Pumpkin Piñata Cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in egg yolks one at a time, then add vanilla extract and orange food coloring.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Gradually add to the butter mixture, mixing until dough comes together. If it seems dry, knead on a floured surface with extra flour until smooth.
4. Roll dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness on a floured surface. Use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to cut 48 cookies.
5. Take 16 of those cookies and use a smaller circle or pumpkin cutter to remove the center, creating a window.
6. Place all cookies on prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
7. Using black cookie icing, pipe jack-o'-lantern faces onto 16 of the cookies. Set aside to dry.
8. Place the 16 solid base cookies (without faces) on a flat surface. Pipe black icing around the edges of each base cookie.
9. Stack the 16 window cookies (with centers removed) on top of the base cookies, aligning edges. Fill the center cavities with Halloween M&Ms.
10. Pipe black icing around the edges of the window cookies and top with the 16 face cookies. Press gently to adhere.
11. Let cookies dry uncovered for 6-8 hours or overnight before serving.