The sap is running from our maple trees, the buckets are hung, and we are keeping one eye on the pot (and the other up the chimney) when boiling the sap. I am also busy using up last year’s stock which gives me lots of opportunity to experiment with new recipes, and I am trying to come up with new flavour combinations. Maple syrup is such an icon in Canadian cooking we sometimes prefer to stick with the tried and true, but I felt adventurous with this recipe. Since I discovered that hot spices are the best addition to chocolate, why not do the same with maple syrup? Sweet and spicy are a good bet for me, and to experiment I used two flavours, ginger for half the recipe and chili peppers for the other half. If you choose to go with one, then double the quantity of that spice in the filling.
These “cookies” are made with a yeast dough – neither very sweet nor rich. I also deliberately made them not too pillowy or sticky. I used spelt flour which has a delicious nutty taste, although regular wheat flour would work too, and I kept them vegan by using coconut oil just because. I expect butter would be just as good.
Spicy Maple Pinwheels
Ingredients for the dough
2 tsp instant yeast (or the equivalent of fresh yeast if you have it)
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp maple syrup
4 1/2 cups flour (approximately)
1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
1 tsp salt
Ingredients for the filling
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
3 tbsp chopped candied ginger
1/2 cup granulated maple sugar (or other granulated sugar)
Method
Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the water. Add to it the 2 Tbsp of maple syrup, 1 cup of warm water and 1 cup of spelt flour. Cover with a cloth and set in a warm place until it becomes spongy, about 2 hours.
Mix in the softened coconut oil, salt and the flour, a little at a time. When the dough comes together, turn it out onto a floured board and kneed for about 5 minutes. Place in a bowl and allow to rise for a second time until it has doubled in bulk. Meanwhile, make the filling by beating the coconut oil and maple syrup with a beater. Add the spices, chili to half the mixture and chopped ginger to the other half.
When the dough has risen, divide it in two and roll each piece into a rectangle of about 20 x 12 inches. The dough should be quite thin. Spread the filling evenly over the dough and sprinkle the granulated sugar on top. Roll up from the long (20 in.) side. Slice the roll into 1 inch pieces and place them on a parchment lined tray to rise covered with a tea towel – about 1/2 hour.
Before baking, press each cookie down to flatten somewhat. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 24 cookies.
The pepper ones are pretty hot, but I was correct in supposing that spice and maple syrup is a winning combination for those who like a little piquant to our snacks. The ginger is also very good, and might be better for those who are not great fans of chili.
Linked to Angie’s Fiesta Friday #110, Jhuls’ The Not so Creative Cook and Apsara’s Eating Well Diary.
March 11, 2016 at 2:31 pm
These look delicious. And so interesting. Thanks for posting!
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March 11, 2016 at 2:50 pm
Thanks Christina.
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March 11, 2016 at 4:51 pm
Just last week I watched a YouTube video about maple syrup. You are surrounded with such beautiful creations, Hilda, such as this Maple tree. And oh, the pinwheels look so beautiful and yummy! Thanks for sharing this wonderful post, Hilda. It’s always nice to see you around. Happy FF! 🙂
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March 11, 2016 at 5:07 pm
Thanks Jhuls. And thanks for co-hosting FF this week. Have fun!
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March 11, 2016 at 5:23 pm
My pleasure. 🙂
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March 11, 2016 at 6:26 pm
How wonderful! Can I come steal one of your sap buckets haha 😉
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March 12, 2016 at 1:48 am
I’m surprised they don’t disappear. They actually have so many uses throughout the year too.
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March 12, 2016 at 4:01 am
There is much to learn from you, Hilda. You are great at tapping nature’s bounty and using them to the fullest. Awesome pinwheels; and making the recipe vegan only increases its appeal. Thank you for sharing at the FF party!
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March 12, 2016 at 5:45 am
I have never seen any process of making maple syrup before. I can’t imagine how fun & delicious it would be. Wow!!
