Cookie contest winners are surprising, refreshing and classic
Choosing a winner in the Holiday Cookie Contest has always been hard. This year, the challenge began before we took a single bite.
Instead of sampling each entered cookie, as baked by readers and delivered to us, we began the winnowing process with only recipes and a submitted photo before us. The leap from words on paper to flavors on the tongue is a long one, indeed.
Our process wasn’t scientific, but we did follow specific criteria.
First, we focused on cookies we thought best suited a holiday cookie tray; large after-school-type cookies didn’t make the cut. We looked for creativity, for flavor or ingredient combinations we hadn’t seen before. Where we encountered similar recipes, we chose the one we thought sounded best. We tried to avoid recipes that were too fussy, as well as those that relied on convenience foods. Sometimes, pure hunch was our guide.
We’re sure we missed some good ones, but in the end, our 22 finalists (out of 75 total entries) led us to some clear winners we think you’ll love.
Past cookie contests:
2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 & Recipe list | 2015 & Recipe list | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021
Nicole Wellenstein’s sugar plum cookies, with their symphony of flavors and surprising ingredients, took top honors. A refreshing lemon cutout cookie from Kristie Ober came in second. And a classic finger cookie with a candy bar twist, submitted by Elise Riepenhoff, took third place.
A special thanks goes out to Milwaukee Area Technical College, which enlisted its baking and pastry arts students to bake the nearly two dozen finalists and then hosted us for the judging. Your help was invaluable.
To readers: We hope these cookies will help sweeten your holidays!
— Nancy Stohs
Journal Sentinel 2022 Cookie Contest
THE WINNERS
Sugar plum cookies — Best of Show
Nicole Wellenstein calls her winning cookie “a take on the traditional sugar plum candy in a cookie form.” The creative mix of dried fruits and warm spices is made extra special with an outside coating of demerara sugar and Earl Grey tea. The judges praised the cookie for its mix of flavors, chewy texture and originality.
Makes 2½ to 3 dozen
Tested by Nancy Stohs
2¼ cups flour
⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
3 ounces finely chopped prunes (mini chocolate chip size) (about ⅔ cup)
3 ounces finely chopped dried apricots (mini chocolate chip size) (about ⅔ cup)
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
Earl Grey tea bags (see note)
Demerara sugar
1 large egg, beaten
In a bowl, mix flour, cardamom and cloves. Take 1 tablespoon of flour out of the mixture and toss it with the chopped fruit. This will help keep it from clumping together when added to the dough.
Place butter in a stand mixer bowl. Rub lemon zest into granulated sugar with your fingers. Add to butter along with brown sugar and cream ingredients together 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until super light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl. Gradually add flour mixture until incorporated, followed by chopped fruits.
Divide dough in half and form 2 logs that are 2 to 2¼ inches in diameter. Wrap and chill until totally firm, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Open the tea packets and combine the tea with demerara sugar: 2 parts demerara sugar to 1 part tea. Brush outside of logs with the beaten egg and roll them in the tea-sugar mixture to coat.
Slice each log into ½-inch-thick rounds and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove to racks to cool.
Note: If the loose tea in the teabag is not finely ground, it is recommended to grind in a spice grinder. You can also use loose tea. Each teabag contains 1 teaspoon. You will need three or four.
Lemon poppy seed cutout cookies — Second place
“I just feel you can never get too much lemon,” said Kristie Ober of Wind Lake, who took second place overall with these refreshingly different sugar cutout cookies. The lemon flavor comes from both grated zest and lemon extract, which appear in both the dough and glaze. Poppy seeds, a classic companion to lemon, add another special note, and the cookies hold their shape well during baking. This open class category winner will “wake up your taste buds,” remarked one judge.
Makes 2 to 4 dozen, depending on size
Tested by Nancy Stohs
2½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon milk
1 egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
For the powdered sugar glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Zest of 1 large lemon
Milk
Sift flour and salt together into a medium bowl.
In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add extracts, zest, milk and egg. Mix until combined. Do not overmix.
