PUMPKIN FACE COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• Place waxed paper on microwavable plate. Mix all ingredients except candies until very soft dough forms.
• Drop dough by 2 rounded tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper; spread to make 3-inch circle. Make 3 cookies at a time. Decorate with candies to make monster faces, placing candies within 1/2 inch of edges.
• Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute. Turn plate 1/2 turn. Microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute longer, checking once or twice, until cookies are puffed and dry. Slide waxed paper with cookies onto wire rack. Cool 5 minutes; remove from waxed paper to wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 160C/ conventional 180C/gas 4. Put the butter in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the flour, icing sugar and orange zest and beat together to make a softish dough. Knead into a ball and wrap in cling film. Chill for 1 hour.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3mm. Cut 24 circles with a 7.5 cm round plain cutter. Put them on a couple of baking sheets.
• Using a small sharp knife, cut out Hallowe’en faces on 12 of the circles. Gather up the spare biscuit dough and press into pumpkin stem shapes, trimming with a sharp knife. Press to the top of each biscuit with a knife to join. Make lines on the face biscuits with the back of a roundbladed knife, to look like the markings on a pumpkin. Bake all the biscuits for about 15 minutes until pale golden. Leave to set for a while, then cool completely on a wire rack.
• Mix the glaze ingredients to make a smooth, runny icing, adding a bit more juice if needed, then set aside. For the filling, beat the mascarpone with the icing sugar, then stir in the cooled melted chocolate.
• Spread the filling over the cooled plain biscuits, then press the ‘face’ ones on top – do this just before you want to eat them, otherwise they go soft. Brush with the glaze, using a clean paint brush or pastry brush. Eat the same day.