maple-glazed oatmeal cookies

Today is my first official day back to school. Not as a teacher...that will come tomorrow. Today is my first official day back as a student. My last year classified as a student, in fact. After 20 solid years of school, I start my 21st and final year of school. It's the end of an era, my friends.

Well, technically, I'll still have a dissertation to write but THEN it'll DEFINITELY be the end of an era. Like, for real.

So, in honor of the impending school year, I thought I'd bake some after school-type snacks. And what says "fall," "school," and "afternoon snack" better than some oatmeal cookies? Nothing, I tell you! If I had wee younguns of the school age variety, I'd make them these. But I don't. So I made them for myself instead. "Old" students need after school snacks, too, after all.

I've waxed poetic on The Pastry Queen's cookbook before. She is the mastermind behind the likes of Southern Comfort Apple Pie and Whole Lemon Muffins, among many other culinary gems. This recipe is no exception. These are no regular oatmeal cookies. The traditional raisins are subbed out for dried cranberries and then there's the genius addition of maple syrup, both in the cookies themselves and in the glaze....which is another genius move in itself. Glaze on an oatmeal cookie? Why didn't I think of that!?!

Thankfully the Pastry Queen thought of it for me and I now bring it to you. These are soft and chewy and everything a good oatmeal cookie should be. Make them for your students...or just for yourself.

Maple-Glazed Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 pure maple syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Maple Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
4-5 Tbsp heavy whipping cream or milk
Pinch of salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray.

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, syrup, and both sugars in a large bowl on medium-high speed. Add the eggs and beat on medium-high until thoroughly combined. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, oats, and cranberries and mix on medium-low speed until combined.

Using a 1 3/4-inch scoop, drop golf ball-size mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Lightly press the dough down to flatten each cookie slightly. Bake for 7 to 12 minutes, until the cookie are golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

To Make the Glaze: Combine the sugar, maple syrup, 4 tablespoons cream, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth. If glaze looks too thick, add another tablespoon of cream. Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze and set them on waxed paper. The glaze will harden in approximately 30 minutes.

Yield: ~3 dozen cookies
Source: The Pastry Queen cookbook