Autumn Leaf Cookies

The air is crisp, the trees are turning, and it’s time for one of my annual bakes, Autumn Leaf Cookies.

For the last several years, making fall cookies has been something that’s been part of baking repertoire. Maybe it’s the amazing colors fall offers that inspires me each year, replicating that into some yummy sugar cookie creations.

This year, I tried a new color (burgundy) along with fall traditional ones: orange, red, and yellow. I’m thinking I really like the way the burgundy adds pop to these cookies. Not only that, but also experimenting with different color schemes and designs using this bold and amazing fall color makes for some really vibrant leaf cookies.

Multicolor Autumn Leafs

For the last several years I have been using this particular technique of three colors married into one cookie. Looking back years past when I worked as a subcontracted Pastry Chef for Washington D. C. new business called Hungry, made 100’s of these guys. I believe one order was for 250!

Wish you could have seen my huge chopping block worktable; they were full of tri-colored Autumn Leaf Cookies decorated with this technique. Literally, it was like a cookie assembly line. Wished I saved a picture! Have to say, it was a bit crazy….but fun!

Here are my previous design leaf cookies alongside this year’s design:

Tutorial

Check here for a tutorial in how to pipe the three icing colors on the cookies.

Additionally, one great thing about this technique is you can pipe the colors on 4-5 cookies, then go back and make the design using a skewer to pull the colors through. If you can believe it, the process goes pretty fast. Also, if you have a friend over to help, even faster. My friend Julie came over to be my assistant on the big orders and we made a great team! We totally had it down and rocked it out!

Marble Fall

The marble technique is one of my favorite ways to decorate because its super easy and quick. First, no piping is involved which allows easy and fuss free. Truly, anyone could do this. Second, it’s a great technique to incorporate 3-4 colors at once in one pretty cool design. Love the stunning look these cookies bring to the fall table!

As mentioned above, the addition of that burgundy color really makes these cookies stand out. Even combined with red allows this to really compliment the traditional colors of fall.

How-to: Autumn Leaf Cookies

Super simple and easy quick steps in making these marbled autumn leaf cookies

• Royal icing is made, diluted with water for corn syrup consistency, and colored with gel colors
• Placed in piping bags with Wilton tip #2
• On a small plate or bowl, colors are drizzled on top of each other
• Cookies are dipped face down then allowed to dry 5-6 hours

Cookie Tips

The key here is making sure you have enough icing on the plate to coat each of these Autumn Leaf Cookies. You can continue to pipe more colors in as needed to make sure you have enough to coat each cookie as you go along. A shallow bowl is also great here to use. Even mixing it up a bit and applying different colors in different order that you pipe onto the plate create a variety in color and design. Great way to be creative and get “Picasso!”.

Personally, I like to use the darker colors on top of the light colors. Here is an example of the plate I used when decorating these.

Previous year’s marble cookies compared to this year:

Two decorating techniques that I hope inspire you to create something amazing for your fall baking and some dazzling Autumn Leaf Cookies.