Taste of Home
Autumn Leaf Cutouts
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. + chilling Bake: 15 min./batch + cooling
YIELD: 4 dozen.
Turn classic cookies into a platter of autumn leaves. Make them in solid colors, or combine pieces of tinted dough for a multicolored effect. — Darlene Brenden, Salem, Oregon
Ingredients
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2 cups butter, softened
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1-1/2 cups sugar
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2 large eggs
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon baking soda
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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Red, green, orange and yellow paste food coloring
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1-1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
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5 to 7 teaspoons warm water
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1 tablespoon meringue powder
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1/4 teaspoon almond extract
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2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Directions
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1.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.
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2.
Divide dough into 4 portions; tint 1 red, 1 green, 1 orange and 1 yellow. Shape each into a disk and wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll.
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3.
Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
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4.
Bake 14-17 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
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5.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, water, meringue powder and almond extract; beat on low speed just until blended. Pipe or drizzle on cookies as desired. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
1 cookie: 162 calories, 8g fat (5g saturated fat), 29mg cholesterol, 96mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (10g sugars, 0 fiber), 2g protein.
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