Fall Leaf Sugar Cookies

Part of our journey towards a more intentional life has included incorporating rhythm into our days, weeks, and years, ensuring that the things we value are not forgotten as our time idly slips away from us.

One aspect of such rhythm has been the deliberate observance of the passing of the seasons. Last autumn we canned pasta sauce, salsa, and cinnamon peach preserves, hoping that the process of slowing down after summer and preparing for winter would become a new family tradition.

This year, however, with a new little one in my arms, I simply wasn't feeling up to the slow work of putting food away for the winter. We still wanted to celebrate the beginning of a new season, but it needed to be something less involved.

And so the boys and I made fall leaf sugar cookies. Simple, fun, and memorable, they declared it the best day ever.

(Thank you, Pinterest, for the inspiration!)

We began by whipping up a batch of sugar cookie dough (I used this recipe based purely on ratings). Before chilling the dough, we separated it into batches and added food dye.

Once it was chilled (and dinner was finished), we moved on to the fun part!

Pull off pieces of dough and arrange them in a patchwork on your floured (or, in our case, "parchmented") surface.

Roll the dough into a smooth surface, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Beginning cutting out your cookies! We made leaves, turkeys, and pumpkins. The boy and I each used a toothpick to draw designs on the cookies. The toddler ate the dough.

The re-rolled dough had more of a marbled effect. (By the third re-roll, the mixed colours were looking pretty dingy.)

The rest is self-explanatory! Bake 6 to 8 minutes at 400F (or as per your recipe) and cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!