Maple season is here! It is the first week of March and all the sugar shacks across the province of Quebec are getting ready to welcome visitors to their maple farms. As dining rooms are still closed in the province, the farms are preparing take out boxes of the traditional “Cabane a sucre” meal. We will be sharing different sugar shack locations you can visit on the EC Montreal activities board.
The province of Quebec produces 90% of the world’s maple syrup! The syrup is exported around the globe and consumed right here in Quebec too! Many people are surprised to learn that maple syrup has many health benefits. It is filled with antioxidants and many other nutrients. It is healthier to sweeten your coffee and other snacks with maple syrup than it is to use honey or sugar and a lot more delicious too!
At EC Montreal, the entire month of March is dedicated to maple syrup. We hold a maple festival in the student lounge every year giving our students a sweet taste of Montreal through the many different treats made with syrup; cakes, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, candies, just to name a few! We also host a special International Women’s Day breakfast serving pancakes with maple syrup!
During the month of March, the weather starts to become a lot milder and the maple trees begin to thaw. This is the ideal time to tap the tree trunks and extract the sap. This sap is then transformed into maple syrup!
So, in honour of maple season in Quebec, I am happy to share one of my favourite maple treats, maple cookies.
You will need the following ingredients:
• 2 and 1/3 all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
Maple Icing
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 cup powdered sugar
Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Using a hand mixer or by hand with a fork, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and beat until combined. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix. Pour the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add the pecans.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie. Bake each batch for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned on the sides.
Next, make the icing: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar. Drizzle over cooled cookies.
We hope you will give this very easy and delicious recipe a try. We will be posting a copy of this recipe on Microsoft Teams where you can access your English or French online classes with EC!
