Big Halloween Sugar Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• For the cookies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until completely incorporated. Divide the dough in half, pat into 2 discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Position the oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes to make rolling easier. Roll out 1 disc between 2 pieces of parchment to 1/8-inch thick. Cut out desired Halloween shapes with cookies cutters and arrange about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining disc of dough.
• Bake, rotating and switching the positions of the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are just turning golden brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, reroll the scraps between 2 pieces of parchment and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Repeat the cutting and baking process.
• For the royal icing: Beat the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 1/3 cup water in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes. Color the icing as desired for the cookie shapes.
• To make flood icing: Remove three-quarters of the desired color icing to a small bowl and stir in 1/2 teaspoon water until flooding consistency is achieved?you can run a knife through it and it flows back to where it was in 10 seconds. Add more water, 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until you've reached the right consistency. Transfer the flood icing to a piping back fitted with a number 2 round tip. Transfer the remaining thick icing to a piping bag fitted with a number 1 round tip.
• For cats: Pipe a black border around the cat with thick black icing. Fill with black flood icing and allow to harden, 6 hours or up to overnight. Pipe 2 pointy eyes on the face with thick yellow icing. Allow to harden, about 1 hour.
• For ghosts: Pipe a white border around the ghost with thick white icing. Fill with white flood icing and allow to harden, 6 hours and up to overnight. Pipe a ghost face with thick black icing. Pipe dots around the border of the ghost with thick orange and black icing. Allow to harden, about 1 hour.
• For pumpkins: Pipe an orange border around the edge of the pumpkin with thick orange icing. Fill with orange flood icing and allow to harden, 6 hours and up to overnight. Pipe two orange lines down the pumpkin with thick orange icing. Pipe on a green stem with thick green icing. Pipe vines with thick green icing. Allow to harden, about 1 hour.
• For candy corn: Pipe a white triangle border around the top third of the cookie with thick white icing. Pipe a trapezoid in the middle portion of the cookie, bordering the white triangle, with thick orange icing. Pipe a larger trapezoid that outlines the lowest third with thick yellow icing. Fill the white triangle with white flood icing. Fill the orange trapezoid with orange flood icing. Fill the yellow trapezoid with yellow flood icing. Allow the flood icing to harden, 6 hours and up to overnight.

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat the sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Turn the mixer to low, add the flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.
• Remove the dough from the mixer and divide into 4 equal pieces. Add 1 piece back into the mixer. Turn the mixer to low speed and color the dough with the purple gel food coloring, about 4 drops, until completely incorporated. Wipe the bowl and the paddle clean and repeat with the remaining 3 pieces, coloring one neon green, one black and one orange.
• Starting with the purple dough, tear half of it into teaspoon-size pieces and scatter them on top of a piece of parchment. Repeat with the remaining colors, tearing half of each color into teaspoon-size pieces and filling in all the spaces so that you have an oval shape with barely any of the parchment showing underneath. Top with another piece of parchment and use a rolling pin to roll the colors together until it is one big piece of dough about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough. Refrigerate both parchment-covered pieces of dough until chilled, about 1 hour.
• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Remove the top piece of parchment from one piece of dough and cut out circles with a 2-inch circle cookie cutter. Place on one of the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Repeat with the other piece of dough and baking sheet. Bake until the edges are just starting to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Spread a small amount of frosting onto the edge of the cookies and roll them in the orange and black sanding sugar until completely coated.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and blended. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Shape dough into 2 portions. Shape each into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. Halloween-shaped cookie cutters. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, shortening and enough water to reach spreading consistency. Tint frosting and decorate as desired. Let stand until set.