Autumn Maple Leaves Cookies

When friends in the NorthEast weigh the pros and cons of living in California, one factor that is sure to come up is how much they’d miss the seasons. Now, as much as I love my forever-Spring weather in SF, I do get so envious when fall comes around and I see pictures of maple trees turning from deep green to bright oranges and warm reds. Yes, one year I’ll stop making excuses and go visit this amazing region in the Fall.

In the meantime, here is how to make some pretty stunning Fall Maple Leaves Cookies:

Fall Maple Leaves Cookies

 

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makes 50 cookies (good for 1 batch for each color or divide the dough to mix in different colors before adding the flour)

Ingredients

• for the cookies:
• 2 sticks of butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• red, yellow and orange food coloring

Instructions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light in color and fluffy in texture. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Add food coloring and mix again until combined. Add all the flour and mix on low speed until the dough comes together.
2. Roll out your dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Repeat with your other colors.
3. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350°F.
4. Unwrap your dough and crumble it into small pieces onto a piece of plastic wrap. Repeat with the other colors. Cover with another piece of wrap and roll them all out into one multicolor sheet of dough. Cut out your cookies. Bake for 8 minutes.

3.1.08

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light in color and fluffy in texture:

Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined:

At this point I took half of the mixture out to do a different color with it. You could just do the whole thing. I just didn’t want a gigantic pile of cookie at the end. Add food coloring and mix again until combined. Go a bit more intense than you’d think because the flour will lighten up the dough a bit:

Add the flour (either half or the whole thing, depending on whether you split your batter earlier) and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Roll out your dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes:

Repeat with your other colors. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Unwrap your dough and crumble it into small pieces onto a piece of plastic wrap. Repeat with the other colors:

Cover with another piece of wrap and roll them all out into one multicolor sheet of dough:

To cut our cookies, I am using a maple leaf pie cutter. Yes, a pie cutter. After all, they’re nothing more than tiny cookie cutters but shhh, don’t tell anyone. Here are some of my favorites:

If you don’t have pie cutters yet, pie season is here so you should definitely try some.

Here are a few affordable sets:

ZNU Leaves Plunger and Cutter Set

Mrs. Anderson’s Baking Pie Crust Cutters, Set of 4

Norpro Pie Topper Cutters Cookie Stamp, Set of 4

The maple leaf is the best shape so most sets will include it. Use it to cut your cookies:

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Bake for 8 minutes and you’re all done!