Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Food colors: green, orange, yellow, red and brown
Orange, yellow, red colored sugar, as desired
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and almond extract; mix well. Combine flour and baking powder and add to butter mixture, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Divide dough into 5 portions. Tint portions of dough orange, green, yellow and red; reserve some without coloring.
• For marbleized multicolor leaves, place 2 or 3 pieces of tinted dough side by side; roll out dough about 1/4-inch thick. Cut with leaf-shaped cookie cutters or a sharp knife.
• For sugared leaves, roll out uncolored dough 1/4-inch thick. Cut with leaf-shaped cutters or a sharp knife. Sprinkle, as desired, with colored sugar.
• To make veins on leaves, thin a small amount of dough with water to piping consistency; place in decorating bag. Roll out tinted or plain dough about 1/4-inch thick. Cut with leaf-shaped cutters or a sharp knife. Pipe leaf veins on cookies with thinned dough.
Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 7-8 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool completely before serving.