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1
Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat oven to 350u00b0; moderately butter cookie sheets.
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2
In a 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter and set aside to cool to tepid.
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3
Strain together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
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4
Using a wooden spoon, add the maple syrup to the butter, mixing well.
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5
Blend in the egg, orange juice, and maple and vanilla extracts.
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6
Whisk in the sugars, stirring until well combined and free of lumps.
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7
Stir in the dry ingredients in three additions, then fold in the nuts with a large rubber spatula.
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8
Using the tip of a teaspoon, drop mounds of dough the size of large walnuts onto the cookie sheets, placing them 2 inches apart.
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9
Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back toward the end of the baking time.
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10
Remove from oven and let stand for 2-3 minutes before loosening with a thin metal spatula; cool on wire racks.
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11
Store in airtight containers, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 3 weeks; cookies may be frozen.
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12
*Rustic Maple Pecan Date Cookies--reduced chopped pecans to 3/4 cup; measure 1 cup loosely packed dates cut into 1/4 inch dice and toss them into 1 teaspoon flour to prevent them from sticking together; mix dates with the pecans and proceed as directed.
