Subtle notes of warm apple cider and maple syrup and paired with a slight crunch of toasted pecans and coated in a cinnamon sugar mixture.
If you remember at the beginning of 2022, I made it a goal to try and incorporate ingredients that had not normally been a part of my pantry. That challenge made me quickly realize that I had limited knowledge of ingredients and quite a bit to learn. I’m happy to share this new recipe with 3 new ingredients added to my belt – apple cider, maple syrup, and toasted pecans.
Attempting to balance 3 main ingredients within 1 cookie was not easy. So far the taste testers have raved on this cookie. It’s soft, the spices within are subtle and not overpowering, and it pairs wonderfully with coffee on a chilly day. There are some steps involved with this one, so let’s break it all down.
The Basics
Browned Butter: is there really a Fall recipe in my arsenal that does not have browned butter? I don’t think so. Why? Because it is such key ingredient to helping punch out some amazing flavor. Don’t skimp on this one when making the recipe.
Maple Syrup: this is not your typical table syrup. We need pure maple syrup here. You can find it at your local grocery store, or even have it shipped through Amazon. A little goes a long way, and since this is basically a form of liquid sugar, we need to be careful adding it in so the cookie does not come out overly sweet.
Toasted Pecans: I used pecan chips from my local Target, and toasted them over some olive oil with sprinkled in sugar and a touch of cinnamon. You can also use whole pecans and chop them up prior to adding to the cookies.
Apple Cider: I want to shout out my friend Sam from Buttermilk By Sam here because it was through her that I discovered boiled apple cider – thank you Sam! Sam recently used boiled apple cider in donuts and I have it on my list of bakes. So we use boiled apple cider in this recipe because it is concentrated in flavor vs. regular apple cider. Boiled apple cider will really help bring in the apple cider flavor. I recommend buying the boiled apple cider with mulling spices to bring forth more of that spice in the cookie. You can purchase online through Amazon.
Cinnamon Sugar Coating: this step is completely optional but it give the cookie such a beautiful snowy look, plus boosts the flavor profile as well!
Equipment
- 1 kitchen scale optional but highly recommended
- 1 large skillet
- 1 silicone spatula
- 1 large bowl
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 2 cup all purpose flour (260 g)
- 1 cup unsalted butter for browning
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (130 g)
- 1 ea large egg room temperature
- 1 ea large egg yolk room temperature
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp boiled apple cider
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Sugar Coating (Optional)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Toasted Pecans
- ¾ cup pecan chips
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Browning Butter
- We begin with browning the butter. In a light colored medium sized pot, place butter inside and cook on low medium heat. No need to stir consistently, just allow the butter to melt and begin cooking.1 cup unsalted butter for browning
- About half way through the butter will begin to foam up a bit, but you only need to take your rubber spatula and give it a stir to bring it back down a bit. Continue to cook on the same heat, and about 6 to 7 minutes in you will begin to see light foaming on the top.
- You will notice the along the edges browning, and if you stir the butter there will be small browned pieces at the bottom. Begin stirring at this point until the color is a light to medium color and you smell the nutty flavor of the butter.
- Remove from heat and pour into heat safe bowl. Ideally you'd have a kitchen scale here to measure the amount in grams.
- Allow butter to cool for about 1 hour before placing in refrigerator to continue cooling. Allow to sit in fridge between 15 to 30 minutes. You are looking to slightly solidify the butter where it is still palpable and easy to smooth.
- The brown butter bits will naturally fall to the bottom of the bowl. Take your rubber spatula and mix the butter together so that the browned bits are distributed evenly throughout. The butter should be soft but not melted. Set aside.
Toasting Pecans
- In a skillet, heat olive oil.1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Add pecans, sugar and cinnamon and cook on medium until pecans have slightly darkened in color – approximately 2 minutes.¾ cup pecan chips, 1 tsp sugar, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Apple Cider, Maple & Toasted Pecan Cookies
- In a large bow, combine browned butter, sugar and vanilla. Whisk until light and fluffy.1 cup unsalted butter for browning, ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (130 g), 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add egg and egg yolk, and whisk until well combined.1 ea large egg, 1 ea large egg yolk
- Add pure maple syrup and boiled apple cider. Whisk until well combined.3 tbsp pure maple syrup, 2 tbsp boiled apple cider
- Add flour, baking soda and sea salt to wet ingredients and fold in with silicone spatula until dry ingredients are fully incorporated.2 cup all purpose flour (260 g), ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp fine sea salt
- Add toasted pecans and fold in until well distributed.¾ cup pecan chips
- Using 2 tbsp ice cream scoop, scoop up dough and place on baking sheet – 8 per sheet. Place at least 2 to 3" apart to allow for some spread.
- Place in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, but no more than 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Remove cookies from refrigerator and place in oven. Bake for 12 minutes.
- Prepare cinnamon sugar coating in a small bowl and set aside.¼ cup sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Allow to cool for at least 2 to 3 minutes before coating with sugar.
- Cookies are still hot so BE CAREFUL. Very carefully pick up cookies one by one and place upside down into sugar coating mixture. Place back on baking sheet to allow it to continue cooling. Enjoy!
Notes
- I HIGHLY recommend using a kitchen scale for the recipe. You will have less room for error if you weigh your ingredients vs. measuring by volume.
- Cookies will come out of oven looking slightly rounded. As they cool, and after they are dunked in the cinnamon sugar, they will slightly lower in height.
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