With this copycat Trader Joe's maple leaf cookies recipe in hand, there's no need to visit the store! We pack maple flavor into the cookies and the filling.
Instructions
1
Cream the butter and sugars
2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, two to three minutes. Mix in the egg, vanilla extract and maple syrup, and beat until smooth.
3
Finish the dough with the dry ingredients
4
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until the dough comes together. Then, cover the mixing bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Editor's Tip: The dough mixture will look crumbly at first, but continue mixing until it comes together and is smooth.
5
Cut the dough
6
Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a well-floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a leaf-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment, spacing them 1 inch apart. Chill for an additional 10 minutes. Editor's Tip: We used these fall pie punches from William Sonoma because they cut a maple leaf shape and provide the option to stamp leaf veins into the cookie dough with just one tool. While the punches are technically meant for pie dough on the top of your favorite fall pie, they work just as well for cutout cookies. The stamp with the veining on top is not crucial—but it's definitely what makes these cookies look like a perfect copycat dessert.
7
Bake the cookies until the edges are just lightly golden brown, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
8
Make the maple cream filling
9
To make the filling, beat together the butter, half the confectioners' sugar, maple syrup and salt. Beat in the remaining confectioners' sugar until well-combined and smooth.
10
Fill the cookies
11
Divide the cooled cookies in half, flipping half of them over so that the leaf print side is down. Spread about 2 teaspoons of maple filling on each cookie and place a second cookie on top, sandwiching them together.
