White Chocolate Dipped Maple Cookies

It’s sugar season! If you’re from the North Country, you know what I’m talking about. For my southern followers, sugar season is when the sap from the maple trees is ready to make that delicious goodness, nectar of the gods, natural confection we know to be maple syrup. If you have been following my blog for a while, you know I’m a little bit of a snob when it comes to "real" maple syrup. Some people may say I’m crazy, but if you’ve had the “real” stuff, you know that syrup can be serious business.

My Uncle Bobby, also known as the self-proclaimed “Mayor of Morley, New York,” happens to make the finest maple syrup I have ever had. Harvested from the maple trees of the Adirondacks in Upstate New York, this syrup is super rich with incredible depth of flavor and has that perfect velvety consistency. Luckily for me, he sends me syrup every spring. To make it last through the year, I freeze it and thaw as needed. Incredible taste aside, the way this syrup is packaged is absolutely adorable. It looks great on my kitchen table (and is always a great conversation piece) when I’m serving Sunday Brunch.

These White Chocolate Dipped Maple cookies are so fitting for sugar season and a perfect way to enjoy Uncle Bobby's maple syrup - one batch calls for an entire cup! As you can probably imagine, they are bursting with maple flavor. For a little something extra, melt some white chocolate and coat half of the cookie once cooled. While the chocolate is still soft, top the cookies off with chopped walnuts. Anytime you happen to have fresh maple syrup on hand and are craving something both crunchy and sweet, I highly recommend these cookies!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar for decoration
1 cup white chocolate
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the syrup, vanilla and egg. Mix until combined. In another bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Sir into mixture until well blended. Shape into 1 ½ inch balls and roll into sugar.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
4. Melt chocolate, and dip ½ of cooled cookie into chocolate. Sprinkle cookie with chopped walnuts and allow to harden.