Bringing the whimsy this week! # 374: Maple Nutmeg Sugar Cookies

Gotta love a one dough / multiple design situation! I saw Smitten Kitchen’s nutmeg maple butter cookie recipe and decided to pull some design ideas off my baking bucket list.

What a polite little cookie, bringing m&ms to the party! I can’t find a specific origin for this happy little design, but most of the content surrounding them seems to be in German, so we’ll go with that.

How cute is the sparkly peppermint candy design? Of course when the Hutch Oven does them the swirl is super distinct, but let’s say mine melted a bit in your pocket.

Eek do the lil stars need outfits? Next time!

Anyone else add nutmeg to their mac and cheese? Don’t judge, it’s delicious! But it also makes it super confusing when you’re making a nutmeg-heavy dessert. BRB, gotta go make some mac.

Snow-capped butter mountains.

We currently have bourbon maple syrup so these cookies got a lil extra flavor kick. Prue would approve.

That moment when it feels like the dough will never come together…

But then it does! Magic. And some patience, but I promise not too much.

Art: the first cookie cut.

Never head to the oven without a snack! Fingers crossed the m&ms don’t melt.

Tehehe. Edible ink pens turning me into a 5 year old.

A christmas-y solution to the conundrum of how to shape the twisty wrapper sides of the peppermint candies.

While American buttercream might not be my favorite frosting, it really does work well for decorating. This version has a splash of vanilla (so it doesn’t just taste like butter and sugar) and some heavy cream to help loosen it up a bit.

If the cookies weren’t already spiced, I definitely would’ve added some peppermint extract!

Now for the frosting logistics: three separate piping bags, one large round piping tip and a piece of plastic wrap. Phew.

Ready to roll.

Last step is to plop the swirly buttercream log into the last piping bag with the round piping tip. (I’d recommend popping the whole thing in the fridge for 5-10 minutes before using so it holds the swirl definition better. Just a theory, as I clearly didn’t take my own advice.)

Best part of the whole process: smooshing the piped frosting upside down in a pile of sparkly sprinkles!

Don’t forget the frilly wrapper twists! I did and had to make a mini bonus batch of white buttercream. This is why there’s always at least a pound of emergency unsalted butter in the freezer! I can justify anything.

Happy munching!

Cookie dough recipe from: https://smittenkitchen.com/2011/12/nutmeg-maple-butter-cookies/

Decoration inspiration from: Hutch Oven & NomadBakerDavid on Instagram