier when pulling berries out. The secret is freezing the berries individually so they do not stick to each other.

1. Wash the berries in the container they came in first. 
This step is super important. If the berries are not washed the dirt and everything else will freeze to it in the freezer.

2. Freeze or use the berries immediately after washing.
Berries ripen even faster when they are washed. I made the mistake of washing and storing berries. They get all mushy and do not taste very good.

3. Slice strawberries. There is no need to slice raspberries or blue berries because they are small. 
Raspberries and blueberries are super easy to eat the size they are. Strawberries however are hard to eat whole. I sliced mine up and they turned out super delicious.

4. Use wax or parchment paper to freeze the berries.
It is super important to put something under the berries so they will not stick to the cookie sheet or whatever is used to freeze them.

5. Space the berries out. 
Spacing the berries is the most important part and something I could have done better with the above strawberries. It enables individual berries to be pulled out/measured etc.

6. Flash freeze for 1-2 hours on a cookie sheet or over night.
Flash freezing is important because it again makes sure the berries are frozen before putting them in a bag. I sometimes forget and take the berries out the next day. They can sometimes be a little harder to get off the tray.

7. Take berries off the tray/Put berries in a bag and label the bag with the date.
Now the berries can be stored together and they will not freeze together! Save and enjoy the berries at a later date.

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The Best Snickerdoodles

Do you like Snickerdoodle cookies? We love them here at our house. They are the perfect blend of cinnamon and sugar with chewy cookie goodness. They are one of my sons and daughters favorite cookies. They make it all the time.

Here is the recipe, I hope you enjoy!

The Best Snickerdoodles

Super Soft Delicious Flavorful Cookies

Author: Jennifer Crowther

Yield: 36

Prep Time: 10 Min Cook time: 14 Minutes 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cream of tarter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Take the butter and egg out of the fridge 1 hour before starting the cookie batter to bring to room temperature
2. Make sure the butter is soft, cream the butter.
3. Add the sugars and cream the mixture.
4. Beat in the egg. Mix until fluffy.
5. Add vanilla and mix.
6. Combine the dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tarter.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until they are mixed in.
8. Store in fridge for 30-60 minutes before baking.
9. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-14 minutes. Remove before they appear golden brown, they will be overbaked at that time.

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Watkins Original Gourmet Baking Supplies Review

Recently Watkins contacted and sponsored me to review their baking supplies. I jumped at the opportunity. I love baking and trying new things.

Watkins has been around since 1868 and have a headquarters in Minnesota. They make a variety of products; extracts, spices, food coloring, soaps, lotions, cleaners, pain relief, and body scrubs. I had never heard of them before, but the more I have learned, the more I love this company. I love that their products are pure and high quality. I am always on the lookout for good baking products.

I received the following in my box; baking vanilla, pure lemon extract, pure almond extract, pure coffee extract, pure ground cinnamon, and food coloring. I was especially excited about the food coloring because it does not have dyes in it. I have been trying to avoid food dyes with my kids.




The first thing I decided to try was the vanilla. It came in an 11 ounce bottle. I decided to make some chocolate chip cookies.


I used the King Arthur Flour Chocolate Chip Oatmeal recipe for the chocolate chip cookies. The turned out fantastic. I even had someone comment to me they could taste something different in the cookies and asked if I had used something special. I told them I used Watkins vanilla.



Next up I made almond cinnamon cupcakes with an almond cinnamon buttercream frosting that tasted amazing!



Here is the finished product and they tasted as amazing as they look here. I will definitely be making these again. I took them to a function and someone had two at the event and wanted to take more home with her.



 The last thing I tried was the lemon extract, the food coloring and the vanilla again. I made lemon sugar cookies with a lemon buttercream frosting.



The lemon cookies turned out delicious and the frosting colors were amazing! The red was a little pink, but that is typical with red food coloring. I would probably just have to put in more dye to make it darker. I will definitely be using this dye in the future because it was so good and I like that all the ingredients in the dye were natural and not artificial. I let my kids frost the rest of the cookies and they had a lot of fun.



All in all what did I think of Watkins baking products? I LOVED all of them and will be using all of them again. My kids kept begging for all the treats we made this week. I have not really cooked with almond and lemon extract and was excited to go out of my comfort zone and try something new. I would definitely recommend picking up some of these products for baking.

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Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Do you want to make some really good lemon sugar cookies with lemon frosting? These are a soft sugar cookie with a delicious buttercream frosting with a hint of lemon. I like that the lemon is not overpowering in this cookie. I have the recipe for you. I decided to dye mine too to make them really fun for my kiddos.

Adapted from https://butterwithasideofbread.com/lemon-sugar-cookies/

Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Soft Cookies with a Hint of Tang

Author: Jennifer Crowther

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 15 Min Cook time: 12 Minutes 

INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON SUGAR COOKIES:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp Watkins vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp Watkins lemon extract
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON BUTTER CREAM FROSTING:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp Watkins lemon extract
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 4 cups powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LEMON SUGAR COOKIES:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream the butter for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the sugar and cream.
4. Add the egg and cream.
5. Add the vanilla, sour cream, and cream
6. Add the lemon extract and lemon zest and mix.
7. Combine the salt, baking soda, and flour.
8. Fix in the flour mixture.
9. Use a disher to make rounded balls.
10. Bake for 10 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LEMON SUGAR COOKIES:

• Cream the butter.
• Add the vanilla and milk and cream.
• Add the lemon extract and zest and cream.
• Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until the frosting is the right consistency. May need to add a little more or less than 4 cups of sugar.

I hope you enjoy the cookies!

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Almond Cinnamon Cupcakes with Almond Cinnamon Butter Frosting

Do you want to make some AMAZING almond cinnamon cupcakes? I have the recipe for you. I recently made these and they were delicious.

Adapted from the recipe, https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/2014/10/08/cinnamon-sugar-almond-cupcakes/

ALMOND CINNAMON CUPCAKES

Author: Jennifer Crowther

Yield: 25

Prep Time: 10 Min Cook time: 25 Minutes 

INGREDIENTS FOR CUPCAKES:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tsp Watkins almond extract
• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

INGREDIENTS FOR CINNAMON BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

• 1 cup butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2-3 Tbs milk

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CUPCAKES:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake wrappers in cupcake baking apparatus.
2. Cream the butter for 2 minutes.
3. Add the sugar and continue to cream.
4. Add the eggs and beat for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add and mix the sour cream.
6. Combine the milk and the almond extract.
7. Sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
8. Alternate add the wet and milk mixture and flour mixture to the butter mixture.
9. Fill the cupcake liners with a 20 disher.
10. Bake 20-25 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to the touch.
11. Let cool and frost.
12. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CINNAMON BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

1. Cream the butter.
2. Add the milk and almond extract and mix.
3. Mix in the cinnamon.
4. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until the frosting is the right consistency. May need to add a little more or less than 4 cups of sugar.

I hope you enjoy the cupcakes as much as I did!

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