Orange zest gives these crispy snaps a hint of citrus. Barley malt syrup (for more about this sweetener, see page 68) stands in for the traditional molasses, and tastes virtually identical. If the maple sugar is clumpy, break it up with your fingers before creaming it with the butter. To make gingerbread people, roll the dough to just over 1/4 inch thick and press in raisins or other toppings to decorate the cookies.
Recipe information
Yield
makes approximately 40 cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Cream together the butter and maple sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, egg, orange zest, and ginger. Add the barley malt and beat until smooth.
Step 2
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in batches, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing just until everything is combined. Transfer the dough to a bowl and store in the refrigerator, covered, for 1 hour.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 4
Flour your work surface and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take half of the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out to slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. Cut out the cookies with a 3-inch cookie cutter, and place them on the baking sheet 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps and reroll the dough. If the dough gets too soft, put it back in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes.
Step 5
Bake the cookies until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Repeat with the remaining dough. When cool, store the cookies in an airtight container.
