Maple Leaf Cookies

September 23: Autumn Equinox/Fall Season Begins

Happy fall, y’all! Now that we live in Texas, after having resided in Illinois and New Jersey for a few years, we miss seeing the colors of the leaves on the trees change when the seasons and temperatures transition from summer to fall. Even though a visit to Lost Maples in Vanderpool, Texas, allows us to experience the glorious fall foliage in the southwest, it is not the same or as abundant as when we lived in colder climates. But Islander still appreciates the vibrant and colorful leaves on the mainland during the autumn season that she did not see while growing up in year-round tropical Hawaii.

To celebrate the arrival of autumn, Islander made maple-flavored cookies. She texturized them with a leaf veining mat and used cans of edible color spray to decorate them since she does not own an expensive airbrush machine. The color mist can be layered to give variations in the maple leaf cookies and add natural beauty to these seasonal sweet treats.

For an edible equinox dessert this fall, make maple-flavored cookies misted with glorious autumn colors.

Recipe

(Adapted from Kitchen Lane)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons maple flavoring
• 3 cups flour (all purpose white)
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• fondant (golden yellow, light green, orange, burgundy)
• powdered sugar for dusting the surface
• Wilton brand color mist spray (orange, green, red, gold)

Directions

In a bowl, mix the butter with sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg and milk. Add the maple flavoring.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture into the other ingredients and blend well to form a dough. Divide dough in thirds and roll into a ball. Then flatten each ball into a disc and place between sheets of waxed or parchment paper. Roll out to about ¼-inch thick (we used ¼-inch thick acrylic sticks as guides). Stack them on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm (about 30-45 minutes). They may also be frozen for 15-20 minutes.

Take one stack of flattened dough out of the refrigerator or freezer. Peel away both front and back to loosen, leaving the dough on one sheet of the waxed or parchment paper. Cut out the maple leaf shapes. Place on foil-lined greased cookie pan about 1 ½ – 2 inches apart. Refrigerate the cookie pan. Re-roll scraps of dough and cut more shapes, refrigerating if the dough gets too soft. The dough needs to be cold and firm in order to retain its maple leaf shape. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until the sides are very lightly browned. Remove from the oven when done and let sit on the pan for about five minutes. Transfer each cookie on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to decorate.

Using the same maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter, cut out shapes on fall colored fondant (roll out to 1/16-inch thickness on a clean surface that has been dusted with a bit of powdered sugar to prevent from sticking. Cover the fondant maple leaf cutouts with plastic wrap to avoid them drying out while working on assembling the cookies.

Place a fondant maple leaf cutout on a leaf veining mat (we used Wilton brand flower impression mold). Lightly press to create the leaf vein texture. Brush maple flavoring on the cookie (see Notes). Position the fondant on top of the cookie and smooth out the edges with warm fingers. Repeat for all cookies.

Line a cookie sheet with paper towels. Place a few cookies on top of the paper towels. Shake the color mist can and lightly spray back and forth on the maple leaf cookies. Layer some of the other fall color mist sprays. Let the cookies dry completely before serving.

Notes

• Instead of maple leaf flavoring, use clear piping gel or water to position the fondant shapes on the cookie.
• Color mist sprays were our substitute for airbrushed cookies. The color mist shows up better on lighter fondant. Make sure the kitchen area is well ventilated or use the color mist sprays outside.
• We could have used oak leaf-shaped cookie cutters but we are partial to maple leaves as this is the symbol of Highlander’s birth country, Canada.
• Some years the autumnal equinox falls on the date of September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Make these cookies and other maple recipes on National Maple Syrup Day on December 17.