Maple Iced Spice Cookies

I was fortunate enough to have a day off this week, so along with spring cleaning, I decided to try another new recipe from The Naturally Good Cook.  So far every recipe I have tried from this book has been delicious!  And, I still have a bit of cooking maple syrup to use up.

First, I blended 2 Tbsp of water with a peeled and chopped knob of ginger.

I squeezed and strained this mixture and set it aside.

Next, I mixed together 4 cups of flour with

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground cloves

As well as 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper.  We'll see how this affects the flavor, it's probably used as source of heat from the spice.

In another bowl I beat 1 cup of butter with 1 cup of sugar.

Next I added 1/3 cup of molasses

1/2 cup of maple syrup (Grade B)

and the ginger liquid.

I added the dry to the wet and beat to combine.

I used my cookie scoop to make uniform balls and I baked them in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes.

While these baked, I made some icing to put on top of the cookies.  I beat together 2 cups of powdered sugar with a tsp of vanilla and some apple cider until it was a glazing consistency.

Once the cookies were cooled I dipped, and set aside.

Holy mother of God, these came out so good!  I hope you enjoyed this post, and please, eat responsibly.