Add flour mixture. Combine and then stir in poppy seeds. Check dough for consistency and add more flour or milk as needed, a little at a time. It shouldn't be too sticky or too dry. The dough should pull away from the edges of the bowl.
Roll out dough flat between two pieces of parchment onto a cookie sheet. Let chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from fridge, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out farther to ⅛- to 3/16-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes.
Place cookies on clean parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Edges should be just light golden. Remove to wire racks to cool.
For glaze, sift the 2 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl. Add lemon and almond extracts and lemon zest. Add milk ½ tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved. It should slowly drizzle off the spoon. Drizzle or spread over completely cooled cookies to coat and let set.
Holiday butter fingers — Third place
Elise Riepenhoff of Wauwatosa took her grandmother’s recipes for pecan fingers and turned them into a new cookie that doubly fit the "butter finger" name her family had given it. First, Riepenhoff substituted crushed bits of Butterfinger candy bars for the pecans, and then she dipped the ends of the baked cookies in melted dark chocolate and coated them with more crushed candy bars. Easy to make with only six ingredients, this winner from the candy-inspirations category is even easier to eat. “I could eat a whole box of these,” one judge said.
Makes 3 dozen
Tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1⅔ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup finely chopped Butterfinger candy bars (about 2½ 1.9-ounce bars) (divided)
Dark chocolate melting wafers
Cream butter with sugar until smooth. Add flour and salt until just mixed. Mix in ⅓ cup Butterfinger candy bits. Cover and refrigerate dough until chilled.
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Break off pieces of chilled dough and roll to shape into “fingers” about 2½ to 3 inches long. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
Bake until set but not brown, 13 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet.
Melt dark chocolate wafers according to package directions.
Dip tips of “fingers” in chocolate and then coat with remaining ⅓ cup Butterfinger bits.
CANDY INSPIRATIONS RUNNERS-UP
Snickers and whiskey bars — Second place
Marianne Baseheart of Milwaukee loves Snickers candy bars so much that her husband once put them in the rafters in the basement so she wouldn't hog them all. (She found them.) So it’s no surprise that her candy-inspirations cookie is based on the Snickers bar. The rich bar, laced with a bit of whiskey, offers a pleasantly chewy texture and mix of flavors.
Makes 3 dozen (1-by-2-inch) bars
Tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski
For the shortbread layer:
⅔ cup (1⅓ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1¼ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon scrapings from a vanilla bean
Caramel layer:
11 ounces baking caramels (1 bag), such as Kraft
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Jameson whiskey
1 cup dry-roasted, lightly salted peanuts
For the chocolate layer:
12 ounces milk chocolate chips
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, extending up the sides.
Cream together butter, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla extract and vanilla bean. Press shortbread mixture into bottom of lined baking dish and bake 20 to 22 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.
Place the caramels and cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave 2 minutes, stopping to stir every 30 seconds. Stir in whiskey. Stir in peanuts. Pour mixture evenly over the shortbread. Use a spoon to distribute the caramel-nut layer evenly.
Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the milk chocolate chips in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted. Pour chocolate over the caramel and spread evenly.
Allow chocolate to cool and harden completely before serving, about 2 hours. (You can also let it cool in the refrigerator if you want it to harden faster.) Cut into squares or rectangles.
Note: Once the bars are cut, you can add an extra chocolate drizzle to make them more festive. Store in refrigerator until just before serving.
Almond joy prints — Third place
Jennifer Wolf of Wauwatosa based this pretty thumbprint cookie on one of her husband’s favorite candies, the Almond Joy candy bar. The cookie base is tender, the flavors are harmonious, and the cookie is sweet but not too sweet, said the judges, probably owing to the use of unsweetened coconut.
Makes 16 to 18
Tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski
For the cookie:
⅔ cup butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups flour
For topping:
½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
½ tablespoon solid vegetable shortening
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup slivered almonds (optional)
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium to high speed. Beat in eggs and almond extract. Reduce speed and mix in flour until combined. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Using your thumb or the back of a teaspoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are light brown. Check after half the baking time; press the center again if needed. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
While cookies cool, combine coconut, powdered sugar, sweetened condensed milk and shortening. Stir well to incorporate all of the ingredients. In a separate bowl, heat chocolate chips 30 seconds at a time in microwave just until melted.
