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Cooking & Baking

Fall into Baking: 3 Slice-and-Bake Seasonal Cookie Recipes

Three slice-and-bake cookies for your favorite fall activities.

3 min read

Jo Ann Liguori

Oct 01, 2023

When the leaves start changing colors and the temperature begins to dip, there’s no denying that autumn is in the air. Now’s the perfect time to incorporate these fall cookie ideas into your baking arsenal. Bake up a batch of maple–brown sugar cookies to nosh on while taking a nature walk to enjoy the colorful, changing foliage. Snack on Pumpkin Spice Latte–inspired treats in the car on the way to the pumpkin patch. Or, cap off a day of apple picking with cookies reminiscent of apple cider donuts.

Could it get any better? Yes! These fall slice and bake cookies start with an easy dough that takes just a few minutes to put together. (Short on time? Substitute a package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough with some additional flour to make it sturdier.) Once the dough is ready, it’s time to get creative with your flavors. You can start with warm, aromatic ingredients (think pure maple syrup, apple extract, or pumpkin pie spice) and toppings like brown sugar or store-bought apple or pumpkin butter, then finish it off with a drizzle of a sweet glaze (spiked with maple, cinnamon or coffee).

And to make the whole cookie baking process— shaping, measuring, chilling, storing, and cleanup—even simpler, use a cookie helper. The Slice and Bake Cookie Helper takes the guesswork out of preparing slice-and-bake cookies, giving you uniform cookies (round, not misshapen, and equal in thickness) every time. You can even store the cookie dough rolls vertically in your fridge or freezer, to take up less space. Plus you can skip the single-use plastic wrap—which is better for the planet.

Ready to start baking? Start with these three slice-and-bake cookie ideas:

Cookie Dough Base

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Ingredients

Makes dough for 2 dozen cookies:

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter (softened)

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until incorporated.

Gradually add in the dry ingredients until dough is well incorporated.

Leaf-Peeping Cookies

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Ingredients

Makes 2 dozen cookies:

Cookie Dough Base OR a 16-ounce package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough (break dough into small pieces and, with your hands, knead in 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour)

4 teaspoons real maple syrup

2 tablespoons dark or light brown sugar

½ cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

Drizzle 1 teaspoon maple syrup all over your ball of cookie dough then knead the dough to work it in as evenly as possible.

Place dough on the silicone mat and shape into log. Sprinkle brown sugar over dough. Wrap mat over dough log. roll log until edge of mat touches desired built-in Cookie Diameter Guide. Seal the mat with the center strap and place it in the fridge for 4 hours or the freezer for 1 hour.

Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Unwrap the dough and move to separate cutting surface. Using the ridged markings on the mat, slice it into 24 equally-sized rounds, each about ½ inch thick, with a sharp knife. Place the rounds on the parchment about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies just start to turn slightly golden brown.

Remove cookies from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine confectioners sugar with milk and the remaining tablespoon of maple syrup until a smooth glaze forms. Using a fork, drizzle the glaze on the cookies. Let glaze dry completely, then store cookies in an airtight container.

Apple-Picking Cookies

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Ingredients

Makes 2 dozen cookies:

Cookie Dough Base OR a 16-ounce package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough (break dough into small pieces and, with your hands, knead in 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour)

½ teaspoon apple extract

1/3 cup chilled apple butter

½ cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

Drizzle apple extract all over your ball of cookie dough then knead the dough to work it in as evenly as possible.

Place dough on the silicone mat and with a floured rolling pin roll into a rectangle about 10 inches by 14 inches and about ¼ inch thick. Spread apple butter over dough. Starting from the long end, roll dough jelly-roll fashion into a 1½-inch-wide log. Seal the mat with the center strap and place it in the fridge for 4 hours or the freezer for 1 hour.

Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies just start to turn slightly golden brown.

Remove cookies from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and milk until a smooth glaze forms. Using a fork, drizzle the glaze on the cookies. Let glaze dry completely, then store cookies in an airtight container.

Pumpkin-Patch Cookies

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Ingredients

Makes 2 dozen cookies:

Cookie Dough Base OR a 16-ounce package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough (break dough into small pieces and, with your hands, knead in 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour)

1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice

¼ cup chilled pumpkin butter

½ cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon coffee

Directions:

Sprinkle pumpkin-pie spice all over your ball of cookie dough then knead the dough to work it in as evenly as possible.

Place dough on the silicone mat and with a floured rolling pin roll into a rectangle about 10 inches by 14 inches and about ¼ inch thick. Spread pumpkin butter evenly over dough. Starting from the long end, roll dough jelly-roll fashion into a 1½-inch-wide log. Seal the mat with the center strap and place it in the fridge for 4 hours or the freezer for 1 hour.

Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies just start to turn slightly golden brown.

Remove cookies from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine confectioners sugar with coffee until a smooth glaze forms. Using a fork, drizzle the glaze on the cookies. Let glaze dry completely, then store cookies in an airtight container.

Head to the OXO blog for baking tips and more fall recipes, like apple spice cake, roasted pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin pancakes.