Baking My Way: Autumn Leaf Cookies

 I was really looking forward to making these Pillsbury Autumn Leaf cookies and they were a pretty big let down. They didn't turn out at all like how the photo showed and the icing just taste like the icing sugar, it doesn't look like the photo or like that rich sugar cookie type of icing like it reads as. AND the colouring directions are wrong. I had to add heaps more to get the colour even close to orange. I won't be making these cookies again. It wasn't a great recipe and there are many other sugar cookie recipes I love way more. The one thing I do like is the cream cheese in there. It does make the cookies softer and creamier. I might take the recipe and change it around to make it more interesting. What I ended up doing is making chocolate filled sandwich cookies with these. It made them a ton better! (Chocolate has been saving the day a lot lately)

Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup margarine or butter, softened

1 (3-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups powdered sugar

2 to 4 tablespoons milk

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

8 drops red food color

8 drops yellow food color

• In large bowl, combine sugar, 1 cup margarine and cream cheese; beat until light and fluffy. Add orange peel, orange juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla and egg; blend well. Add flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Using stockinette-covered rolling pin and floured pastry cloth, roll out 1/4 of dough at a time to 1/8-inch thickness. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated.) Cut with floured leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 375°F. for 4 to 6 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets; cool 15 minutes or until completely cooled.
• In large bowl, combine butter and shortening; beat until light and fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Add 2 tablespoons milk; beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Add enough additional milk for desired spreading consistency.
• Divide frosting into 2 small bowls. To one bowl of frosting, add melted chocolate; beat until well blended. To other bowl of frosting, add red and yellow food color; blend well. Spread cooled cookies with 1 of the frostings; pipe veins on leaves with other frosting. Let stand until set.