Maple ginger cookies

Two sweet recipes in one week: y'all are so lucky, I swear.

My posting options were mac and cheese, chicken stew or these wicked awesome cookies. Here's what I considered when choosing:

• It's a Friday before a long weekend (for some -- happy thanksgiving to our Canadian friends)
• The mac and cheese photos sucked
• The chicken stew involves prunes

So cookies it is!

No big story behind these cookies. I was just perusing some neglected cookbooks last week (I feel a little guilty if I ignore some of them for too long -- am I the only one?). I focused on my copy of Cooking With Shelburne Farms because, with its focus on seasonal Vermont foods, I figured I'd find something awesomely appropriate for fall (and more photogenic than the strata).

Aaaaaaaand I was not disappointed.

The authors called these cookies gingersnaps but I don't think that's really accurate: they're soft and not nearly as spicy as gingersnaps.

Regardless, they are wicked.

I cut back a bit on the amount of butter the authors recommended and my cookies were still very, very buttery -- so if you want to make them  a wee bit healthier, feel free to subtract a tablespoon or two. 

But please, please, PLEASE do me a favor and use real maple syrup, even if you have to order it off the internet: Aunt Jemima ain't going to cut it here.

Hey! You know where I think these cookies would be perfect? On your Canadian Thanksgiving dessert table.

Maple Ginger Cookies (adapted from Cooking With Shelburne Farms by Melissa Pasanen and Rick Gencarelli)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temp)
1 egg
3 ounces good maple syrup
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
sugar for coating

Directions:
Whisk together the first 7 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Using a stand mixer, cream the butter with both of the sugars until fluffy. Thoroughly mix in the egg and maple syrup. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the crystallized ginger.

Chill the dough by placing it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Form the dough into 1-inch (or a bit larger) balls and roll them in some sugar to coat. Place the balls (with space to spread) on a prepared baking sheet (I use parchment paper) and bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are set. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then cool them completely on a wire rack.