INSTRUCTIONS

• Place all the ingredients for the shells in the mixer and blend until you obtain a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in food wrap and place in the refrigerator for about twenty minutes. Then roll it out into small buttered moulds. This makes 4 mini pecan pies with a diameter of 10 cm.
• Start preparing the filling by melting the butter and weighing out the other ingredients.
• Mix the maple syrup with the dark sugar and eggs in a bowl using a hand whisk, then add the salt and cinnamon.
• Add the warmed melted butter and mix thoroughly, then add the pecans, chopped with a knife or coarsely chopped.
• Fill the previously prepared shells with the filling.
• Decorate with the pecan halves and cover the entire surface of the pastry.
• Bake for 30 minutes and allow to cool well before serving.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Soften the cubed butter at room temperature, then whip it together with the sugar. 
• Then add the other ingredients: flour, spices, maple syrup, egg, salt and baking soda. The mixture is fragrant and very soft and almost creamy.
• Wrap the dough in cling film or a food bag and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.
• Heat the oven to 180° and, in the meantime, roll out the dough to a height of half a centimeter. Cut out the biscuits using the biscuit cutter. Then place them on the baking tray, well spaced out, as they will expand during baking. 
• If you want to hang them, make a hole at the top, bearing in mind that the hole will tend to tighten during baking.
• Bake for 12-13 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking tray for ten minutes, before moving gently.
• When the maple syrup gingerbread cookies are cold, prepare the icing with icing sugar and a few teaspoons of egg white and then decorate with the eyes and mouth. You can also use food coloring for a more imaginative effect.