Maple sugar.
Maple sugar is a natural alternative to regular sugar. Based on a home label comparison to an organic white cane sugar, there is one less gram of sugar per teaspoon (I'm guessing due to the coarseness of the maple sugar).
And if that isn't enough to convince you, you only need 1/2 cup of maple sugar to every cup of cane sugar in a recipe, so by using it you're really cutting your sugar intake to less than half! Also, maple sugar contains the minerals naturally present in maple, such as manganese and zinc, which help your heart health and immune system!
So if you've followed my logic this far, we can consider these cookies healthy...logically!
Despite all this awesomeness, fancy and organic sugar is normally too rich for my blood, so I've had to go without. BUT, I managed to get a free baggy of it as a gift the other day. What better excuse to experiment!?
I decided since it is October, and my house is bedecked with Halloween decorations, I should put to use my Halloweeny cookie cutters, also currently serving as mere decorations. This was a pretty big deal, since I pretty much hate making cutout cookies, and the entire rolling process. But having maple sugar is a pretty big deal, too. Also, my awesome friend Sarah gave me some great tips on how to make rolling cookies less infuriating for me. Yay!
So without further ado, the greatest logically healthy cookies ever!
Maple Sugar Cutout Cookies
3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks), at room temperature
1/2 cup maple sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add vanilla, and eggs, one at a time. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
2. Roll dough into a ball and slightly flatten. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for about one hour.
3. Get online and brag to all your friends about your maple sugar and the fact they don't have any. Also do your Hyjal dailies.
4. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly sprinkle flour on a flat surface and place chilled dough on said surface. Lightly sprinkle more flour on top of dough, place saran wrap over the dough, and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick.
(Sarah's Pro Tip: If you've thrown out your shitty rolling pin in the heat of anger, you can use a wine bottle(in my case, balsamic vinegar) as a makeshift pin over the saran wrap! Works great!)
5. Using cookie cutters, cut out cookies and place on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake in oven for approximately 10 minutes. Let cookies sit for about 3 minutes before removing to wire rack to finish cooling.
So we have Halloween ghosts, pumpkins, cats, and, yes, those are even Halloween Brontosaurs...
These cookies taste great, with just the right hint of maple goodness, without being overpowering. Even Shadow took a bite! Then again, what won't he take a bite out of?
Adapted from this recipe!
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