Halloween Treats

Lets not start by talking about how I may or may not have already eaten a third of a pan of these blondies all by myself today.

Lets instead talk about making Halloween sugar cookies!!
As previously mentioned, many times, I adore Halloween. One of my family's old Halloween traditions involves the "Halloween Phantom." We would gather together, make cookies, arrange them festively on a plate or two and affix this little ditty to the top:
The Halloween Phantom has come today,

bringing this treat in a tricky way.

We’ve prepared and dropped this festive delight,

and ask you do the same by tomorrow night.

You’ll leave something yummy, along with this rhyme,

so others will know it’s their time to shine.

A trick with a treat until all Hallow’s eve,

will spread smiles and grins for all who receive.

So join in the fun, don’t break the chain,

deliver your treat in the dark or the rain.

You’ll feel the excitement that giving can bring,

As you become a part of this autumnal fling!

And then....we ding-dong-ditch them!!!!! I love doing this!! I realize I may be revealing a bit too much here, so if you like this idea, please do it by next weekend, and then forget about it by next year. At least until you find you find a special plate of cookies on your doorstep, then you are free to remember and even thank me if you'd like :)

Here are the cookies we made this year, they are the BEST sugar cookies.
Sorry there aren't any pictures...I got a little excited and involved and carried away in it all and my camera was left neglected on the counter.

Best Sugar Cookies,
according to Rachel

For the Cookies:
1 1/2 C granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 C sour cream (I used all natural, regular. some day though I want to try it with reduced fat)
5 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

For the Frosting:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 Tbsp half and half (or milk)
2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
gel food coloring

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Cream together sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs. Mix in sour cream.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Gradually add to the batter, and mix thoroughly. Dough will be sticky. Cover the cookie dough and chill for at least one hour (this helps it to firm up and makes it workable).

Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick (or a bit more if you dare....and I dare). Cut out cookies to desired shape. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake 7-8 minutes. Be careful not to over bake! These cookies can get dry really fast if you over bake them, but are perfection when cooked just right. I would even say it's better to underbake them just a bit than over bake them.

To make frosting:
Beat together the butter and half and half. Add vanilla extract. Sift the powdered sugar, and whip that into the butter mixture until smooth and creamy. Add more powdered sugar to stiffen it up, and more half and half to loosen it up. Color with food coloring. Frost cooled cookies.

Side notes: I prefer using the gel food coloring because the colors come out so much truer and more deeply hued, as opposed to liquid food coloring which almost always yields pastel colors. Plus, gel food coloring comes in awesome colors like purple, navy blue, even black!

For really groovy cookie decorating, use a piping bag. If you don't have one, put the different colors of frosting into ziploc sandwich bags and snip of a tiny little bit of the bottom corner. Then squeeze (make sure you don't squeeze it out the top!) and decorate away!!

I hope you try this ding-dong-ditching, Halloween Phantom thing. We absolutely loved doing it as kids, and in fact, I still love to do it. Nothing says Halloween like hiding out the dark, waiting for someone to find their cookies.

**oh and about those blondies....you should make those too. With white chocolate chips. The pan is now over half way gone, er... um.... thanks to the boys...I swear it wasn't all me.