Halloween Sugar Cookies

Directions

1. Prepare a batch of your favorite sugar cookies. These should be buttery and ideal for cutout shapes.
2. Roll the dough into a ball and chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. This firms it up, making it easier to cut shapes.
3. After chilling, roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2 inch on parchment paper. Use Halloween cookie cutters to create your desired shapes.
4. Tip: Dust the rolling surface with powdered sugar instead of flour to prevent sticking.
5. Place the cut shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350°F for 7 minutes, or until the cookies are just barely golden brown.
7. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Follow a trusted recipe to prepare royal icing.
9. Divide the icing into four bowls for coloring: brown, yellow, orange, and white.
10. You'll need more orange and white icing for pumpkins and ghosts, and smaller amounts of brown for bats and pumpkin stems. Candy corns require small amounts of orange, white, and yellow.
11. Use less food coloring to achieve pastel shades for a charming look.
12. Once the icing is colored, fit piping bags with small round tips and fill them. Leave room at the top to twist the bag closed.
13. With the piping bags ready, begin piping the icing onto the cookies.
14. Start by outlining the cookie with icing.
15. Then fill in the center by continuing to pipe along the outline until the entire area is covered.
16. The icing will naturally blend together, forming a smooth, seamless coat.
17. For pumpkins, outline and fill them, then let them dry for 30 minutes before piping lines over the top.
18. Allow the decorated cookies to dry for 3 hours. Royal icing takes time to set; touching it before then will cause dents and fingerprints.