Maple Cream Cookies, Maple Thumbprints, My Favorite Cookies, Best Cookies EVER... call them what you want, one taste and you'll never go back to regular ole' chocolate chips.

Makes: about 4.5 dozen cookies
Time: approx. 2 hrs 40 min prep 10 min
chill 2 hrs bake 12-13 min
cool 10 min
fill 5 min
Cookies: 4 cups all-purpose flour (unbleached) 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted room temp butter 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (or maple sugar... coming soon!) 1/4 cup pure cane sugar 2/3 cup pure maple syrup 1 large egg, room temp 2 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
Icing:
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a another large mixing bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Beat in sugars, followed by pure maple syrup. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients slowly. Scrape sides of bowl to incorporate Every. Last. Bit!
Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
Place oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove dough from the refrigerator. Scoop dough by the tablespoon and roll each into a ball. Place dough balls at least 2 inches apart on prepared pans. Use your fingertip or the back of a small measuring spoon to slowly press a well into each dough ball.
Bake cookies 12-13 minutes, rotating top-to-bottom and front-to-back. Cookies are done when puffed and no longer glistening wet.
Remove cookies from the oven and press the spoon into the centers again. Let them cool on the pans for 10 minutes before carefully removing to a rack or aluminum foil to cool completely.
Repeat baking process with your remaining dough, letting the cookie sheets come back to room temperature between batches.
Arrange cookies on a parchment or wax paper-lined surface for filling.
Now, if you like feeling fancy, by all means, transfer some maple cream into a piping bag, but we just use a spoon and carefully drop it in place! Fill wells in cookies as desired.

STORAGE TIPS: The maple cream will not fully set unless you store the cookies in the fridge. To do this, we recommend setting them on a cookie sheet. Place wax paper between layers.
If you prefer to keep them out, stack misaligned (like bricks) in an airtight container. They should last about 1 week, but we'll warn you that it's hard to keep them that long... THEY'RE SO GOOD!
Enjoy.

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