Maple Cream Cookies

Crisp maple cookies surround creamy maple filling in these beautiful treats.

Cookie dough

1/4 cup (2 ounces) brown sugar or maple sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter

3 tablespoons (2 ounces) maple syrup

1 1/4 cups (5 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Filling

2 cups (4 ounces) confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter, softened

pinch salt (extra fine if you have it)

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the maple leaf molds.

Dough: Beat together the brown sugar, salt, baking powder, vanilla, maple flavoring, and butter until fluffy. Stir in the maple syrup. When well blended, mix in the flour. If the dough doesn't hold together, add another tablespoon of maple syrup. Press about a half-teaspoonful of dough into each mold. Place on a baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned on the edges. Remove from the oven and cool in the molds for 10 minutes. Pop the cookies out of the molds by pressing on the end of the cookie. Cool completely.

Filling: Beat the confectioners' sugar, butter, and salt together. Mix in the maple flavoring and vanilla. Add the maple syrup a bit at a time, until the filling is a medium-soft, spreadable consistency (the filling should hold its shape). Drop a teaspoonful of filling onto the flat side of a cookie. Top with another cookie, placing the flat sides toward each other. Let the cookies sit for several hours to let the frosting set up, so the cookie halves don't slide around on one another. Store in airtight containers for several days or freeze for longer storage. Yield: about 2 dozen sandwich cookies.