Maple Sugar Cookies

• 2 cups granulated maple sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the maple sugar and butter until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and salt to the bowl and stir to combine. Add the milk and stir to combine. Add the flour and stir just until the mixture is thoroughly combined and forms a soft, sticky dough. Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill until the dough is firm enough to roll, 2 to 3 hours.

Remove half the dough from the bowl; leave the remaining dough in the refrigerator so it stays cold. Place the dough on a well-floured large cutting board and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes or rounds and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. (If the dough becomes too sticky to cut as it warms up, place the cutting board with the rolled dough back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool, or place the bottom of a well-chilled baking sheet on top of the dough for a few minutes to cool it.) Sprinkle the dough rounds with additional maple sugar. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely, 10 to 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.