Slice and Bake Halloween Cookies

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 18 oz (4 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine 8 oz cold cubed unsalted butter and 12.25 oz (1 3/4 cups) granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed just until the mixture is homogeneous and no butter lumps remain. Avoid overbeating; you don't want to incorporate too much air, which would cause spreading.
3. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and one egg, beating to combine. 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 and only a few streaks remain. Finish mixing by hand with a spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
5. Divide the dough: set aside about one-fifth for black coloring. To the larger portion, add purple gel food coloring (e.g., Americolor Electric Purple and Regal Purple). Mix using the mixer or knead by hand (wear gloves). The dough will bake to a lighter shade. Wrap the purple dough in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature.
6. Knead black gel food coloring (e.g., Americolor Super Black) into the smaller dough portion. Roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4-inch thickness. Refrigerate until firm.
7. Use small Halloween cookie cutters (e.g., black cat shape) to cut shapes from the black dough, spacing them as close as possible. Gather scraps, re-roll, and cut more. Place cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm, 10–15 minutes.
8. Whisk 1 large egg white with 1 tsp water. Once the black shapes are firm, lightly brush one with egg wash and press another on top. Continue stacking to form a long column of cats. If it becomes unwieldy, make shorter columns or return to the freezer for a few minutes. Press firmly, pinching extremities like legs and tails together. Freeze the assembled column until very firm, 20–30 minutes.
9. When the cat column is firm, pinch off a piece of purple dough and roll it into a long thin rope. Press this rope onto the cat column, pushing it into crevices and eliminating air pockets between the black and purple dough.
10. Continue pinching, rolling, and pressing purple dough around the entire cat column until it is completely encased. Then roll the log on your work surface to make it round and even.
11. Place black sugar sprinkles in a shallow pan. Roll the cookie dough log in the sprinkles until the outside is fully coated. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely firm, about 2 hours.
12. Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim the uneven end from the log, then slice rounds a little more than 1/2-inch thick. Arrange 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 should remain soft in the center. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.