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March 12, 2016 at 10:18 pm
It is pretty simple Pang. You just take a huge vat of sap, boil it down until it is about 1/40th of the volume. When it reaches 219 degrees F it is ready. It is a great opportunity to sit and read while it cooks, and not feel guilty about doing nothing, except keeping an eye on it. Of course, you have to do it outdoors, otherwise your house gets all sticky.
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March 12, 2016 at 10:44 am
How cool does that sound!!!
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March 12, 2016 at 12:04 pm
How exciting that it’s time to sap the trees! Is it sad that I probably know as much about the process from watching Curious George with my son as anywhere else?! Your pinwheels look great.
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March 12, 2016 at 10:19 pm
It matters little where you get your information. It is such a simple process, I’m sure a monkey could do it.
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March 12, 2016 at 1:30 pm
How wonderful to be able to say you can sap your own trees in your backyard. Love that bucket, what an experience! Those pinwheels have the sweet and savory going on too, which I’m sure I’d love.
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March 12, 2016 at 10:21 pm
We don’t have a very big production, but there is something about having ingredients from your own garden. Some have lemons and mangos – we have maple. I think the satisfaction is the same though.
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March 12, 2016 at 2:52 pm
Hilda am up for adoption anytime 😉 😀
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March 12, 2016 at 10:21 pm
I would certainly share it with you if I could Andy.
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March 12, 2016 at 11:47 pm
This looks so wonderful Hilda…
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March 13, 2016 at 4:37 pm
Sweet and spicy is such a wonderful combination, one of my favourites! These look soooo yummy!
It’s so cool that you collect your own syrup too, I’m always amazed by your ability to collect food from nature!
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March 13, 2016 at 6:10 pm
Thanks Michelle. I’m not sure it’s going to be a great year, as it is unseasonably warm, but we’ll collect what we can.
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March 14, 2016 at 12:45 am
The pinwheels look great, and it’s a vegan recipe! Do you have to worry about uninvited guests like insects or wildlife getting into the syrup buckets?
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March 14, 2016 at 1:34 pm
Thanks Gerard. The buckets have flip down lids on them which seem to do the trick. We haven’t had any problem with insects, but if there is any debris in it, we can filter the sap. This year it has been very clean.
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March 14, 2016 at 1:59 am
You’re so lucky to be able to make your own maple syrup! These pinwheels sound great, I think I would go for the chili and maple combo!
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March 14, 2016 at 1:32 pm
Me too. My husband prefers the ginger, which leaves all the chili ones for me. They are delicious.
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March 14, 2016 at 3:25 pm
What a great idea to add chilli flakes & ginger to maple syrup, your pinwheels look delicious Hilda. How lucky to be able to harvest your own maple syrup, I adore it & use it regularly in my baking.
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March 18, 2016 at 1:05 pm
Thanks Sarah. We do enjoy making our own, just because we can!
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March 19, 2016 at 2:48 am
That is SO cool that you make your own maple syrup! I’ve never had homemade maple syrup but I can imagine that it’s crazy delicious. These pinwheels have such a creative combination of flavors – thanks for sharing the recipe!
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March 24, 2016 at 6:23 pm
Yummmm! Sounds like a good snack
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March 25, 2016 at 2:25 pm
I have always wanted to try my hand at tapping maple trees but I’m afraid I will hurt them! It is probably a silly fear, but when you only have two or three trees in they yard they tend to get pampered. Your recipe looks delicious!
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March 25, 2016 at 3:04 pm
Thanks for stopping by. As for doing the trees any harm, I was relieved to find that most of the sap is already in the roots, and with our pretty old trees I know the root system is enormous, so I’m trusting they don’t suffer much from the little bit we take.
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March 25, 2016 at 6:34 pm
Waw, Hilda! These pingels look utterly delicious & I love the apart special filling too.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
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March 26, 2016 at 12:05 pm
Gorgeous!
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