Thanks to comfortable, albeit dry, weather over the past five weeks or so, fall leaf color around here is amazing. The maples are especially glorious. So naturally they prompted me to bake these: beautiful fall cut out cookies.
This is my go-to buttery cut out cookie recipe, adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Rose’s Christmas Cookies.” I love how well these cookies hold their shape in baking, and how flavorful they are. And the dough is a snap to mix together.
With this batch, I experimented with the preparation method. Most cut out cookie dough recipes call for chilling the dough after mixing and before rolling out. But I have two basic problems with this recommendation: 1) it interrupts the workflow, as you have to mix the dough, then wait, then come back and roll the dough and cut out the cookies; and 2) cold dough is difficult to roll out, so I end up letting it warm back up (in which case, why refrigerate it?).
So with this batch of cookies, I tried two methods: I rolled half the dough out immediately after mixing, then chilled the cut out cookies before baking. I chilled the other half of the dough and then cut out the cookies. (Without a doubt, cut out cookies hold their shape better when they are cold going into the oven.)
Both batches of baked cookies were excellent: great texture and nice, distinct shapes. So for my money, it’s easier to roll out softer dough and then chill the cookies, rather than the standard method. Give it a try and see what you think!
Fall Leaf Cut Out Butter Cookie Recipe
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
Red, yellow, orange and green sparkling sugar
In a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using a hand mixer) cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, lemon zest and vanilla extract, and beat until blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Carefully add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until well blended.
Divide the dough in half and turn tout onto a lightly floured surface. Roll one half out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thickness. Use a leaf shaped cutter to cut out shapes; transfer cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat with remaining dough. Reroll scraps one time if needed. Transfer baking sheets to the refrigerator and chill for about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk the egg white in a small bowl to loosen. In another small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons each of red and orange sparkling sugar and add a dash of green sugar. In a third bowl, mix 2 tablespoons each of green and yellow sugar. Before baking, brush cookies very lightly with egg white and sprinkle generouslywith sugar blend. Bake for about 10 minutes, until cookies are set. (A tiny bit of browning on the edges is OK, but you don't want the cookies to take on any color.) Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
