Fall for Maple and Chocolate Chip Shortbread

I used to have two favorite shortbread recipes.
   Now I have three after making Maple and Chocolate Chip Shortbread from the October 2010 issue of Bon Appetit.
   With its maple taste, this shortbread is more suited to fall than other types, which scream the holidays and winter.
   It’s so lovely to look at – with the chocolate chips dotting the golden surface and crust of sugar on top, people will eat it for its looks alone.
   But they’ll stay for the great taste, which I found improved the next day.
   The recipe calls for maple sugar, which I was unable to find.
   I found a suggestion online to substitute a combination of regular white sugar and maple extract, and I did that. Imitation or artificial maple extract, which Bon Appetit says it prefers over pure, can be found in the baking aisle of many supermarket.
   For the sugar used in the shortbread, I combined six tablespoons of sugar with ½ tsp of artificial maple extract.
   For the one tablespoon of sugar scattered over the top of the shortbread before baking, I didn’t bother adding any extract.
   You’ll need a nine-inch diameter tart pan with a removable bottom for this recipe.
   It’s very easy to make!
   Butter, maple sugar (or a substitute), salt, and flour are beaten together and the resulting dough patted onto the bottom of the tart pan.
   Bittersweet chocolate chips are pressed into the dough in a random pattern, and the dough is then brushed with pure maple syrup and sprinkled with sugar.
   After baking, the shortbread is cooled slightly then cut into pieces. It is cooled completely before serving.
   You may be wondering what my other two fave shortbread recipes are. Stay tuned to Recipes That Worked for the others!

Another great fall dessert: Cappuccino Cheesecake Bars

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A list of more fall recipes on Recipes That Worked