Ingredients

• For the dough: 

  • 1 cup all purpose flour

  • ½ cup whole wheat flour

  • ½ tsp baking powder

  • ½ cup salted butter; softened 

  • ¼ cup brown sugar

  • ¼ cup maple syrup

  • 1 egg

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

  For the icing:  

  • 3 egg whites

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar

  • 1 tsp salt 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the butter, sugar, and maple syrup. Cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. 

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. 

5. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until a dough forms. 

6. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 

7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a floured surface. Roll the dough into a ¼ inch thick sheet. Use a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter or paper template and knife to cut out about 12 equal sized pumpkin shapes. 

8. Transfer the shaped dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, at least ½ inch apart. 

9. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown. 

10. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Let the cookies cool for at least 30 minutes. 

11. Meanwhile, begin the icing by whisking together the egg whites and granulated sugar on a double boiler set to medium-low heat. 

12. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently.

13. Add the egg mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, cream of tartar, and  salt then beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.   

14. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1 inch circle tip with the meringue. 

15. Pipe two circles of meringue on the two sides of the cookie. 

16. Return the iced cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

17. Broil the cookies for about 5 minutes, checking every minute to make sure they don’t burn. The meringue should be toasted to a golden brown. 

18. Remove the toasted cookies from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.