Fall Leaves Sugar Cookies

These fall sugar cookies always make our Thanksgiving Day spread. Not only are the pretty maple leaves easy on the eyes, the texture is out of this world chewy. Additionally, I love that I can prepare the dough days in advance, freeze it, and only have to focus on rolling out the dough and cutting the shapes on the big day.

In this recipe, you’ll learn all you need to know to not only make perfect fall sugar cookies, but also how to properly store it for later use. Who doesn’t love having a log of cookie dough in their freezer for a rainy day?

How to Make Fall Leaves Sugar Cookies

You only need a handful of ingredients to make these impressive fall sugar cookies. The kicker? You likely already have all the ingredients hanging out in your fridge and pantry.

• Mix the Dry Ingredients: Sift or stir the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl and set it aside.
• Mix the Wet Ingredients: With a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg together until smooth and creamy.
• Combine the Dry and Wet Ingredients: Slowly, combine the dry ingredients with the wet, being extra careful not to over mix the dough.
• Chill the Dough: Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Shape the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F. While it’s heating up, roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it’s 1/4-inch thick. Cut out the cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown. Let the cookies cool at room temperature for a couple of minutes and enjoy!

What is the Trick to Perfect Sugar Cookies?

Below, find a couple pro tips and tricks to help you make the perfect fall-inspired sugar cookies. What’s better? These rules apply to all sugar cookie recipes!

• Don’t over mix the batter. To prevent your cookies from turning out tough, refrain from over mixing the dry ingredients into the wet. Once the ingredients are combined, power off the mixer and let the dough be!
• Opt for pure vanilla extract. To get the best hint of vanilla flavor, use a pure vanilla extract versus a blend. It’s worth the couple extra dollars!
• Measure your flour correctly. Did you know most people don’t know how to measure flour correctly? Oftentimes, people think they are supposed to pack the measuring cup as tightly as possibly and end up with dry baked goods. On the contrary, you should use a spoon to loosely fill the measuring cup with flour just until it’s full.
• Allow the dough to chill. Allowing the dough to chill for 30 minutes before you roll it out and shape it makes it easier to work with and also promotes a nice, chewy texture.

Storing Sugar Cookies

• Room Temperature: Store leftover fall sugar cookies in an airtight container on the counter. They should keep fresh for up to a week before they start to turn stale.
• Freezer (Dough): To freeze raw sugar cookie dough, roll it into a log. Next, tightly wrap it in a few layers of plastic wrap. To thaw it, place it in the refrigerator overnight. Roll it out, cut out the cookie shapes, and bake the cookies as directed.
• Freezer (Cookies): To freeze baked cookies, first allow them to cool down completely. Next, place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop the sheet into the freezer. Once completely frozen, transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, thaw them in the refrigerator for a couple hours.

FAQ

Other Tasty Cookie Recipes

• Kolaczki Recipe (Polish Cookies) – Jam-filled sugar cookies
• Madeleine Cookies – French tea cookies
• THE Perfect Sugar Cookies – Classic, fool proof sugar cookies
• Russian Walnut Cookies (aka Oreshki) – Circular cookies filled with dulce de leche

Recipe

Fall Leaves Sugar Cookies

Print Pin

Servings

40 cookies

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin

These fall sugar cookies are cut into beautiful maple leaf shapes and are perfectly chewy. Wonderful served throughout the season with coffee or for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 12 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg

US Units – Metric

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  
• Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg together on medium-high speed until smooth.
  
• Slowly, blend in the dry ingredients to the wet until they are just combined. Be careful not to over mix!
  
• Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
  
• Preheat oven to 350°F. On a floured surface, roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it's about 1/4-inch thick. Using a maple leaf shaped cookie cutter, cut out the cookie shapes and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  
• Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges turn a light shade of golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for a couple minutes. Enjoy!
  

Nutrition Facts

Fall Leaves Sugar Cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 69 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 13mg4%

Sodium 60mg3%

Potassium 23mg1%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 111IU2%

Calcium 7mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.