Autumn Spiced Cookies

cookie leaves ready for the oven

These cookies are a really special fall treat we’ve enjoyed making the last few years.  I got the recipe from a Remembrance Press newsletter, and after a little searching online, I was able to find it to share with you.

Jill Novak does a terrific job of detailing the process with beautiful photographs.  Check it out; I know you’ll be as inspired to make them as I was.

Joseph helping me cut out leaves

Because of the cream cheese, this dough has a texture that works well with little hands, if you have helpers in the kitchen like I do.  The dough is less fragile than some and holds together very well.

You may think that kneading in food coloring would really toughen the dough, but the cream cheese and powdered sugar prevent that to a large degree.  You’ll find that you can use up all your dough, working it and re-rolling it several times, and the cookies will remain tender.

She doesn’t specify what type of food coloring to use, but I’ve always used Wilton cake decorating gel/paste colors with good success.  As the cookies bake, the colors will soften, so I’d recommend coloring your dough just a bit darker than you’d like your finished product to be.  Either way, they will be lovely.

We made a double batch this week and popped them in the freezer for Thanksgiving . . . after tasting a few to make sure they were good, of course. 

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Ever since I saw this recipe in Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food years ago, it has been a fall-time family favorite.  I can’t remember if I tweaked her recipe, but I credit her with the idea anyway.

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3 cups flour (I use King Arthur all-purpose unbleached white)

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

Candy Corn

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In bowl of electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar, then mix in eggs, one at a time.  Sift together dry ingredients, then mix in just until incorporated.

Using a medium-size cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake for 11-13 minutes.  Immediately upon removal from oven, gently press a candy corn into the center of each cookie.  Cool on baking sheets for several minutes, then transfer to rack and cool completely.

This makes a soft sugar cookie.  If you prefer crispy-crunchy, flatten your cookies slightly before baking, up your oven to 375 and perhaps bake a bit longer.

We also like to make a chocolate version of these.  Simply substitute 1 cup of good quality cocoa powder for 1 cup of the flour.