Maple Wreath or Garland

• 1 cup maple syrup (preferably dark syrup for its robust flavour)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Maple sugar or maple candy for decoration
• Cake gel, icing, candy of your choice to decorate with

1. Butter a 2-L (8 cup) glass bowl. Pour into it maple syrup and butter and melt in the microwave oven on high for 6 minutes.
2. Remove from oven, add baking soda and salt, mix and cool.
3. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl, add egg and flour, a little at a time, and mix until you obtain a ball of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F).

Wreath

1. On a floured surface, knead dough to a 30-cm (12-in) diameter circle with a 0.6-cm (1/4-in) thickness. In the centre, cut a 20-cm (8-in) circle.
2. From the removed dough, cut out various-size stars using a cookie cutter.
3. Place the wreath and stars on a baking sheet and bake in top of oven for 15 minutes. Cool before decorating. Stick stars to wreath using icing.

Garland

1. On a floured surface, knead dough to a 30-cm (12-in) diameter circle with a 0.6-cm (1/4-in) thickness. Using a variety of cookie cutters, make cookies.
2. Place on a cookie sheet, prick two holes in each cookie and bake in top of oven for about 12. Cool before decorating. Thread a ribbon through the holes to make a cookie garland.