Description
These Fall Leaf Cookies are a delightful way to celebrate the season. Featuring soft, buttery sugar cookie dough tinted in vibrant autumn colors with gel food coloring, these marbled cookies are shaped like leaves and decorated with royal icing. Perfectly soft and tender while holding their shape beautifully, they offer a festive, colorful treat ideal for fall gatherings and holidays.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 3 ½ cups (420g) all purpose flour, plus extra as needed
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Gel food coloring in orange, red, and yellow
Decoration
- Royal icing, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C), or 160°C if you have a fan oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside to ensure the cookies bake evenly without sticking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is smooth, light in color, and creamy. This process should take about 2 to 3 minutes to achieve the perfect texture.
- Add Vanilla and Egg: Add the pure vanilla extract and the room temperature egg to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix just until the egg is incorporated without overwhipping, as excessive air could cause the cookies to rise undesirably.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to the wet mixture. Mix just until the dry ingredients are combined and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Scrape down the sides with a spatula to make sure everything is incorporated. If the dough seems too sticky, add an additional ½ cup of flour gradually.
- Divide and Color Dough: Separate the dough evenly into three balls. Add a few drops of gel food coloring to each portion to create orange, red, and yellow dough. Knead each ball by hand until the color is thoroughly blended.
- Create Marbled Dough: Take about one fourth of each colored dough ball. Break these portions into pieces and place the pieces together on a lightly floured surface. Gently press and slightly swirl the pieces together, then roll out the marbled dough using a rolling pin to a thickness between ¼ and ½ inch.
- Cut Leaf Shapes: Use a leaf-shaped cookie cutter, dipping it in flour first to prevent sticking. Cut shapes from the marbled dough slab. Use an offset spatula to carefully lift and transfer the cutouts onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 8 to 9 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at around 6 minutes for even browning. Bake only one sheet at a time to maintain temperature and consistency.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate: Once fully cooled, decorate the cookies with white royal icing to enhance their festive fall appearance.
Notes
- This sugar cookie recipe is excellent for holding shapes because of its sturdy yet soft texture.
- Using gel food coloring ensures vibrant fall colors without altering dough consistency.
- If the dough seems too sticky at the mixing stage, add flour gradually until it reaches a workable texture.
- Rotate the cookie sheets during baking to ensure even cooking and browning.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating to prevent royal icing from melting or running.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 236 kcal
- Sugar: 26 g
- Sodium: 57 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 19 mg