I made these this afternoon and they are absolutely fan-frickin'-tastic! The dough was a little crumbly and took some extra maple syrup to make it come together, but the cookies turned out buttery and tender and not too sweet. Of course, cream cheese icing is always a plus, too. I got the recipe from a book I got last December called The Cookie Bible. I've made several recipes from it and they always turn out great.
Quebec Maple Pecan Drops
Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp (or a little more, depending on the texture of your dough) maple syrup
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup packaged chopped pitted dates (I didn't have any so I just omitted them)
Frosting (optional, but recommended!)
2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Beat butter and sugar until creamy, then add syrup. Combine dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Add oats, nuts, and dates until combined.
2. Drop by tablespoonful 2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake 10 - 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand on cookie sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.
3. For the cream cheese frosting, beat the cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the syrup. Gradually beat in the sugar until smooth. Spread frosting over cold cookies and top with the finely chopped pecans.
Enjoy!
