Painted Pastry Leaves are a fun way to add a little fall flourish and are easy to make with refrigerated piecrust, food coloring, and cookie cutters!
You can use them to embellish and decorate sweet or savory foods or even dress up a store-bought pie or dessert with these colorful cookie cutter leaves for Thanksgiving!
I ran across this fun idea for painted pastry leaves in Southern Living Magazine several years ago and used them to embellish a cheese ball, but didn’t share the how-to part. You need a brush and food coloring to tint your egg wash along with some pastry/cookie cutters.
I used food safe brushes from Wilton that you can find where cake decorating supplies are sold. I found mine at Michaels.
I have a couple of sets of spring-loaded fall leaf design pastry cutters that I found at Williams-Sonoma. The spring-loaded cutters punch the vein details of the leaves in the pie dough or you can use cookie cutters and freehand the veins, scoring them with the tip of a knife.
Unfold your piecrusts on a lightly floured surface, then cut your shapes and leaves using your cutters. One (15-ounce) package of refrigerated piecrusts will make about 24 (2- to 3-inch) leaves. To make the tinted egg wash, I whisked together 2 large eggs and 2 tablespoons water, then divided the egg wash among 4 small cups, tinting each with a few drops of food coloring, to mix my colors~ orange, yellow, green and brown.
For easy cleanup and to prevent the excess egg wash from burning on the baking sheet, I painted the cut outs on a piece of wax paper before transferring them to a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush leaves evenly with egg wash, beginning with lighter colors first, then adding areas of darker color. Bake your leaves at 400° for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden. Cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack 10 minutes. Gently remove leaves, and cool completely on a wire rack.
To give your leaves a more natural shape, place them on crumpled aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick spray before baking to give them some dimension.
I used a recipe from Southern Living for the pumpkin cheese ball adding a mixture of cream cheese and chives to mimic the green flecks in the white rind of a tiger striped pumpkin. I added cheddar cheese to the outside of the cheese ball to create the ribs and a pretzel rod stem before adding the pastry leaves.
(16-oz.) Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese blend, shredded
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese with chives, softened
2 (4-oz.) goat cheese logs, softened
Additional chopped chives
Cheddar cheese for ribs of pumpkin
Pretzel rod for stem
Stir together cheeses and chives. Shape mixture into a ball to resemble a pumpkin. Smooth pumpkin’s entire surface with metal spatula or table knife. Make vertical grooves in ball, using your fingertips. Apply Cheddar cheese in grooves to resemble pumpkin ribs and smooth. Press pretzel into top of cheese ball to resemble a pumpkin stem.
Embellish will your painted pie crust leaves and serve.
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Wow Mary!!!! The leaves and other cutouts are adorable. I wonder if Williams Sonoma still has these for sale. I will have to check. So much easier than a regular cookie cutter. Thanks again for the inspiration!! Have a great day. xoxo
I must try this, Mary! I have the spring loaded pastry cutters and I’m so like you in loving to play in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing your techniques with us. My grands would certainly love doing this, too, but I need to buy some food safe paint brushes. This would be fun to do with sugar cookies,also, I’m thinking.
Very clever Mary! Your tasty pumpkin looks just like the real mini but yummier. The crust is my favorite part of a pie so these leaves would really be a treat on a cheese platter! Linda
How FUN!!! Mary, I’ve had those WS leaf cutters for years & only used them for cookies. Brilliant idea to color pie crust cutouts. I can’t wait to make some since I know Ms. C LOVES pumpkin pie! She wouldn’t touch the cheese ball though. LOL
Thanks for sharing how you did both ideas!
Hugs
Rett
p.s. My red goblets are arriving tomorrow! I am SO glad you shared them & I got 20% off the already sale price! Yay!
Oh good, now I can paint my food!! I’ve always loved your tiger pumpkin cheese ball Mary, and I tried to recreate it once, but it didn’t turn out nearly as cute as yours~ I needed painted leaves! So cute and fun!
Jenna
I made this too but bought an orange pepper. Used the pepper stem as my pumpkin stem and made long slices horizontally from the pepper to embellish down the sides of the cheese ball. So cute. As always-you’re the best.
I have a different recipe for a pumpkin shaped cheeseball, I will share it! Loved these leaves when I first saw you do them. Thanks for the info:) I am having a small party Sat. so will make the cheeseball too. After that all the Fall will get put away to prep for Christmas:):) PS, I usually use the end of a broccoli stalk for the pumpkin stem.
