Ginger Maple Syrup Cookies

Things have been busy here on the old homestead which is why things have been quiet on the blog.
The 30th Anniversary of our little town thrift store was a great success. I've got a few projects to share with you yet that I did up for my display. I got over my hump and have been sewing up a few things one being my Spring for Cotton project. My yard is now in need of attention that the snow is gone so can a get a YIPPEE!!!

One springy thing that finished up a couple of weeks ago was the Maple Syrup Harvest. Isaac helps out sometimes at a local sugar bush and when he comes home he smells like maple sugar goodness mixed with a hint of woodsmoke. It's probably what Santa smells like. Anyway on my travels through Pinterest I was checking out maple syrup recipes and I didn't find many in the way of baking. I found plenty using maple extract but nary a one using pure maple syrup. Now I've baked with maple syrup before but I thought maybe I'd find something new. No such luck. I've made Maple Chocolate Chip cookies before but thought I'd give some ginger ones a try. Here's the recipe I've adapted for Maple Syrup.

 Maple Ginger Cookies.

3/4 cup butter fairly soft
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 tsp ginger
2 1/2 cups flour

Mix butter, maple syrup and molasses together. Add egg. Mix in your dry ingredients till everything is well combined. Shape into 3/4 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake 10 to 15 mins at 325. 

Thats it! A super simple, soft cookie without all the refined white sugar. ( just a smidgen for rolling) I hope you give them a try! :)

Here is some information on baking with Maple Syrup from Maple Syrup World.

Maple syrup is a well known sugar substitute among those who strive to use less refined sugar. This is because maple syrup has many properties that are good for the body, making it a sweetener plus a healthy boost. With antioxidants that support the body’s immune system and heart health as well as several beneficial vitamins and minerals, maple syrup is a great sugar substitute in any recipe. The conversion of maple syrup versus cane sugar in recipes can vary depending on the recipe, but typically one cup of white sugar can be replaced with 2/3 to ¾ cup of maple syrup.

By replacing sugar with maple syrup in your cooking, the sweetness is still very much present. Maple syrup is around three times as sweet as regular sugar with fewer calories. Another interesting benefit to using maple syrup in cooking is that it has a low glycemic index, making it an ideal sweetener for those who suffer from diabetes.  Organic maple syrup is very nearly a super food, with vitamins and minerals and antioxidants already inside and sweet on top of all that. By choosing organic maple syrup, you are ensuring the purity of the product as well as the sustainability of the growing process the maple syrup comes from.

Maple syrup can be used in the place of sugar for just about any recipe, for it is just a matter of learning the substitution ratio.  To replace white sugar with maple syrup in general cooking, it is ideal to use ¾ cup of maple syrup for every one cup of sugar. When it comes to baking, that same amount is used but also be sure to reduce the amount of overall liquid in the recipe by about three tablespoons for each cup of maple syrup substituted. In order to replace honey with maple syrup in cooking, it is an even switch—one tablespoon of maple syrup for one tablespoon of honey, and so forth.  It is a good idea to turn your oven temperature down about 25 degrees from the original cooking temperature when trading maple syrup for sugar in a recipe. This is because the maple syrup caramelizes at a lower temperature than sugar does.

Replacing sugar with maple syrup in your cooking can be a great adventure. Take the time to experiment and learn how the maple syrup can best enhance the recipe at hand, for cooking healthy can be fun as well as tasty.