Maple Chai Latte Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Ingredients

• salted butter — at room temperature285 g
• brown sugar150 g
• instant espresso powder6 tsp
• vanilla extract — 2 tsp10 ml
• large egg1 ea
• maple syrup80 ml
• plain flour290 g
• baking soda — 1 ¼ tsp5.6 g
• salt — 1 tsp6 g
• ground cinnamon — 2 tsp5 g
• ground ginger1 tsp
• ground cardamom0.5 tsp
• ground nutmeg — ¼ tsp0.6 g
• ground allspice — ¼ tsp0.6 g
• granulated sugar — for rolling50 g
• icing sugar210 g
• milk45 ml
• vanilla bean powder — ½ tsp2.5 ml

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together 170 g (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter, the brown sugar, espresso powder and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and mix to combine, then the maple syrup. Add 280 g of the flour, the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice and a tiny pinch of black pepper, beating until combined.
3. Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl.
4. Roll the dough into tablespoon-size balls (if the dough is too sticky, add the remaining flour), then lightly roll them through the sugar. Place on the prepared sheets 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just starting to set around the edges; the centres should be a little doughy. Let cool on the pan.
5. Meanwhile, make the icing: brown the remaining 115 g (1 stick) butter in a pot over medium heat until it smells toasted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool 5 minutes. Whisk in the icing sugar, milk, vanilla bean powder and a pinch of salt. Immediately spread over the cookies (it sets quickly) and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Store airtight for up to 5 days.