If you want to eat a cookie that tastes like a maple pancake and is covered in frosting that tastes exactly like Vermont Maple leaf candies then these cookies are for you! These Vermont Maple cookies are spongy, slightly sweet, have a little crunch from chopped pecans and are coated in the most amazing browned butter maple glaze that literally melts in your mouth.I made these for a cookie exchange party I went to this week and I had the hardest time trying to decide what cookies I would bring. Pinterest wasn’t any help because literally everything looked so delicious that I couldn’t decide. I wanted to try a new recipe, so I got out my Mom’s vintage Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book circa 1973 and told myself I had to make something from the book and just get over with the decision making already. I somehow decided on these very simple cookies, with no fun vintage picture like some others, there is just an illustration of a Maple tree and reference to use the Jubilee Jumbles recipes and to swap Maple extract for the Vanilla extract. Also there was a short and sweet recipe below for the Maple glaze that seemed easy enough, so I thought why not give it a try!I baked them, frosted them and wrapped them up in cute little bags and kept my fingers crossed no one would overlook their simple exterior and give them a chance. All the while, no one would know, I was secretly hoping no one would take them so I could bring them back home and devour them all by myself!These cookies are not going to win any beauty contest, they won’t be re-pinned by the thousands or even 10 times 😉 because of how good they look, but let me tell you THEY ARE RIDICULOUS! The cookies alone are simple and perfect, but with the frosting they become award winning, mouth watering, eat the whole plate at one time kind of good. I think you can tell how surprised and amazed I was after trying them, and I highly recommend you make this cookie recipe for everyone you know.Enough about what I thought about these. Here is the recipe from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book circa 1973,  that I have revised to be a little easier to follow and based on my experience. I hope you’ll consider making them and see exactly what I’m talking about. Pure cookie joy!

Also if you were wondering, people did end up taking all of the bags I brought, which in the end made me happy since I had about 10 saved for myself at home. 🙂

Vermont Maple Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen 2  1/2 inch cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookie Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon maple extract
2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, such as raw pecans

Cookie Preparation
Mix shortening, sugar and eggs thoroughly. Stir in sour cream and maple extract. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Stir together flour, soda, and salt; blend in. Mix in nuts. Chill dough if soft.*

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough about 2″ apart on greased baking sheet. Bake about 10 min., or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly with finger.

If desired, spread cooled cookies with Maple Butter Glaze below.

Maple Butter Glaze

Glaze Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons maple extract
2-4 tablespoons hot water

Glaze Preparation
Heat butter in medium size sauce pan over medium heat until golden brown. Whisk in 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons maple extract. Stir in 2-4 tablespoons hot water until icing spreads smoothly.*

*Cookie ingredients: If using self-rising flour, omit baking soda and salt.
*Chilling dough: The dough was different than I expected, it was like a cake batter, I chilled it for about 20 minutes before spooning it onto the baking sheet and baking so it could stay in the rounded tablespoons on the pan.
*Glaze water: I only needed about 2 tablespoons hot water for my batch.

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Happy Holidays!
CB