Leaf Sugar Cookies Recipes

CHOCOLATE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix flour, baking soda and 1-1/2 cups sugar until blended. Microwave butter and 3 oz. chocolate in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until butter is melted; stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Add cream cheese; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture until blended. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt remaining chocolate as directed on package. Beat corn syrup, water and remaining sugar in medium bowl until blended. Add chocolate; mix well. Spoon into resealable plastic bag; seal bag.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Use 3-inch cookie cutter to cut dough into leaf shapes, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Place, 2 inches apart, on parchment-covered baking sheets.
• Bake 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 3 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Cut small piece off one bottom corner of icing bag; use to pipe icing onto cookies, then gently shake cookies to form even layer of icing. Sprinkle with nonpareils. Let stand until firm.

MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add yolk, then 1/2 cup maple syrup, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Shape into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a sheet of lightly floured parchment. Place parchment with dough on baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, line with parchment, and coat parchment. Cut out cookies from frozen dough using a 3 1/2-inch maple-leaf-shaped cutter, and space 1 inch apart on sheets. Roll and cut scraps once. Freeze cookies until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Bake cookies until edges begin to turn golden, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer parchment with cookies to wire racks, and let cool for 5 minutes. Brush cookies with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and sprinkle with 1/2 the sanding sugar. Let cool. Repeat with remaining dough, maple syrup, and sugar. (Cookies will keep for up to 2 days.)

OLD-FASHIONED LEMON SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
• Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
• Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.
• Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

LEAF SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture in two batches until just combined. Divide the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; shape into disks. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. (The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.)
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough on a floured surface, dusting with flour as needed, until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes with 2- to 4-inch leaf cookie cutters; arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (If the dough becomes too soft as you work, return to the refrigerator until firm.) Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm; reroll once to cut out more cookies. Chill the cutouts 30 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350˚. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are slightly puffed and just slightly golden on the edge, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely before decorating.

MAPLE LEAF SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Measure 3 cups of sifted flour and salt into sifter.
• Set aside. (I put the sifter on the flour tin lid, so I won't loose the flour that comes through before I sift into the other ingredients.).
• Beat softened butter and the two sugars until light and creamy. (medium high speed on electric mixer).
• Reduce speed and add egg yolk until well blended.
• Add 1/2 cup maple syrup and mix until blended.
• Remove beaters and now use a wooden spoon.
• Slowly sift flour into bowl mixing with wooden spoon, until just well blended.
• Divide dough into thirds and make each 1/3 into a flat disc.
• Place on sheets of floured wax paper, with well floured hands.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight to thoroughly chill dough.
• Take discs from refrigerator and roll out to 1/8" to 1/4" thickness, and put in freezer to firm for about 15 minutes. (this makes it easier to handle the cut cookies).
• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Line cookie sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable cooking spray.
• Cut cookies from chilled dough and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of cookie.
• Move cookies to wire rack and brush with maple syrup (this is the other 1/2 cup of syrup) and sprinkle with sanding sugar. (I use red, yellow, and green sanding sugars, although the white is lovely too.).
• Place in tin or serving plate when cool.

LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Stir together sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in vanilla and eggs. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.
• Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Stir 8 drops yellow food color into 1 part dough to make yellow dough. Stir 8 drops yellow and 3 drops red food color into another part dough to make orange dough. Stir 10 drops red, 8 drops green and 3 drops yellow food color into remaining dough to make brown dough.
• Drop small portions of each of the 3 colors of dough close together in random pattern onto lightly floured cloth-covered surface. Roll doughs together into marbled pattern to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 2 1/2- to 3-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched in center. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.