Fall Leaf Cookie Wreath!

I love Fall...however in Los Angeles it's still an extension of Summer and as this past weekend hit the 3 digits (again!) I won't let the heat spoil my mood in hoping, wishing and praying for a little cool down.

Although the outside temps make it hard to turn the oven on and bake beautiful Fall treats without overheating the house, I mentally escape to earlier Fall trips back East as I put my apron on... 

...and being an early riser, the cool morning sunlight suits me well to happily turn the knob to 350˚!

A Fall leaf wreath composed of traditional Autumn colors is just right for the occasion. I use my favorite sugar cookie recipe and modify it by adding a Pumpkin Pie spice blend and brown sugar. Voila -  Fall Pumpkin Spice cookies! These fall-inspired cookies are an extra flavorful treat. Try this fun project with the little ones you are babysitting this weekend or better yet set this up at the kids craft table at Thanksgiving! It will be sure to keep them busy and out of the kitchen!

INGREDIENTS

3-1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

*1 tsp cinnamon

*1/4 tsp ground ginger

*1/8 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated if possible

*1/4 tsp allspice

(*optional - replace individual spices with 2 tsps of Pumpkin Pie Spice)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2/3 cup granulated (white) sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
red, yellow, orange, green & brown food coloring
1-2 cups confectioners sugar
3-6 tbsp water

TOOLS

rolling pin

leaf cookie cut outs, various shapes

2 cooling racks

2 baking sheets
silpat or parchment paper

standing mixer

rubber spatula
whisk

mixing bowls

measuring cups and spoons

round circle foam board cut out, about 14" wide and 2-3" thickness
1 x-acto blade
twine string for hanging the wreath

plastic wrap

orange ribbon enough to wrap around the cookie wreath and tie a pretty bow!

DIRECTIONS

Makes about 2-3 dozen various sized leaf cookies, final quantity depends on size of leaf cookie cutters used.

Preheat oven to 350˚

In a large bowl add flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Mix well with whisk to combine and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, slowly beat the butter until smooth then add both sugars and beat until fully combined and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree and beat on low for about 1 minute.  Scrap down the sides of the bowl with the spatula to make sure all is mixed if necessary. Then, while the standing mixer is on low add the flour mixture slowly. Mix until all of the flour is incorporated and the mixture begins to ball up and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Dump the dough onto a clean work surface and split the dough into 5 even pieces, as each piece will be colored with food coloring. Wrap each piece with plastic wrap first so the dough won't dry out. Dough #1 will be red. Place a few drops of red food coloring into the dough and with your hands begin kneading the dough. Add more drops of red if you want untill you have reached your desired color of red. Wrap the red dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while you continue coloring the other pieces of dough with green, brown, yellow and orange. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly in between the coloring of each dough as your hands will get stained and the color may transfer to the other doughs. When the dough has chilled for about 1 hour, break each colored dough into smaller pieces and place different colors next to each other (see images above). 

Place a piece of wax paper over the dough, this will help smooth the dough out and keep it together. Soon you will see multicolored cookie dough before you eyes! Place the leaf cookie cutters throughout the dough and place each cookie onto a parchment covered baking sheet. Afterwards I prefer to place the baking sheet with unbaked cutout cookies into the freezer for about 5-10 minutes before baking to help the cookies keep their shape while baking. 

Bake for 9-11 minutes till slightly golden but that may be hard to tell with the food coloring so don't leave the kitchen!

Create your own amazing color patterns!

After the cookies are baked and cooling on the cooling racks. 
Cut out the foam board wreath with an x-acto blade and tie the twine string on one end for hanging.

ICING
In a small bowl mix the confectioners sugar with 2-3 tbsp of water. Stir thoroughly until well mixed. The consistency must be thick like real glue. The icing will be the 'glue' for the cookies. 

Separate the cookies you will be using and carefully practice how and where you will place them on the wreath. Then 

with a small spoon add a teaspoon size of icing to the back of each cookie and gently press down against the foam board. Allow a few minutes for the cookie to set, then proceed with the next cookie. 

After you have added all the cookies and built your Leaf Cookie Wreath it is important that it is not moved. The icing on the wreath must completely dry so that the cookies do not break, move or fall off. Don't forget to add the twine before you add the leaves, so that you can hang the wreath!

After the icing on the wreath is completely dry carefully tie the orange bow and hang!

Happy Fall!

Robin's Egg Cookies

Robin's Egg cookies are a fun project to make during Spring and Easter. Make them with your children or the neighborhood kids on a weekend and enjoy as a treat afterwards, or wrap them up in a goodie bag and pass out on Easter Sunday. A great excuse to bring out one's own talent! I chose to use Royal Icing as it hardens nicely and once dried you can't dent or mess up the look! Take a crack at it!

TOOLS

2 baking sheets

Parchment Paper

Standing Mixer

Measuring cups & spoons

Rubber spatula

Rolling pin

Egg cookie cutter

2 cooling wire racks
Double boiler or microwave for melting chocolate

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp milk

Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

DIRECTIONS

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer with paddle place butter and sugar and beat until light in color then add egg and milk. 

Put mixer on low speed and gradually add flour and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powder, and roll out dough to 1/4" thick. Press egg cookie cutter throughout the dough and place cookie 1" apart on parchment lined or on a silcone baking mat over your cookie sheet. Repeat this till you are out of dough. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. 

After 2 minutes out of the oven, transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

ROYAL ICING

Wilton's Royal Icing creates a hard-drying, long lasting decoration that has a matte finish. You'll have to work quickly and make sure to close the lid on your glass (not plastic) container if you are going to walk away.  Once it dries it will not smear or leave a dent.

TOOLS

Standing mixer

Glass container with plastic lid for storing royal icing

Small decorating spatula

1 new toothbrush or thin paint brush

Drying cookie rack

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 tbsp Meringue Powder such as Wilton's found in your local craft store - bakery dept. 

8oz sifted confectioner's sugar

3-5 tbsp lukewarm water

Teal or Turquoise food coloring

1/3 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Make sure all utensils are grease free.

Place confectioner's sugar and meringue powder in a bowl. Stir or mix at low speed until blended. Add water and mix 7-10 minutes at low-medium speed until icing loses its sheen. Add a drop of the Teal food coloring untill you get the desired Robin's Egg color. To prevent drying, be sure to cover the bowl with a damp cloth while working with icing. To reuse, beat on low to restore original texture. If the icing is too thick add a teaspoon of water at a time to loosen. 

After cookies have cooled and the royal icing is made, begin spreading the royal icing on each cookie with the small decorating spatula, smoothing it out carefully doing your best to create a nice smooth surface. Let the cookies dry for about an hour on the cooling racks. 

Once the cookies are dry and ready, separately melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave very carefully and slowly untill you get a thin melted consistency. With the paint brush slowly make small chocolate dots on the dried royal icing replicating a Robin's Egg. I prefer to use a new toothbrush dipped in chocolate and with your thumb run across the bristles back and forth, this will 'spray' small chocolate drops. You will be happier with the results. Much easier but a bit messy. Your choice!

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.  

Makes about 2 dozen 4" x 3" egg cookies.  The egg cookie cutter can be purchased at Sur la Table, William Sonoma or Amazon.com I bought mine at William Sonoma.

Sugar Cookie recipe from Food Network - Alton Brown.

Happy Easter Basket!