HALLOWEEN SKELETON COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. gingerbread boy cookie cutter. Place on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 375° for 7-8 minutes or until set. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For icing, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Cut a small hole in the corner of a resealable plastic bag; fill with icing. Pipe skeleton bones on cookies.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, dark brown and granulated sugars until smooth. Add the molasses and egg and beat until combined and creamy, scrapping down the bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Shape into two disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350 ° F. On a well-floured surface, working with one disk at a time, roll the dough to ¼ inch thick. Transfer to two parchment-lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters (brush off excess flour with a dry pastry brush) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Bake until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Transfer the royal icing to a piping bag or a resealable plastic freezer bag (snip a small hole in the corner of the freezer bag). Decorate cookies as desired and let set. (For straight lines, hold the tip of the tube ¼ inch above the cookie and let the icing drop down.) To make skeletons, first draw the eyes and mouth, then the spine with ribs, and finally the arm and leg bones.