Fill cooled cookies with about a teaspoon of coconut mixture and drizzle with melted chocolate. If desired, garnish with a few slivered almonds. Store in an airtight container.
OPEN CLASS RUNNER-UPS
Cherry chocolate cheesecake cookie bites — Second place
David Bird’s Aunt Barbara, whom he calls the Cookie Queen, urged him to enter our contest. The Greenfield resident has been baking for only about five years, focusing on cookies for the past three. He likes to put his own spin on recipes, in this case starting with his aunt’s love of maraschino cherries. The judges approved of the combination of cherries, chocolate and cheesecake.
Makes about 4 dozen
Tested by Nancy Stohs
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1½ cups powdered sugar
1 egg
¼ cup maraschino cherry syrup, from cherry jar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (a little extra if you’re a chocolate lover)
½ cup finely chopped maraschino cherries
For maraschino butter glaze:
1½ cups powdered sugar
Scant ¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon melted butter
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
3 tablespoons (about) heavy whipping cream
Pink or red sanding sugar
Additional mini chocolate chips for melting
In a mixer bowl, cream butter and cream cheese together. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg, maraschino cherry juice and vanilla. Gradually add flour and baking powder. Stir in the chocolate chips and cherries. Mix well. (Note: If dough seems a bit wet, add 1 to 3 tablespoons more powdered sugar.) Cover and chill dough at least 2 hours, longer for a wetter dough. Dough will be a bit sticky.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
Shape dough into 1-inch or so balls. Place on prepared cookie sheet 1½ inches apart.
Bake 8 to 12 minutes, just until edges are slightly golden; they should be almost underbaked for the perfect texture.
Cool just a minute on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling racks.
Prepare maraschino butter glaze: Combine powdered sugar, salt, melted butter, vanilla, cherry juice and cream (starting with a little less than 3 tablespoons cream) in a bowl or large measuring cup and stir or whisk together until smooth. Add more cream, as needed, until desired consistency has been reached.
Dip cooled cookies into the glaze, or use a pastry brush to apply glaze. Sprinkle with sanding sugar and allow to dry. Melt additional chocolate chips in microwave in 30-second increments, then drizzle on top of cookies.
Colectivo granola caramel bars — Third place
Sarah Johnson of New Berlin incorporated a favorite local granola into this delicious, sweet, chewy bar cookie, which took third place in the open class category.
Makes 32
Tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski
For the crust:
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup flour
¼ cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut (sweetened will yield similar results)
For the filling:
½ cup (1 stick) butter
¼ cup honey
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups of Colectivo (Troubadour) granola
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place all crust ingredients in a stand mixer and mix on low speed until a crumbly dough forms. Press dough into an 8-inch square pan, forming a rim on the outer edge. (You can press the flat part with the heel of your hand and use an index finger along the corners and the edges to form the rim.) Bake 10 minutes, then use a sharp knife to deflate any bubbles in the crust. Return to oven and bake 10 more minutes, until crust edges start to turn brown. Remove from oven until filling is ready. Leave oven on.
For filling, in a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, then stir in honey. Once blended, add the granulated and brown sugars. Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat, add heavy cream and then granola. Pour into crust. Return to oven and bake 22 minutes. The topping will be bubbling when you remove it from the oven.
Cool. Then loosen the edges with a metal spatula. Slice with a sharp knife into 32 pieces.
SLICE ‘N’ BAKE RUNNERS-UP
Cranberry orange refrigerator cookies with orange zest glaze — Second place
“Oranges always smell like Christmas to me,” said Marianne Baseheart of Milwaukee. “My father lived through the Great Depression, and he told us that having an orange in the dead of winter was a big deal … and viewed as quite a delicacy.” This crispy cookie smells and tastes like orange, with a pleasant hit of cranberry.
