Fall Leaves

Over Labor Day weekend my parents came up for a visit which meant planning several Wisconsin-y excursions. After living up here for almost three years I have learned that us Wisconsinites must make the most of our time outdoors. People up here are very into outdoor activities. The most hard core continue even in two feet of snow but I prefer to get my time in during the summer.

Although the snow and cold are enough to drive me insane, I must admit that autumn time in Wisconsin in BEAUTIFUL! As the leaves turn all shades of yellow, red, orange, it's time to collect the last of the summer crop.

It's the perfect time for apple pickin'! So, we decided to head over to the Elegant Farmer. It was our first time at the Elegant Farmer and it was an awesome day trip. The giant smiley face barn is packed with fresh cheeses (it was Blue Ribbon cheese day the day we went-YUM!), produce, and baked goods, most famously their "apple pie in a bag," which was even featured on Bobby Flay's Throwdown!

The giant somewhat freaky, yet cute, smiley face barn, and toot! toot! All aboard! We hope to go back sometime for a romantic train ride dinner cruise or beer tasting trip!

Of course we had to buy the apple pie and give it a try for ourselves. Now, I am a huuuuge fan of pie in general and this one did not disappoint. However, the point of the paper bag is to make the top crust extra crisp while keeping the bottom one soft and flaky, and I felt it was almost too crisp for my liking. That said, warmed up with a dallop of vanilla ice cream - oh, boy don't even get me started! Now, the apple picking never happened because their "fall harvest" didn't officially begin until the following weekend, but there is a point to telling the story of visiting the Elegant Farmer. While drooling over all the yummy baked goods, my mom pointed out these absolutely beautiful jumbo chocolate covered sugar cookies, shaped like fall leaves. I knew immediately that these had to go on the "must bake" list and so I did it over this past weekend! I think they turned out really well and I have a box of 'em in the mail to my parents and my brother and sis-in-law - shhhh, don't tell them, it's a surprise! Here are the pix.

Nakey Cookies

All dipped and beautiful!

Brushed with golden luster dust. So pretty!

I couldn't pick just one. I love how each one is unique.

I used a new sugar cookie recipe and three different fall leaf cookie cutters. Then came the messy part, melting the chocolate and dipping the cookies. My biggest piece of advice is to make sure you have a very thick "puddle" of chocolate to dip into, otherwise the cookies get smeared and don't come out as "smooth" looking. I waited until the next day to brush with the luster dust - that was the funnest (most fun??) part - I felt like a real arteest! Let me know if you would like any details on how to make these beauties. Making these really got me in the mood for making Greg's "all-time-favorite" cookies. You'll have to wait to find out what they are, and trust me, you want to know! Have a great night!