While I've known for ages that the US celebrates Thanksgiving later than we Canadians do, it flabbergasts me that there is so much hoopla surrounding it. For a holiday so close to Christmas, there is so much ceremony - even more so than us a month earlier!
Regardless, Thanksgiving - whenever it is - is a time for celebrating the bonds of family and friends. Whether you do this by cooking a giant meal for 40 or going to a movie and forgoing the whole turkey deal, it's an important occasion that frankly I wish happened more often in our society. Since the next holiday we're gearing up for here is Christmas, I have batches and batches of cookie dough in the freezer at the ready. When we do Christmas Eve for the Italian family, we never have a formal dessert like pie or cake. Instead, there are lots of little nibbles laid out on the table: chocolates, brownies and of course a range of cookies! Last year I debuted these maple-kissed, nutty cookies and they were such a hit I wound up making them again this year for gift baskets.
If you love maple-walnut anything, you'll love these! Not only do they get the toasty flavour from walnuts, but they are made with barley flour for a light, almost malt-y sweetness. Maple is in two forms too - real-deal syrup and extract - although this year I tripled the flavour with a sprinkle of maple flakes on top! Ironically, I'm not generally a walnut fan, but in these cookies the sweetness of the maple cuts any bitterness from the nuts and the combination winds up at the perfect level of sweetness. As a bonus, these are glorious freezers both in dough and baked form, so there are always cookies at hand! Need a last minute dessert for a party or a date night? Sandwich a mini-scoop of ice cream (like maple or French vanilla) between two baked, still-frozen cookies and dig in. Small size, big impact.
This month for #CreativeCookieExchange, it's all about holiday dessert table cookies that are quicker and easier than schlepping a pie. If you are in charge of bringing dessert this year, be sure to check everyone's offerings out!
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It’s cookie season! And I know everyone is thinking pies for Thanksgiving, but sometimes time gets away from us and we need something faster. Or maybe you just want something different, like a cookie tray for Turkey Day. You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.
If you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
- Apple Cranberry Jammers from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
- Cinnamon Pumpkin Cookies from Food Lust People Love
- Cranberry Crumble Bars from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Cranberry White Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Queenbeebaker
- Silky Bittersweet Brownies from The Spiced Life
Maple Walnut Spice Cookies
Makes 24
⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup salted butter
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch cloves
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp maple extract
2 tbsp maple syrup (I love my grade B)
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup barley flour
1 tbsp mesquite flour (optional)
½ tsp baking soda
⅓ cup walnut crumbs
- Heat oven to 350°.
- Cream sugars, butter, spices and salt in a large bowl.
- Add extracts, syrup and egg; beat until well blended.
- Gradually add flours and baking soda, beating just until combined.
- Fold in the walnuts.
- Scoop 2-tbsp worth of batter 2” apart on baking sheets.
- Bake 16 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on pans.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 84.9
Total Fat: 3.2 g
Cholesterol: 12.9 mg
Sodium: 18.7 mg
Total Carbs: 13.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
Protein: 1.5 g
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