Through the Windowpane

Spiced Autumn Leaves

Down! Down!

Down, down!
Yellow and brown
The leaves are falling
Over the town.

Spiced Autumn Leaves

You will need

2 cups confectioners’ sugar ˝ cup (I stick) butter,
softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (half of an
8-ounce package)
I egg
I teaspoon vanilla extract 2˝ cups all-purpose flour
I teaspoon cinnamon
˝ teaspoon baking powder
Ľ teaspoon ground cloves
Ľ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Ľ teaspoon salt
food colorings In assorted colors

Special Aids
3-Inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter
wooden skewer
Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Preparing the Dough

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat sugar, butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.

2. In a medium bowl, using a whisk, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Add to cream- cheese mixture; stir until a dough forms.
3. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Knead food colorings into dough to tint each piece a different autumn color.

4. Shape each piece of dough into a disk; wrap each disk separately in plastic wrap. Freeze dough until slightly firm, about 15 minutes.

Making the Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Using your hands, divide each color dough into several small pieces. Gather about one- quarter of dough pieces from each color dough and press together to form a multicolored disk, being careful not to combine colors completely. Continue pressing the pieces of dough together to form 4 multicolored dough disks.

2. Wrap 3 dough disks separately in plastic wrap; chill until ready to use. On a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll remaining dough to a Ľ-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter, cut out leaf shapes, rerolling scraps for additional cookies.

Transfer cutouts to ungreased baking sheets. Using a wooden skewer, draw “veins” on leaves. 4 Bake cookies until edges just start to brown, 7-9 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool. Continue rolling, cutting and baking remaining dough.

Enjoy!

10:23 PM - Nov. 5, 2006 - post comment

Those look gorgeous!!!
Can't wait to make them tomorrow! My little baker will be so excited. I have been looking for just the right seasonal thing to do with him and this is the thing! He loves to cook and begged me to bake a cake today. Well, I don't know if ours will turn out as pretty as yours (beautiful photos!) but will try our best. I can't wait to share your post with a whole bunch of people!

Love,
Nancy
ByHisGraceInColorado - 11:15 PM - Nov. 6, 2006

Love it!
How Inspiring!! How beautiful!! These will be the only fall leaves my children will probably see from down here! Thanks for sharing that, Jill!
Betty - 5:53 AM - Nov. 7, 2006

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Jill - those are magnificent!! Too pretty to eat (..almost..)! thank you so much for sharing this ~

love,
Harriette
jacobsacademy - 6:47 AM - Nov. 7, 2006

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JILL!!

This is truly a delightful idea. Thank you for sharing. I am certain that I have a few young ladies in this house that will thrill to making these - again and again, if I don't miss my guess.

Thank you again,
Dawn C
www.javadawn.wordpress.com
Anonymous - 8:03 AM - Nov. 7, 2006

Yummmm!
Dearest Jill,

These sound delicious...and beautiful, too! I'm looking forward to making a couple of batches of these...methinks another Tea Party is in order now! LOL

Hugs,
Cynthia Robin
cynthiarobin - 9:33 AM - Nov. 7, 2006

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Jill,

Can we come live with you? I love visiting your blog and seeing all the lovelies. You can make a cucumber a work of art. You can make dough in to autumn on Skyline Drive. My dough would look like blobs of playdoh even after baking! I'm so glad to be your friend. I'm so glad you take the time to slow down and make things lovely.

I just read the news.There are so many unpleasant images, so much bad news. The window to your world is such a refreshing place to visit. Thank you Jill.

I think we might just try these.

Lilacs (with the toys in the tree)
Lilacs - 10:45 AM - Nov. 7, 2006

Gorgeous!!!!
How cool is that! We can have fall leaves in south Florida afterall! Thank you, dear friend! Love ~ Patricia
PatriciaWHunter - 10:57 AM - Nov. 7, 2006

looks like you inspired someone....
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/RedFireBall/234271/

:)

Nancy
Anonymous - 3:42 PM - Nov. 7, 2006

Just BEAUTIFUL!
Oh, Jill---they are LOVELY! Just like you...
*Thank you*...

All is grace,
Ann Voskamp
Anonymous - 6:39 PM - Nov. 7, 2006

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WOW~ just found your blog from javadawn .....

they are beautiful. I am not very good at this but I think I might give this a try!

BEAUTIFUL~

will be back

blessings,
Teena
teena6 - 9:33 PM - Nov. 7, 2006

Wow
Those are gorgeous! That's kind of like a craft and a snack all rolled into one. What fun!
Blessings,
~Nancy

tn3jcarter - 9:39 PM - Nov. 7, 2006

MMmmmm.....
What a beautiful treat for Thanksgiving meals!
Thanks for sharing this great recipe!!

Blessings, Beckie :o)
LittleEblingsAcademy - 2:09 PM - Nov. 8, 2006

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Absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!
takingthechallenge - 8:55 PM - Nov. 12, 2006

How absolutely charming!
The other day I saw "fall" food coloring and wondered what would one use them for...now I know...I'll have to run pick some up as it was in the sale buggy but there was lots...thank you...it is so cute I would love to post a blog directing back to you if that is ok...Jeanne
WonderlandLearningCenter - 5:43 AM - Nov. 18, 2006

Beautiful
What a beautiful treat!!! Not just the cookies but the "heart" your share in your posts. I have been away for a trip out of the country for a few days to help a friend and have returned to feel myself behind in my preparations for the Thanksgiving and Christmas Season and thus today found myself stressing over how much I need to get accomplished...but I decided to take a computer break and catch up on reading your blog and am glad I did...because your calm peaceful words and beautiful photos helped me regain some serenity and refocus on living in the present moment and slowing down enough to live abundantly. God Bless You...I hope you are doing well.

Cathy
larkspur - 7:30 PM - Nov. 18, 2006

Hi, Jill!
Just wanted you to know that I am thinking about you today.

Praying all is well for you and yours.

Blessings, Beckie :o)
LittleEblingsAcademy - 11:56 AM - Nov. 29, 2006

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Those look wonderful. I can't wait to try them :)
frugalmel - 4:41 PM - Dec. 6, 2006

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Jill Novak shares from her heart and the pages of her journal about God's faithfulness through life's everyday teachable moments.Jill encourages families to write and draw from life. She and her husband Robert have been married 28 years and are the parents of five children. Together her family has founded Remembrance Press, publishers of The Pebbly Brook Farm Series: Character Building Stories for Boys and Girls, Becoming God’s Naturalist, The Gift of Family Writing, and The Girlhood Home Companion.

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