Best Leaf Cookies Recipes

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.)

MAPLE LEAF BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• In a standing electric mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in maple syrup and egg yolk until mixture is combined well. Sift together salt and flour over mixture and fold in thoroughly. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 2 hours. Dough may be made 4 days ahead and chilled.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Divide dough in half. Keeping one half chilled, lightly flour other half and on a lightly floured surface gently pound with a rolling pin to soften. Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick and with a 3-inch floured maple-leaf cookie cutter cut out cookies, chilling scraps. Arrange cookies on buttered baking sheets and if desired, with back of a knife, mark cookies decoratively. Make more cookies in same manner with remaining dough and with all the scraps pressed together.
• Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until edges are golden, about 12 minutes, and transfer to racks to cool. Cookies keep in airtight containers 1 week.

MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/8-in. thickness; cut with a cookie cutter dipped in flour. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned (do not overbake). Remove to wire racks to cool. For frosting, beat confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Add syrup; beat until smooth. If leaf veins are desired, set aside 1/2 cup; add food coloring to remaining frosting. Spread red frosting on cookies. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert round tip into bag. Fill bag with reserved frosting; pipe veins on leaves.

MAPLE LEAF SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat shortening, 1 cup butter and sugar in a large bowl at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
• Whisk all remaining cookie ingredients in large bowl. Beat into butter mixture at low speed just until blended. Shape into flat round; refrigerate 30 minute.
• Heat oven to 375°F Divide dough into 4 pieces. On lightly floured surface roll out each piece into 1/8" thick round. With 3" leaf shaped cookie cutter, cut out leaf shapes. Repeat with remaining dough. Reroll scraps (refrigerate dough if it gets soft). Place on baking sheet; bake 7 to 9 min or until light golden brown around edges. Cool on wire rock.
• Meanwhile, beat 1 cup butter, maple syrup and maple extract in medium bowl at medium speed until smooth. At low speed, beat in 3 cups of the powdered sugar adding additional sugar if necessary to achieve spreadable consistency. Spread half of cookies with about 1 tbsp frosting; top with remaining cookies.

MAPLE MARBLED LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, flour, melted butter, egg, cinnamon and maple extract until soft dough forms.
• On floured surface, roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with 3 1/2-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter; place cutouts 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• In 2 small bowls, place 2/3 cup each of frosting; tint 1 bowl orange and 1 bowl yellow by stirring in food color to desired color. Tint remaining frosting with red food color to desired color. In large microwavable bowl, spoon colored frostings in bottom. (Do not mix colors together.) Microwave uncovered on High 20 to 30 seconds or until warmed and thinner consistency. Pull table knife through warmed frosting several times to make swirls.
• Dip top side of each cookie into glaze, letting excess drip off. Place cookie right side up on cooling rack placed over cookie sheet or waxed paper. Rewarm frosting mixture in microwave to maintain dipping consistency, and repeat swirling, if needed. Let stand about 2 hours or until set. Store covered in airtight container at room temperature with waxed paper between layers.

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.

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!

FALL LEAF TUILE COOKIES

Steps:

• Make chocolate and white tuile batters according to recipes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trace a leaf onto a large, flexible plastic lid, such as one from a coffee can. Using scissors, cut lip from lid. With a utility knife, cut out the leaf shape to make a stencil.
• Place nonstick baking mat on top of a baking sheet, and place stencil on mat. Using a small offset spatula, spread a thin layer of chocolate batter over stencil; carefully lift up stencil. Repeat, making more leaves, spacing evenly on baking mat. Transfer 1/2 cup white batter into a pastry bag fitted with a #2 tip. Pipe white veins onto chocolate leaves. Bake 4 minutes.
• Using spatula, drape leaves over rolling pin to cool. Repeat process to make 50 cookies, reserving 1/2 cup chocolate batter.
• Repeat step 2 with white batter, using reserved chocolate batter for piping.

MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• In medium pan, combine butter, sugar and syrup. Bring to a boil, then immediately remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Add milk.
• In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.
• Add cooled syrup mix; mix well to combine.
• Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.
• Roll on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness.
• Cut with maple leaf cutters.
• Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375°F for 8-10 minutes or until golden. (Do not overbake.).
• Immediately remove cookies to wire rack.
• Combine glaze ingredients well; brush cookies with glaze immediately.
• Cool completely.

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:

• Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Blend in egg yolk. Add 1/2 cup syrup; mix well. Gradually add flour, mixing well after each addition.
• Divide dough in half. Shape each half into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours.
• Roll out each dough disc on lightly floured parchment sheet to 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer parchment to baking sheet; freeze 15 min. or until dough is firm.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Use 2-1/2-inch maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter to cut dough into 68 cutouts, rerolling scraps as necessary. Place cutouts, 1 inch apart, on parchment-covered baking sheets.
• Bake 10 to 12 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 2 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Mix cream cheese, maple extract and 1 Tbsp. of the remaining maple syrup in medium bowl until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition.
• Brush remaining maple syrup evenly onto tops of 34 cookies; sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Spread cream cheese mixture onto bottom sides of remaining cookies, adding about 1 tsp. cream cheese mixture to each cookie. Cover with sugar-topped cookies, top sides up, to make sandwiches; press together gently to secure.

MAPLE LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. 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). 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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.)

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.

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 min. 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 min.
• 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 375ºF. 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 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 3 min. 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.

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.

ICED ALMOND LEAF COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon of the almond extract and the egg. On low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour or until firm yet pliable.
• Heat oven to 350°F. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch leaf-shaped cutters. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts 1 inch apart. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, meringue powder, 6 tablespoons of the water and remaining 1 teaspoon almond extract with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Tint 1/2 cup icing with brown paste food color. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; set aside. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon water into remaining icing. Divide and tint with desired paste food colors. Pipe or spread frosting onto cookies. Use reserved brown icing to outline and decorate leaves.