Slice and Bake Halloween Cookies

Directions

1. Whisk together 18 oz (4 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl, then set aside.
2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine 8 oz cubed cold unsalted butter and 12.25 oz (1 3/4 cups) granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed just until no butter chunks remain and the mixture is homogeneous—do not beat until light and fluffy, as that incorporates too much air and makes cookies spread.
3. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and one egg, beating to combine. Then add the second egg and beat until fully incorporated.
4. Stop the mixer, add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until most of the flour is incorporated with only a few streaks remaining. Finish mixing by hand with a spatula, scraping the bowl's bottom and sides.
5. Separate about one-fifth of the dough. Mix purple gel food coloring into the larger portion (use a mixer or knead by hand—wear plastic gloves to avoid staining). The dough will bake to a lighter color. Wrap the purple dough in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature.
6. Mix black gel food coloring into the smaller dough portion. Roll it out between two sheets of parchment to about 1/4-inch thick, then refrigerate until firm.
7. Use a small Halloween cookie cutter to cut black cat shapes from the black dough, spacing them as close as possible. Reroll scraps and cut more. Place cat shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 10–15 minutes.
8. Whisk one large egg white with 1 tsp water. Once the cats are firm, lightly brush one cat with egg wash, then press another cat on top. Continue stacking cats into a long column, pressing well and pinching extremities together. If needed, make multiple shorter columns or return to freezer to firm up. Once assembled, freeze the column until very firm, about 20–30 minutes.
9. When the cat column is firm, take a piece of purple dough and roll it into a long skinny rope. Press this rope onto the cat column, pushing it into crevices and ensuring no air pockets.
10. Continue pinching, rolling, and pressing purple dough around the entire cat column until it is completely surrounded. Roll the dough log on your work surface to make it round.
11. Spread black sugar sprinkles in a shallow pan. Roll the cookie dough log in the sprinkles until fully coated on the outside. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely firm, about 2 hours.
12. Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice off the uneven end of the log, then cut cookie rounds just over 1/2-inch thick. Place on baking sheets and bake for 9–10 minutes, until slightly puffy and set around the edges. Do not let them brown or overbake—they're best soft in the middle. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.