Warren and I toy around with the idea of living in a state where we can see the seasons change. A place that will allow us to feel the leaves crunch below our feet as we take our evening walks and watch as tree-lined streets transition from a cool green to a warm red-orange-yellow when October rolls around. Living in Southern California certainly has its perks, but when the rest of the country begins to experience crisp and cool air, golden colors, and a true autumn, we get a little envious.
As I write this, the first week of October has passed and it is a whopping 80°F. We had a couple days of rain which cooled Los Angeles down a little, but the heat rebounded without a blink. Nonetheless, my spirit is in full Fall mode and until we transition to a state where we can count on cooler weather by the last quarter of the year, these Fall sugar cookies are enough to transport me to a part of the nation that is currently experiencing the autumn glow.
Admittedly, I am a wannabe creative person. Coming up with creative ideas is something I have to try to do. The idea for these leaves was pulled from the October 2006 issue of Country Living magazine. I guess what I lack in creativity I make up for in magazine hoarding :/ I love sugar cookies and always have, so when I stumbled upon a simple yet creative idea like this one, I couldn’t bare to put it in the recycle pile.
To make your own Fall sugar cookies, simply make a batch of your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe, divide evenly into thirds and tint each portion. Then, create a patchwork of rolled out dough and cut away!
Below is how I made mine.
Begin by creaming together butter and powdered sugar.
Then, add in an egg, some vanilla, flour and baking powder.
Mix until you get a soft and non-stick dough.
Divide the dough into thirds.
Tint each third with a color gel. I began with a little bit of color because it is very concentrated and simply added more until I reached the desired color.
I added brown to darken a color I liked.
I worked in batches, creating a 3×3 square pattern of alternating colors..
Roll out the dough to about ¼” thick.
And cut out leaves where the colors intersect and bake away.
Then, instead of taking the scraps and rolling it into a ball of dough, maintain the sheets and patch them together.
Then, roll it out again, cut and bake.
The more times you repeat this, the more natural the patchwork will become.
I sent these off with Warren to work and they disappeared in under an hour. Maybe double the recipe?
Fall Leaves Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2 sticks salted butter softened
- 1 1/2 Cup confectioner's sugar sifted
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour sifted
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on low-medium speed (I set it to 4 on my KitchenAid).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and extract.
- Scrape down the creamed butter from the sides of the bowl and add the egg mixture. Mix on low (I set it to 2 on my KitchenAid) until combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix on the lowest setting (I set it to "stir" on my KitchenAid).
- Divide the dough into thirds.
- Tint each third with a color gel. Begin with a little bit of color and simply add more until the desired color is reached.
- Working in batches, create a 3x3 square pattern of alternating colors (see example in post).
- Roll out the dough to about ¼” thick and cut out leaves where the colors intersect. Transfer to the prepared cookie sheet, spacing about ½-1” apart.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes.
- Maintain the scraps as sheets and patch them together.
- Roll it out again, cut and bake.
- Repeat.
Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle
Hi Patty, I am new to your site and have just been exploring and am loving your photos and posts! I don’t seem to be able to find the actual recipes with quantities and such…what am I doing wrong? Thanks for your help and keep up the great work!
Hi Ines and welcome! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. What device are you using and on which browser? While I look into this, please let me know which recipe you’d like and I’ll send it to you!
What a beautiful and creative cookie!! These are so festive I can hardly stand it. I definitely remember feeling fall weather envy when I lived in LA…I remember wearing shorts in December and January and just thinking it felt *wrong*. Even if you don’t move to another state, perhaps you could make an annual leaf-peeping trip! I highly recommend northern Michigan :)
Exactly. I just read a post where the blogger was talking about wearing a scarf and cranking up her heater…I’m still in shorts! Annual leaf-peeping trips sound perfect! That way, I’ll never stop appreciating them :) Just got back from Nashville where we got to enjoy some multi-colored leaves :) Michigan is definitely on our must-go list. Hopefully we can make it sooner rather than later :D
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