Recipe: Rather Sweet Bakery Maple-Glazed Oatmeal Cookies (with dried cranberries)

MAPLE-GLAZED OATMEAL COOKIES

"My oatmeal cookie recipe reflects a lifelong aversion to raisins - thanks to an incident involving my big brother and a rotten box of the shriveled fruit. I substitute dried cranberries and add a touch of maple syrup to both the cookie dough and the icing."

FOR THE COOKIES:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup 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 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
FOR THE MAPLE GLAZE:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 to 5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk
Pinch of salt

TO MAKE THE COOKIES:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 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 10 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

TO MAKE THE MAPKE GLAZE:
Combine the sugar, maple syrup, 4 tablespoons cream, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth. If it 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.

Tip:
Do not mistake inexpensive pancake syrup for the real thing. Real maple syrup is made from the sap of maple trees. It takes a whole lot of raw sap to make just a little maple syrup, which makes it relatively expensive. Accept no substitutes; your taste buds are worth it.

Yield: About 4 dozen
Source: The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country's Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman