Brown Butter Maple Spritz

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: 1995 2nd Place: Brown Butter Maple Spritz
Categories: Cookies, Holiday
Yield: 30 servings

1 1/4 c Unsalted butter
1 c Confectioners' sugar
2 ts Pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 ts Salt
1 Egg
2 Egg yolks
2 1/4 c Unsifted all-purpose flour
1/2 c Pure maple syrup
Milk or whipping cream,
-if necessary

1. To brown the butter, melt butter in a small, heavy saucepan over
low heat. When fully melted, increase heat to medium and cook,
stirring constantly, until the butter turns a medium brown and smells
nutty. Measure out 1 cup to use for cookies and reserve the rest for
the filling. Refrigerate until firm but not solid, about 30 minutes.

2. For cookies, heat oven to 325 degrees. Have ready a cookie press
and ungreased baking sheet(s).

3. Beat the 1 cup brown butter, 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar,
vanilla and salt in large bowl of electric mixer until creamy. Add
egg and egg yolks and mix to combine. Stop mixer and add flour; mix
on low speed just until flour disappears.

4. Transfer dough to a cookie press and press onto baking sheet in
desired shapes, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until set, 16
to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5. For filling, cook maple syrup in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over
high heat for 5 minutes. Cool to lukewarm then stir in remaining 1/2
cup confectioners' sugar. Beat the reserved brown butter in a food
processor or a small bowl of electric mixer until light. Add the
syrup mixture and beat until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add a
small amount of milk or cream until it is spreadable.

6. Assemble cookies by spreading about 1/2 teaspoon filling on the
flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with another cookie.

Second-place winner in the 1995 Chicago Tribune Holiday Cookie
Contest: by Sarah Frudden of Chicago

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