Canadian Maple Leaves

I make this often, I believe it came from an old Good Housekeeping magazine, judging from the cliping. Original recipe called for maple syrup or maple-flavor syrup. I've tried both. Use the real thing, the maple-flavored gives it hardly any flavor at all. Also, the cookies seem to "ripen" after a couple of days. These are very good.

• Ready In: 1 hr 40 mins
• Serves: 12-16
• Yields: 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 4  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  cup butter or 1  cup margarine, softened
• 3⁄4 cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup maple syrup (the real thing!)
• 2  eggs
• 2  teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Into large bowl, measure all ingredients.
2. With mixer on low speed, beat ingredients until well mixed, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.
3. Shape dough into ball; wrap with plastic wrap.
4. Refrigerate dough 1 hour or until easy to handle.
5. Preheat oven to 350*F.
6. Grease large cookie sheet.
7. On lightly floured surface, with lightly floured rolling pin, roll 1/3 of the dough at a time 1/8 inch thick, keeping remaining dough refrigerated.
8. With floured 3 1/2 inch maple leaf shaped cookie cutter, cut dough into leaves.
9. Place cookies 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet (or use parchment lined sheets.) Bake 10 minutes or until golden.
10. With pancake turner, carefully remove to wire racks to cool.
11. Repeat until all dough is used, greasing cookie sheet each time.
12. (If not using parchment).
13. Store cookies in tightly covered container.