Maple Sugar Cookies

In the part of the country where the Farm calls home, the trees wake up some time in March and start singing. And you can tell when they’re about to begin because everywhere you look there will be buckets hanging around their waists in anticipation. And then one day they will start. The buckets will fill with something that looks like water, but really is so much more. Sap, some people call it. And this sap, when boiled down, makes the most delicious liquor in the world: Maple Syrup. And this syrup may be used in all kinds and ways but is best enjoyed as it was meant; with lots and lots of butter. Knowing this to be true, Hannah has developed the following recipe:

Two and a half cups all-purpose flour are sifted with a quarter teaspoon of salt and set aside. In a separate bowl, two sticks (1 cup) softened butter is creamed with a half cup light brown sugar and a half cup maple sugar. This can be purchased wherever real maple syrup is harvested and sold. Speaking of real maple syrup, a teaspoon of that is added as well, for good measure, the darker the better, along with a teaspoon of vanilla. This is beaten for three minutes, until all is light and fluffy. Add the flour/salt blend and mix until a smooth dough is formed. The dough is wrapped in parchment paper and set in the fridge overnight or up to three days.

On the day of baking, it is removed from the fridge and allowed to come to room temperature before being rolled out until it is an eighth inch thick and cut however you will. Hannah is a lovie, so she went with hearts for her cookies. They are baked in a three-hundred-fifty-degree oven for about ten minutes, or until slightly darker than the dough itself. The cookies are left to cook on a rack, and once they are, maple syrup is brushed on half. While it is still sticky, real maple sugar is sprinkled on the syruped end. The cookies are tapped, to remove excess maple sugar. Enjoy them for up to five days, if stored properly in an airtight container.