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Iced and decorated sugar cookies cut out in bat, cat, mummy, pumpkin and ghost shapes are perfect treats for a Halloween gathering.
Photo by Fotolia/dulsita
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Yield will vary with thickness and size of cookies. SERVINGS
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 cup lard
- 1 cup butter
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Frosting:
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 2-1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Food coloring, in your choice of colors, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.To make cookies:2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, lard and butter. Add eggs, milk, cream and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork, or use a whisk, to combine and evenly distribute the salt. Add to creamed mixture, and mix well to combine.
- Turn dough out onto a floured board, and roll somewhat thin, depending on how thick you like your cookies. Cut dough out with Halloween-shaped cookie cutters, and place on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake until cookies are light brown and not doughy in the center. Baking times will vary depending on both the thickness and the size of the cookies, so watch carefully to make sure they don’t overbrown.
- Remove cookies from the oven. Gently transfer them to a wire rack, and let them cool completely.To make frosting:7. Place corn syrup, water and 2-1/2 cups sugar in a saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture registers 245 F on a candy thermometer. Remove pan from heat.
- In a small bowl, mix remaining sugar with egg whites. Add to syrup mixture, blending thoroughly, and then stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool completely.
- If using food coloring, spoon some frosting into a small bowl, and add food coloring. Mix well to blend.To put it all together:10. Frost cooled cookies, and decorate as desired. Cover and refrigerate any leftover frosting. Store cookies, covered, at room temperature.Every good party needs a nice spread. Use this and our other Festive Halloween Party Snacks at your next big gathering to impress your guests!
