Maple Walnut Sandwich Cookies

Maple Walnut Sandwich Cookies

What a delicious cookie! The tender buttery walnut shortbread cookies are exceptionally scrumptious all on their own but the addition of a maple buttercream frosting to stick a couple of these together takes them to a whole other level. My Mom would definitely give this her stamp of approval as a perfect "cuppa tea" cookie.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, On a cookie sheet spread

1 cup walnuts

Bake for 4 minutes then toss the nuts around and bake for another 3 or 4 minutes. Let the nuts cool completely before grinding them up in a food processor along with

1/4 cup sugar

Grind the nuts fine but not too fine. They should not be powdery. Remove and set aside. To the food processor add:

1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour

Pulse the dry ingredients together. Pulse in until well combined:

1/2 cup butter

Finally add the nit mixture and pulse that in several times to combine thoroughly. Add

1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 or 2 tbsp cold water. Only enough to bring a soft dough together.

Wrap dough and chill for at least one hour. Roll out to a little less than a 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut out with a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter. Baked 350 degrees f for 11-12 minutes or until the edges just start to brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Maple Frosting

In a small pot simmer

1/2 cup maple syrup

Simmer fro only a few minutes until the volume has reduced by half. Watch this carefully, it can easily burn if unattended. Cool to room temperature.

Beat together

2 1/2 cups icing sugar ( i.e. powdered sugar or confectioners sugar)
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Add the maple syrup and beat until smooth. If the frosting doesn't seem thick enough add another couple of tbsp of icing sugar. Sandwich the cookies together with the frosting.