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–+ servings
Painted Pie Crust Leaves in the center of a pumpkin pie on a Thanksgiving table
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Painted Pie Crust Leaves

These Painted Pie Crust Leaves are perfect for decorating fall pies like a Pumpkin Pie. They can be added around the outer edge or in the center to add pops of color to an otherwise neutral colored dessert.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 40 leaves
Calories 19kcal
Author Meghan

Equipment

  • Rolling Pin
  • small leaf cutters, similar to these
  • food dedicated paint palette
  • food-safe paintbrush

Ingredients

  • 1 pie crust store bought or homemade
  • yellow, orange and red food coloring gel
  • clear alcohol like Everclear, vodka or extract optional

Instructions

Cut the Leaves

  • Roll the pie dough on a floured surface into a large circle, about 12- to 14-inches in diameter.
    dough rolled out thin on a floured cutting board next to a rolling pin
  • Cut the dough into leaf shapes and transfer them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
    pie dough rolled thin and cut with some leaf shapes
  • Preheat the oven to the temperature your pie dough recipe requires. For a Pillsbury crust, preheat to 450°F.

Paint the Leaves

  • Place a drop of yellow, orange, and red food coloring gel into each of 3 wells of a food dedicated paint palette. If the food coloring gel is too thick, you can add a drop of clear alcohol, like Everclear or vodka, or a clear extract.
    a paint palette with wells filled with food coloring gel, topped with a food grade paintbrush, next to bottles of food coloring gel
  • Dip a food safe paintbrush into one of the colors and paint it on a pie crust leaf. Add spots of other colors to give it the look of a changing fall leaf. For example, you can paint the entire leaf yellow then add areas of orange and red to give it a variegated look.
    pie crust leaves on a parchment lined cookie sheet next to a paint palette with food coloring gels in the wells and a food grade paintbrush
  • Repeat until all of the leaves are painted.
    painted pie crust leaves spread out on a parchment lined cookie sheet

Bake the Leaves

  • Bake the leaves until the dough is set, about 7 to 10 minutes depending on your pie crust recipe.
    painted pie crust leaves spread out on a parchment lined cookie sheet
  • Allow the leaves to cool completely on the pan at room temperature.
  • Store the painted leaves in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to place on pie. Leaves are best consumed within a few days.

Notes

Nutritional information is only an estimate and will vary based on your ingredients and substitutions.   
You're Gonna Bake It After All
bakeitafterall.com

Nutrition

Serving: 1leaf | Calories: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 4mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 0.04IU | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.1mg