Soft Maple Cinnamon Cookies

There are few things that smell better on a dreary October day than something cinnamony baking in the oven. Add maple to the mix and you'll have the most comforting aroma that ever wafted through a kitchen.

I have been trying to recreate a cookie that I bought from Bloom this summer - a soft, maple french toast flavoured treat. [Note: if you haven't had Bloom cookies yet, keep your eye out for them. They can be found at the City Market downtown and at all three Remedy locations. Their cookies are always soft, chewy, and totally addictive. If you can find the London Fog cookies, buy them and eat them before someone else does!]



While this recipe doesn't exactly produce a copy of that cookie, the results were still super tasty. These snickerdoodle-type cookies are cracked on top and soft in the middle, like a cookie should be. My quest for a copycat recipe continues - it'll take a lot of hard work and research (i.e. eating lots of cookies). It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it!

Maple Cinnamon Cookies
Slightly adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes
Makes about 2 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup shortening, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp real maple syrup
1 tsp maple extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon, for rolling

Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C and line a baking sheet with parchment. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, beat together the shortening and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, maple syrup, and extracts and blend well. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough into 2 inch balls, and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar. Place the balls a few inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for about 10-11 minutes, until the cookies are slightly cracked on top. They'll still look a bit underdone in the middle. Allow them to cool completely before eating or storing them. These are in my freezer now, but that hasn't really slowed down the rate at which they're disappearing.