Halloween cookie adventures!

Halloween is fast approaching.  Our family is in full anticipation mode.  Yard decorating will be in full swing this weekend.  OH how we LOVE Halloween!  I remember as a child, the air smelled electric on halloween.  Fallen leaves were exceptionally crunchy under foot.  Excited butterflies were tickling my tummy.  It was an exciting time.

Now with children of my own, I am hoping that their memories of halloween will be just as magical as mine were.  This year was the first year that my eldest son was keen on actually HELPING with making halloween cookies, and I have forced myself to harness my control freak nature in the kitchen so that we could enjoy the process.

This was my first experiment with royal icing, and I do think that it did turn out with a good consistency, though the recipe I used required me to dial back the consistency with water.

This is the one we used from the Joy Of baking:
Royal Icing Recipe

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:

2 large (60 grams) egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. (The right consistency to cover or "flood" sugar cookies is when you lift the beater, the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface for a few seconds before disappearing. Another test is to take a cookie and place a small amount of icing in the center of the cookie. Using a small knife, push the icing to the edge of the cookie. If the icing runs off the edge, thicken the icing by adding a little more confectioners sugar. Conversely, if the icing is too thick, add a little water.) The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air.  Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

I used sandwich bags and snap clips for mini icing bags.  Reinforcing a corner with Tape so that the hole we cut would not expand as we used it.

One note would be to be careful with Black dye.  I did purchase some proper Wilson dyes for the project, but they didn't seem to be of the consistency or potency that I remember my mom used.  They were more Jelly like as opposed to the paste that I was used to.  I will have to research this.  Anyway, we ended up with inedible Black icing because it took so much dye to arrive at a proper black.

Oh well Lesson learned, and it did not hamper the cookie decorating experience one little bit.

We used a simple sugar cookie recipe as well...perfect for decorating!

This is the one we used:

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Here is the end result:

I especially love the mummies... created and designed by my little guy.

Have a Goulish Halloween!
Sherri