Ingredients:
Cookies
½ Cup Butter, Room Temp
½ Cup Shortening or Kettle Rendered Leif Lard (Sold at Wild Woods Gypsy Farm Stand)
1 ½ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Brown Sugar
½ Cup Pure Maple Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cream Of Tartar
Pinch of Salt
3 Egg Yolks
½ tsp Vanilla
2 ½ Cups Flour
1 Cup Chopped Pecans (Optional)

Maple Icing
2 TBSP Butter
1/3 Cup Pure Maple Syrup (or try substituting with Maple Sugar)
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
Pinch of Salt

Instructions
1.	Whisk the dry ingredients together: flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
2.	In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, beat the butter and shortening (leif lard) on high for 30 seconds. Add the sugars, (white, brown & maple), baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Beat until combined. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat well.
3.	Pour in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until all combined. Add the nuts and mix until all combined. Dough will be creamy and soft (with nut bumps).
4.	Cover and chill the dough for 2 hours in the fridge (and up to 3 days).
If you chilled the dough for longer than a few hours, allow it sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking, because the dough will be quite hard.
5.	Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 or 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
6.	Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie. Bake for 12 – 13 minutes until lightly browned on all sides. The centers will look very soft.
7.	Remove from the oven. If the warm cookies look puffy, lightly bang the pan on the counter when you remove it from the oven. That will help slightly deflate the cookies, creating lovely cracks as you can see in the picture.
8.	Cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
9.	Make The Icing: In s small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar. Taste. Add a pinch of salt, if needed and desired. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour.
Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temp for up to 1 week.
Notes:
*Avoid “breakfast syrup” because it doesn’t give the same robust maple flavor. Also, real maple syrup helps create a slightly crisp edge.
Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the dough and chill it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temp then continue with step 6 and beyond.

Baked cookies with or without icing will freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw them before baking.