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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Halloween Cookies

Made using vanilla and chocolate doughs
these cookies look like edible ghosts.

Vanilla dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
To make the vanilla dough:
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt
together with a whisk or a fork. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter
and sugar with an electric mixer
until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
On low speed, beat in the flour
just until incorporated.
Form the dough into a log
about 2 inches in diameter. Set aside.

To make the chocolate dough:
In a medium bowl, mix the flour,
cocoa, baking soda, baking powder,
and salt together thoroughly
with a whisk or fork. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter,
brown sugar, and granulated sugar
with the back of a spoon or an
electric mixer until smooth and
creamy but not fluffy.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
On low speed, beat in the flour
mixture and mix just until incorporated.
Form dough into a log the same
length as the vanilla log.
If the dough is too soft and
sticky to handle place it
in the freezer to firm.
Reshape each log of dough so that
it is skull shaped rather than round:
make one side narrow for the chin
and jaw and leave the other
side wide for the cranium.
Wrap and refrigerate the chocolate dough.
Form features in the vanilla dough,
using the handle of a wooden spoon
to poke holes for eyes through the
entire length of the log.
Form the nose with a skewer,
poking two holes for nostrils.
Form the mouth by inserting a
narrow table knife and wiggling
it back and forth to lengthen
and widen the opening.
Wrap and refrigerate the vanilla dough.
Chill both doughs at least 2 hours,
preferable overnight.
Position rack in the upper and
lower third of the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the chocolate dough into 1/8-inch
slices and place them at least
1 1/2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets.
Cut the vanilla dough into 1/8-inch
slices and place 1 slice on
top of each chocolate slice.
Bake until pale golden at the edges,
12 minutes, rotating the baking sheets
from top to bottom and front
to back halfway through the baking.
Slide parchment liners onto cooling
racks or transfer the cookies directly
from the pan to the rack with
a metal pancake turner, waiting
1 to 2 minutes if necessary to
let the cookies firm up before moving them.
Cook cookies completely before
stacking or storing. Cookies keep at least
1 week in an air-tight container.

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