Maple pecan brown sugar cookies

Well, finals ended and is seems as though their absence only made way for more chaos. The chaos of moving. As soon as finals ended I was faced with the task of moving myself and all of my worldly belongings (ok, more like a quarter of my worldly belongings) from my co-op and into a shiny new apartment. The apartment is beautiful (albeit tiny), and I am so excited to be moving in. The only source of concern is the complete lack of counter space. "Complete lack" as in my only counter space is a mini rolling butcher-block cart from Ikea. That and a kitchen table. This is going to me a drastic change from the commercial sized kitchen I am used to in my Co-op. I'm hoping that the lack of mess (as in lack of 150 other students trooping through my kitchen at all times and leaving food EVERYWHERE) and the increase in personal space will more than make up for the downsize.

What's more, moving was absolutely exhausting, both physically and emotionally. My co-op room was on the third floor of what was once an old hotel meaning everything I was taking with me had to be carried down three flights of stairs. A futon, mini fridge, dresser, chair, and bookshelf. There were a lot of near tumbles, banged shins and swearing but my mom and I eventually managed to move everything out. The emotional part came as a bit of a surprise. For nearly the entire year I have been desperate to get out of my insane living situation but when it came down to it and I looked at the room I have lived in for the past year and a half completely emptied out, I was strangely sad. I guess I was more attached than I realized. Of course, the best way to deal with sad times for me is to bake.


And now I bring you my new favorite holiday cookie recipe. This is a creation all my own inspired by a bizarre craving for a cookie made with maple syrup and the arrival of a massive bag of pecans to my pantry. These cookies are everything I look for in a cookie. Sweet, a bit spicy, chewy, and with a variety of textures and flavors. Molasses-y from the brown sugar, earthy from the toasted nuts and warm and wintry from the spices, this is the perfect addition to any holiday cookie list.


Maple Pecan Brown Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
pinch cloves
generous grate fresh nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter softened
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 large egg
1/2 cup pecans toasted and chopped finely

1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In a separate bowl beat butter and sugar until lightened. Add maple syrup and egg, beat until fully combined. Stir in the dry ingredients and then fold in the the chopped pecans. In a small bowl combine the raw sugar and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Mix until it has the consistency of brown sugar. Shape the dough into balls about the size of small walnuts and roll in the maple syrup/sugar mixture. Place the balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and squash lightly. Bake approximately 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges
Makes about 3 dozen.