I used a curved exacto blade to cut the inner leaves away. Do this very carefully so you can use the inner leaves as a second block. A very small pair of scissors will work too. First use the exacto knife to start the cut so you can keep the inner leaf neat and tidy to use on your second block.
This can be a little time consuming and hard on the hand, but I like the results. I am waiting to see if Accuquilt comes out with a die of detailed leaf sets that can be done this way for applique. It would save a lot of time!