I have been wanting to try that “paint” and you have inspired me to do so!….Beautiful leaves and just love that amazing Cheese Ball….Have a great day Mary!
so many of your pics have been permanently emblazed on my brian, i love it when they make repeat performances for your new masses :-) and for us old ones to resavor~
OMG. This is so much fun! I like to use food for crafts also. Why not? Food supplies are readily available and then family gets to eat the results. It’s a win win! But painting the leaves? Oh, that looks like so much fun. I have to try that. I stumbled and pinned this also. Linda @Crafts a la mode
My kids and I have always done the painted pastries on our pies. The color sticks better if you let the pastry sit for an hour or so after cutting them so the surface dries out a little bit. Then mix food coloring with a tablespoon of milk and paint away. Let them sit another 30 min to soak in and dry then place them on top of your pie and bake. You still get a great crust. We paint the turkey feathers and such, as well as, leaves.
Those are really festive and what a cute addition to the cheese ball done up like a pumpkin, I love it.
Wow Mary!!!! The leaves and other cutouts are adorable. I wonder if Williams Sonoma still has these for sale. I will have to check. So much easier than a regular cookie cutter. Thanks again for the inspiration!! Have a great day. xoxo
Sooooo cute!! Looks to be really easy!! This can also be done with your cut out Christmas cookies!! Thank you for sharing!! 🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂
This is a beautiful presentation. I just may have to get out my “toys” and play with some food myself!!! Thank you for sharing. Yummy Yummy
This is a great one, Thanks!
I must try this, Mary! I have the spring loaded pastry cutters and I’m so like you in loving to play in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing your techniques with us. My grands would certainly love doing this, too, but I need to buy some food safe paint brushes. This would be fun to do with sugar cookies,also, I’m thinking.
Very clever Mary! Your tasty pumpkin looks just like the real mini but yummier. The crust is my favorite part of a pie so these leaves would really be a treat on a cheese platter! Linda
These look amazing! You could even do them to decorate your Holiday pies. I have all the items needed. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful idea!
How FUN!!! Mary, I’ve had those WS leaf cutters for years & only used them for cookies. Brilliant idea to color pie crust cutouts. I can’t wait to make some since I know Ms. C LOVES pumpkin pie! She wouldn’t touch the cheese ball though. LOL
Thanks for sharing how you did both ideas!
Hugs
Rett
p.s. My red goblets are arriving tomorrow! I am SO glad you shared them & I got 20% off the already sale price! Yay!
What fun Rett! Enjoy your new goblets :)
I love this! Might have to make as a hostess gift for Thanksgiving!
Oh good, now I can paint my food!! I’ve always loved your tiger pumpkin cheese ball Mary, and I tried to recreate it once, but it didn’t turn out nearly as cute as yours~ I needed painted leaves! So cute and fun!
Jenna
That’s probably the only thing you haven’t painted Jenna :)
This is so incredibly creative! Love it. I’d love to see you make a Christmas one too. Thanks for sharing.
I made this too but bought an orange pepper. Used the pepper stem as my pumpkin stem and made long slices horizontally from the pepper to embellish down the sides of the cheese ball. So cute. As always-you’re the best.
Love the leaves! Great idea! The cheese ball looks pretty good too. I will have to give it a try!
Looks like the perfect DIY fall project. Love how you’ve connected craft ideas with food! :)
Very pretty! Your pumpkin cheeseball turned out great Mary and the painted leaves are the perfect touch:@)
I have a different recipe for a pumpkin shaped cheeseball, I will share it! Loved these leaves when I first saw you do them. Thanks for the info:) I am having a small party Sat. so will make the cheeseball too. After that all the Fall will get put away to prep for Christmas:):) PS, I usually use the end of a broccoli stalk for the pumpkin stem.
YUM! Beautiful AND savory. Can’t wait to try this. Question, do you use paste, gel or liquid food coloring? Thank you so much!!
Thanks Donna, I used liquid but I’m sure all would work :)
I have been wanting to try that “paint” and you have inspired me to do so!….Beautiful leaves and just love that amazing Cheese Ball….Have a great day Mary!
You are a genius!
so many of your pics have been permanently emblazed on my brian, i love it when they make repeat performances for your new masses :-) and for us old ones to resavor~
OMG. This is so much fun! I like to use food for crafts also. Why not? Food supplies are readily available and then family gets to eat the results. It’s a win win! But painting the leaves? Oh, that looks like so much fun. I have to try that. I stumbled and pinned this also. Linda @Crafts a la mode
Love this post.
My kids and I have always done the painted pastries on our pies. The color sticks better if you let the pastry sit for an hour or so after cutting them so the surface dries out a little bit. Then mix food coloring with a tablespoon of milk and paint away. Let them sit another 30 min to soak in and dry then place them on top of your pie and bake. You still get a great crust. We paint the turkey feathers and such, as well as, leaves.
This is a lovely recipe, thank you for the detailed recipe.