By Marie Fagan Peart | marie@haldimandpress.com
Over the summer, the Popper family children have been my official cookie taste testers! I needed feedback from real cookie lovers. One recipe that got the thumbs up from all four of them was the frosted maple drops. When I first made them, I wondered if I really needed to frost them. So I let my son and daughter-in-law taste them first. They said they were good, but. . . I frosted a few and got them to try again. Oh, that made all the difference. The Poppers got the frosted cookies.
Scarlett Popper, 11, shared a recipe for edible chocolate chip cookie dough. Since this is a non-bake recipe, it is recommended to heat treat the flour to kill any bacteria that may be present.
Scarlett heated the flour in the oven before adding to the recipe. Her other little secret for these cookies is to store them in the freezer. She likes them better that way! Who hasn’t eaten frozen cookies?
Kayla, Scarlett’s mom, told me Scarlett comes from a long line of family bakers, as both great-grandmothers were amazing cooks. Scarlett spends a lot of time in the kitchen with ‘Maja’, Dawna Bidwell, her grandmother. She has a love of both baking and cooking, with pancakes being another specialty. Scarlett also enjoys playing hockey, cross country running, and is an avid reader. This year she is a member of the 4-H Dairy Calf Club and Art Club. Enjoy!
Frosted Maple Drops
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups flour
1 recipe Maple Frosting (see below)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cooking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl. Beat in maple syrup, egg, and vanilla.
Drop dough by 1½ tablespoon portions, 2-inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake until top is set, 9 to 11 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Maple Frosting
1/3 cup butter, softened
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)
In a large bowl beat butter, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and 2 Tbsp. cream. Gradually add icing sugar. Add remaining cream if needed. Source: Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies
Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
1½ cups all-purpose flour, heat-treated
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 2½ tablespoons of milk
1 cup chocolate chips
Heat treat the flour by microwaving on high for 1-2 minutes. Stir and check that the temperature has reached 160°F. Alternatively, bake in a 350°F oven for 6 minutes.
Cream together sugars, butter, vanilla, and milk. Mix until well blended. Gently break up flour with the back of a spoon. Sift into dough. Mix in salt until well combined. Add chocolate chips.
Stir to mix.
Scoop portions onto a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Source: brokenovenbaking.com
