Halloween Party Cutout 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:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature 5 minutes to soften. In a small bowl, beat cookie dough and flour until combined., On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 4-1/2-in. Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter, a 3-in. candy cane-shaped cookie cutter and a 3-in. star-shaped cookie cutter. Cut each star in half. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., For witches: Tint a portion of vanilla frosting green. Frost the bottom two-thirds of a tree cookie green; frost the top third with chocolate frosting., For witches' hats, microwave chocolate wafers for a few seconds to slightly soften as needed. Use a serrated knife to cut a triangle out of one wafer. Cut another wafer in half, forming two hat brims. Place a triangle over chocolate frosting; add a brim., Add Shredded Wheat for hair. Add facial features with baking bits, chocolate chips and cut up pieces of Fruit Roll-Ups., For snakes: Frost candy cane cookies as desired. Cut Fruit Roll-Ups into triangles; attach to cookies. Add facial features., For bats: Frost halved star cookies with chocolate frosting. For ears, microwave chocolate wafers for a few seconds to slightly soften as needed. Use a serrated knife to cut small triangles; attach to cookies. Add facial features as desired.

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the top and bottom and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
• Combine the brown sugar and granulated sugar with the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well to combine, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed to combine, scraping the bowl down once to make sure it is mixed well, about 1 minute. Add the oats, candy-coated chocolates, chocolate chips, half of the sprinkles and the pecans if using. Mix on low speed just to combine, about 30 seconds.
• Spread the remaining 1/2 cup sprinkles in a small bowl. Using a 1/4-cup (2-ounce) ice cream scoop or dry measuring cup, scoop a scant 1/4 cup of dough, roll into a ball and flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand. Press the top of the ball in the sprinkles. Place 6 balls of dough on each baking sheet. Arrange 2 eyeballs on each dough ball. (Refrigerate the remaining dough while you bake this batch.)
• Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the edges are crisp and golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the pans to wire racks to cool slightly, then transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely. Allow the baking sheets to cool and then repeat with the remaining dough.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg. On low speed, mix in flour mixture. Divide dough in half, and form into 2 disks, each about 3/4 inch thick. Wrap disks in plastic; chill until firm, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days.
• On a lightly floured sheet of waxed paper, using a floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/2 inch thick. (If dough becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate for a few minutes.)
• Using 2- to 3-inch Halloween cookie cutters, cut out shapes, dipping cutters in flour as necessary to prevent sticking; place on a baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart.
• Bake until surface is dry to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes (if decorating, press candies into dough halfway through baking). Cool cookies 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheet; transfer to a rack to cool completely.