Makes 4 to 4 ½ dozen
Tested by Nancy Stohs
2¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup chopped dried cranberries (see note)
½ cup granulated sugar for sprinkling
For the glaze:
¾ cup powdered sugar
1½ tablespoons fresh orange juice
1½ tablespoons finely grated orange zest
Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars and orange zest. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Stir in flour mixture just until combined. Mix in cranberries.
Halve dough and roll each into a log about 8 inches long and 1¾ inches in diameter. Wrap rolls up tightly in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours.
Heat oven to 325 degrees and position rack in middle of oven.
Slice dough into about 3/16-inch slices. Place about 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each with a little sugar (about ½ teaspoon).
Bake until bottom edges just turn golden, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
Make glaze: Combine all ingredients and spread on cookies.
Note: Coat the cranberries with a little of the flour to reduce the stickiness while chopping.
Figgy fruit gems — Third place
Sue Shannon of Saukville made multiple changes to a fruitcake cookie recipe to come up with this colorful slice ‘n’ bake cookie, which, she says, “freezes beautifully.” The red or green sugar coating on the outside makes them extra festive.
Makes about 85, depending on size
Tested by Joanne Kempinger Demski
⅓ pound dried figs (about 1½ cups)
¼ pound golden raisins (scant 1 cup)
2 ounces dried cranberries, large ones cut in half (scant ½ cup)
2 ounces dried apricots, snipped into small pieces (scant ½ cup)
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
6 ounces pistachios, chopped
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup superfine sugar
⅓ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg
2⅔ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
Red and green decorative sugar
Snip off hard stems of figs with scissors and coarsely chop figs. In a medium bowl, combine figs, raisins, dried cranberries, apricots, honey, sherry, lemon juice, pistachios and a pinch of salt. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight at room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, superfine sugar, brown sugar and cloves on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add egg and mix until incorporated. With mixer still on low speed, slowly add flour and ½ teaspoon salt, just until combined. Don’t overmix. Add fruits and nuts, including any liquid in bowl, and mix just until combined.
Halve dough and form each half into a long log on a piece of waxed paper — the longer the roll, the smaller the sliced cookies will be. Sprinkle the red sugar along the side of one log on the waxed paper, and roll the log into the sugar, coating it. Use the green sugar for the second roll. Wrap rolls in waxed paper and chill several hours, or until firm.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
With a serrated knife, cut the logs into about 3/8-inch-thick slices. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until light golden. Let sit a minute or two before removing to racks to cool completely.
MORE GREAT COOKIES
Here are four more recipes from the 22 finalists. Though these cookies didn’t place, the judges all liked them and thought readers would, too.
Grandma’s gumdrop cookies — Candy inspirations
“My grandma, Fern Warren, who lived in the sandhills of Nebraska in the 1950s, always had these cookies for the grandchildren when they visited,” said Marsha Bolan of Brookfield. “She thought they were ‘healthy’ (because of the pineapple) and let us eat them for breakfast!”
Makes about 2 dozen
2 cups flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup crushed pineapple (do not drain)
1 cup gumdrops, cut into fourths
½ cup chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add egg, vanilla and pineapple. Mix until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix to combine. Stir in gumdrops and nuts. Dough will be stiff. Drop by spoonful onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until slightly brown on the bottom. Do not overbake. Let cool a couple of minutes before removing them from the baking sheet to racks to cool.
Note: Use the candy labeled “gumdrops,” not the smaller but similar-looking candies called “spice drops,” which have a different flavor.
Maria Schmitt of Wauwatosa said this recipe, based on her older son’s love of Take Five candy bars, was “a family affair.”
Take Five bars — Candy inspirations
“We tried a few different variations before we landed on this one that best incorporates all the delicious flavors of a Take Five candy bar.” That would be peanut butter, peanuts, pretzels, caramel and chocolate.
Makes 45 (1-by-2 ½-inch) bars
Layer 1:
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Layer 2:
11 ounces caramel bits
1½ tablespoons cream
Layer 3:
¾ cup chopped dry-roasted, salted peanuts
Layer 4:
12 ounces chocolate chips (semisweet or dark chocolate)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
Layer 5:
¾ cup pretzel pieces (see note)
Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 15½-by-10½-inch jellyroll pan.
