Maple almond butter cookies

It's maple season here in NY. I am looking forward to the day when we have our own sugar maples to tap and make our own delicious syrup! But, for now I'll just have to enjoy all the local sources we have here in western NY. I was really craving some peanut butter cookies, but then I found this recipe and decided that I must make these immediately. I was right, these cookies were great - full of almond and maple flavors! We always have almond butter around - I enjoy all nut butters, but I think almond may be my favorite. The recipe below is my slightly modified version. It will make approximately 18-20 cookies.

Maple almond butter cookies
1/2 cup natural almond butter
1/2 cup real maple syrup
3 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup mini (or 1/3 cup regular) semi-sweet chocolate chips 
about 1 tablespoon granulated maple sugar, optional

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond butter, maple syrup, butter, and almond extract.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients along with the almonds and chocolate chips. Stir until combined. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and flatten slightly. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with some of the maple sugar. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are golden and the tops begin to crack.

Let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

These cookies have been submitted to: Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies

What was I cooking one year ago?: southwest turkey burgers