Autumn Leaf Patchwork Cookies Food

AUTUMN MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar together.
• Add 1/2 cup of maple syrup and egg yolk, mix well.
• Sift in flour and salt, combine well.
• Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap and chill about 2 hours (this makes rolling and cutting the cookies possible. If you skip the chilling step you will have a huge mess when you try to roll them out!).
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll dough 1/8 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters (leaf shapes are the most fun!).
• Place on baking sheet (ungreased is fine).
• Bake apx 12 minutes.
• Cool on pan about 5 minutes and move to wire rack (leave them too long and they will stick!).
• To make glaze- combine 1/2 cup maple syrup and 2 cups powdered sugar (be sure to sift the powdered sugar if you don't want lumpy glaze!). You can dip, drizzle or pipe on the glaze. You can easily cut the glaze in half- it makes a lot!

AUTUMN LEAF PATCHWORK COOKIES

Steps:

• Divide the dough into four (or more) batches and tint each with food coloring.
• Create a multicolored patchwork by pressing dough pieces from each batch together on lightly floured parchment paper.
• Smooth with rolling pin to 1/4" thickness.
• Chill for 15 minutes, then cut out shapes using fall leaf-shaped cookie cutters.
• Bake according to your cookie recipe's instructions.
• Decorate: Create leaf veins with a toothpick, then sprinkle with sanding sugar (we used turbinado aka raw sugar instead).
• Prep does not include chilling or shaping.

JUDY'S FAVORITE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream together butter and sugar.
• Blend in vanilla and eggs.
• Add in flour, baking powder, and salt. I usually add in the first three cups of flour, with the baking powder and salt, then I slowly work in the other cups. It requires a lot of muscle near the end.
• Chill dough.
• On a floured surface, roll and cut cookies. For consistency in baking (and not burning) we use wooden rulers on either edge of the dough to make the dough all one thickness. The rulers keep the rolling pin at their level.
• Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will be golden along the edges, and still very soft in the middle when removed from the oven.
• Let cool on a cooling rack.