Recipe and Photography by Jessica Jones

Cincinnati’s icy temperatures have several school districts closed for today, creating a perfect time to get some baking done. Try these maple spritz cookies, a perfect combination of sweet and savory, for your snowed-in treat. With the savory taste of maple and salt, these cookies give a nice break from the sugar overload of the holiday season and celebrate a day away from school.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of softened butter
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp maple flavoring
• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ¼ tps salt
• Decorator sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat, scraping the bowl often, until creamy.
3. Add egg, maple syrup, and maple flavoring to mixture and continue beating until well mixed.
4. Add salt and flour and mix slowly. It is recommended to add a cup of flour at a time, rather than put it all in at once.
5. Once mixture is mixed well, roll pieces of dough into ½ – 1 inch sized balls and put them onto a cookie sheet about 2-3 inches apart.
6. After dough is on the cookie sheet, flatten the balls of dough with your palm into circles.
7. Optional: Take a toothpick and draw a tiny tree into the top of the cookie (as shown in the photo) and then sprinkle decorator sugar on top.
8. Put the cookie sheet into the oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned
9. Enjoy! Click here for more tasty treats to make.