Gingerbread Halloween Vampire Cookies Recipe

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 325°F so it's ready when you need it.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring the mixture to a boil—make sure the pan is big enough because it will foam up.
3. Stir in the baking soda, then remove the pan from the heat. Pour the hot mixture over the butter chunks in a heatproof bowl. Stir until the butter is completely melted.
4. Crack the egg into the bowl and mix it in. Gradually add 2 ½ cups of flour, stirring gently until a smooth dough forms. If the dough seems too sticky, add up to another ½ cup of flour as needed.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until the dough is firm enough to roll.
6. Once chilled, roll out the dough on a floured surface to about ¼-inch thickness (for thicker, softer cookies). Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cookies on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
7. After cooling, decorate with icing. Use black frosting to pipe small dots for eyes and buttons, and a straight line for the mouth. Add a dab of white frosting below the mouth to form fangs, then use a toothpick to taper the fangs to thin points. Splatter red icing on the teeth and below. Let the frosting set.
8. Pile the finished cookies on a classic three-tiered stand for a spooky display.