For Layer 1: In a large bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Mix thoroughly. Add egg and vanilla. Mix in peanut butter until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Stir in flour and salt.
Transfer to prepared pan and spread out evenly with a knife or a spatula. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.
For Layer 2: Melt caramel bits with cream. (If melting in the microwave, stop to stir about every 30 seconds.) Spread caramel over bars.
For Layer 3: Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, lightly pressing into caramel.
For Layer 4: Melt chocolate chips with butter. (If melting in the microwave, stop to stir about every 30 seconds.) Dollop over layer of peanuts, being careful not to move around too many peanuts.
For Layer 5: Top with pretzel pieces, lightly pressing pretzels into the chocolate topping.
Note: It’s easiest to put the pretzels in a plastic zipper bag and break them up by whacking with a rolling pin.
Brandy old fashioned sandwich cookies — Open class
Wisconsin’s favorite cocktail, the brandy old fashioned, inspired this sandwich cookie by Madeleine Rhode of Menomonee Falls, which she called “a crunchy, chewy, cherry-orange sugar cookie, paired with a silky brandy buttercream.”
Makes about 30
2¼ cups flour
1 cup almond flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
⅓ cup diced maraschino cherries
Zest of 1 medium orange
½ cup granulated sugar
For the filling:
2 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brandy
Pinch of salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into quarters
In a bowl, mix flours together. In a separate large bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until well blended. Add egg yolks and mix well. Gently beat in flour mixture and maraschino cherries. Halve dough, form into disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Add orange zest to granulated sugar in a small bowl; massage together. Roll out each piece of dough on a lightly floured surface to ⅛-inch thickness. Generously sprinkle zest/sugar mixture over the dough and press onto the surface. Using cookie cutter of your choice (such as a scalloped-edged circle), cut into desired shapes and place about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
Make filling: Combine eggs, sugar, brandy and salt in bowl of a standing mixer; place bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisking gently but constantly, heat mixture until thin and foamy and it registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
Remove from heat and attach bowl to mixer. Beat egg mixture on medium-high speed with whisk attachment until light, airy and cooled to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add butter, one piece at a time. (After adding half the butter, buttercream may look curdled.) Once all butter is added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute until light, fluffy and thoroughly combined. If it still looks curdled/clumpy, remove 3 tablespoons or so from the bowl, place in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until melted. Add back into mixture and fully incorporate. Continue that process until buttercream is smooth and silky
To assemble, pipe or spread buttercream onto half the cookies; sandwich with the remaining cookies
Merry maple walnut cookies — Open class
“My mother made a delicious walnut Christmas cookie every year,” said Christine Felsch-Merten of Menomonee Falls. “I only wish I had written it down. In her memory, I made a walnut cookie to capture the flavors from many wonderful past Christmas celebrations.”
A drizzle of maple icing and topping of gold stars add a festive touch to this delicious, nutty cookie.
Makes 5 to 6 dozen
2⅔ cups flour
3 cups old-fashioned or quick oats
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped walnuts
Edible gold stars or other decoration of your choice
For maple icing:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup maple syrup
1½ cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar.
In medium saucepan, combine butter, maple syrup and corn syrup. Heat over medium heat until butter melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Combine baking soda and boiling water in a small bowl or measuring cup; stir to dissolve. Add to maple syrup mixture. Stir in vanilla. Stir mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Add walnuts and stir well.
Form heaping teaspoons of dough into balls; flatten slightly on prepared baking sheets. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until slightly browned on the edges. Let cookies cool on wire racks.
Prepare maple icing: Melt butter in small saucepan with maple syrup. Remove from heat when butter is melted. Whisk in powdered sugar. Stir in salt. Drizzle on top of cookies. Sprinkle cookies with edible stars before icing hardens.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Journal Sentinel Holiday Cookie Contest winner: Surprising ingredient
