Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 40

Ingredients:

1 C. butter (2 sticks), softened

2/3 C. sugar

1 egg yolk and egg white separated

1 tsp. maple extract

2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1, 1/4 C. finely chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds (optional)

1/4 tsp. salt

Frosting:

1 1/2 C. powdered sugar

3 T. butter softened

2 T. milk, heavy cream or half and half

1 tsp. maple extract

What to do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.

Separate egg from the egg white and set aside. Cream butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla; cream together well, add in flour and salt into the mixture. If the dough looks crumbly at first keep mixing it will come together, it could take 1-2 minutes.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll into slightly beaten egg white, then walnuts or nut of your choosing. Make an indentation in center of each cookie with thumb or back of a teaspoon. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden. Remove cookies from the oven, cool completely. In a medium size, bowl combine the frosting ingredients. Beat at low speed until smooth. Fill center of each cooled cookie with 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of frosting.