readingMaple and Pecan Autumn Leaves

Maple and Pecan Autumn Leaves
Recipe - 22 October 2019

Introduction

Wondering how to use my little tin of metal leaf cutters, I created these nutty biscuits filled with maple buttercream. Sit by the fireside with a plate of these while the wind howls around outside.

Preparation

20 minutes

Cook Time

15- 20 minutes

Serves

Makes about 50 leaves or 25 sandwiches

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

  • FOR THE PECAN BUSCUITS
  • 50g pecan nuts
  • 200g plain flour, plus more to dust
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 60g light muscovado sugar
  • 125g unsalted butter, softened, in pieces
  • FOR THE MAPLE BUTTERCREAM
  • 100g unsalted butter, softened, in pieces
  • 150g icing sugar, sifted, plus more to dust
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp golden syrup
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • TOOLS
  • set of leaf cutters

Method

  1. Line the two baking trays with baking parchment. Tip the nuts on to the baking tray and cook for five minutes, or until lightly roasted. Let cool slightly, then chop very, very finely. Set aside.
  2. Sift together the flour and cinnamon, add the sugar and rub in the butter with your fingertips until it resembles crumbs. Add the nuts and continue to work; it will come together as a dough.
  3. On a very lightly floured work top, roll out the dough to 3-4mm thick. Cut out the biscuits with the leaf cutters, remembering to make an even number of each shape, as you will be sandwiching them together. At this point, you can freeze the cut-out biscuits.
  4. Lay the biscuits on the prepared baking trays and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. preheat the oven to 180⁰C/ fan, 160⁰C/ 350⁰F/ gas mark 4. Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes, until they are a lovely pale gold. Cool on the trays to firm up for about five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack with a palette knife to cool completely. The unfilled biscuits will keep well for several days in an airtight tin, but once filled need to be served on the day.
  5. Meanwhile, to make the buttercream, place the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and golden syrup in a bowl and, using a hand-held electric whisk, beat for four or five minutes until paler and creamy. Drizzle with the maple syrup and beat thoroughly.
  6. When ready to serve, sandwich the leaves together with the buttercream and dust with a sprinkling of icing sugar.

This recipe was taken from Seasonal Baking. Click here to purchase. Photography by Dan Jones.

maple and pecan

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