Fall Leaf Cookies (with natural dyes)

One of the best things about Fall is the beautiful, rich colors of the leaves. What if I told you that you can make cookies in those seasonal colors with no artificial dyes? These Fall Leaf Cookies are colored with spices and food powders and each has its own unique recipe blend to compliment the flavor of the ingredients providing the color. Pick your favorite, make all four, or get adventurous and marble multiple colors together!

Make the Cookie Dough

Common Ingredients

All of the cookie variations use these base ingredients:

• 2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Golden Milk Cookies (Yellow)

Turmeric is used to give these cookies a bright yellow color, and additional spices are used to give the flavor of a golden milk latte. Beyond the common base recipe, these cookies also include:

• 2 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp black pepper

• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Pumpkin Spice Cookies (Orange/Brown)

I’ll be honest, I intended for these cookies to come out more orange. The pumpkin powder I bought did not turn out to be very pigmented, so they are more light brown. Yours may be different depending on the vibrancy of your pumpkin powder. The flavors are classic pumpkin spice:

• 2 Tbsp pumpkin powder

• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Ube Chocolate Cookies (Purple)

For a beautiful purple color, I used Ube powder. I added some cocoa powder both for flavor and to tone down the vibrancy of the purple to better match the tone of the other colors in these cookies. Ube powder alone doesn’t have a super strong flavor, but these ended up being the favorite among my taste tester. On top of the base ingredients, these cookies have:

• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder

• 2 tsp Ube powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Beet & Citrus Cookies (Red)

I know what you’re thinking - beet? In cookies? But stay with me here. The beet powder has great color payoff without imparting too much beet flavor to the cookies. The citrus adds a pop of brightness to the subtle earthiness of the beet. The added ingredients are:

• 2 tsp beet powder

• 1 tsp ground cardamom

• 2 Tbsp honey

• 2 Tbsp orange zest

Make the Cookie Dough

Follow these steps to make the cookie dough:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and any spices and/or food powders. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed until smooth.

3. Add the sugar, liquid sweetener (maple syrup or honey), and any citrus zest. Mix until light and fluffy.

4. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. If the dough is too thick for the mixer, finish mixing by kneading by hand.

Roll and Cut the Dough

Shape the dough into a ball and place it on parchment paper or a floured silicone baking mat.

Roll out the dough so it is about 1/8 inch thick. If it is too soft or sticky, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes before rolling it out. Refrigerate the rolled out dough for 15-30 minutes to allow it to become firm.

Using leaf shaped cookie cutters, cut out your cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat at least 1/2 inch apart. These cookies should not spread much. Reroll the dough scraps and repeat as needed.

Bake the Cookies

Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until the edges of the cookies just start to brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They will continue to set as they cool to become crispy.

Bonus: Swirled Colors!

You can also use multiple colors to created a swirled, marbled effect. I went for it and used all four colors, but you can also pick and choose which flavors you think will go best together.

To make the swirled cookies, take small pieces of the colors of the dough you want to swirl and alternate them, making a multi-colored ball of dough (left image below). Roll this out using the instructions from the main recipe. The more you reroll the scraps, the more the colors will meld, making each cookie unique.

Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Author: Laura's Bake Lab

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Fall Leaf Cookies (with natural dyes)

Crispy leaf shaped sugar cookies colored with natural dyes. Each color comes with its own recipe to compliment the flavor of the food used for coloring.

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 10 MinInactive time: 15 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Ingredients

Base Cookie Ingredients

• 2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Golden Milk Cookies (Yellow)

• Base cookie ingredients
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Pumpkin Spice Cookies (Orange/Brown)

• Base cookie ingredients
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin powder
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Ube Chocolate Cookies (Purple)

• Base cookie ingredients
• 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp Ube powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Beet & Citrus Cookies (Red)

• Base cookie ingredients
• 2 tsp beet powder
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp orange zest

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and any spices and/or food powders. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed until smooth.
3. Add the sugar, liquid sweetener (maple syrup or honey), and any citrus zest. Mix until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. If the dough is too thick for the mixer, finish mixing by kneading by hand.
6. Shape the dough into a ball and place it on parchment paper or a floured silicone baking. Roll out the dough so it is about 1/8 inch thick. If it is too soft or sticky, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes before rolling it out. Refrigerate the rolled out dough for 15-30 minutes to allow it to become firm.
7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
8. Using leaf shaped cookie cutters, cut out your cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheets at least 1/2 inch apart. Reroll the dough scraps and repeat as needed.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges of the cookies just start to brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They will continue to set as they cool to become crispy.
10. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

https://www.laurasbakelab.com/blog/fall-leaf-cookies

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