Halloween Sugar Cookie Box
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 3 hours decorating time (on and off)
Cooking time: 10 minutes per tray
Makes a large amount of cookies, around 30-35 or so (depending on cutter size)
These cookies are best done over a 2 day period
For Cookies
- 170g/6ozs butter, softened
- 280g/10ozs white caster superfine sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 360g/12.7ozs all-purpose flour (or a bit more, I needed about 50g/1.7oz more for this batch)
To Decorate
- 500g/1.1lbs Black fondant
- 1/2 teaspoon edible gold lustre paint
- 2 tablespoons vodka
Royal Icing
- 400g/14ozs icing or confectioners sugar
- 60g/2oz. egg white (around 2 egg whites)
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- Food colouring in red, black, orange, purple, green and brown
You will also need an assortment of cookie cutters. I used a heart for the planchette, a pumpkin, rat, autumn leaf, witch's hat, round fluted and gingerbread man cutter.
Step 1 - Using a beater attachment, beat the butter and sugar until pale. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Then on the lowest speed, add the flour until it becomes a pliable dough. If it is too sticky, gradually add some more flour (if it too sticky, the dough will spread). Divide the dough in half and roll out each half a between two large sheets of parchment. Place both on a large tray and rest in fridge for 1 hour or overnight (up to 3 days).
Thermomix directions: place the butter and sugar in the Thermomix bowl and set to speed 3, 20 seconds. Then add egg and vanilla and set to speed 3, 10 seconds. Then add the flour and set to speed 4 for 10 seconds.
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line three baking trays with parchment. Dip your cutter into some flour and cut out cookies. I usually peel away the excess dough and use a brownie lifter to gently place them on the prepared trays about 1/2 an inch apart. For the planchette cookie I use a heart cookie and then a thick boba straw to cut out a circle. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on the tray and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. This dough can roll and re-roll again easily but needs to be rolled between parchment paper each time and then chilled for 15 minutes before baking.
Step 3 - Make the royal icing for the pumpkins, leaves, round message and hangman. Mix the icing sugar and the egg white together. I do this in a food processor because I'm lazy and hate sifting icing sugar. But just a lil' warning, it does create lots of tiny little bubbles so it's best if you rest this covered for about 15 minutes before using it to let the bubbles dissipate. First I whizz the icing sugar so that the lumps disappear and then add the egg white. You want to be able to draw a line and have it hold so add more icing sugar if necessary.
Thermomix royal icing: Place the icing sugar in the Thermomix bowl and set to speed 6, 10 seconds. Add the egg white and set to speed 5, 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides and add lemon juice and set to speed 4, 10 seconds. Check that the icing is of pipeable consistency adding more icing sugar (if too liquid) or lemon juice (if too stiff) if needed.
Step 4 - Divide the royal icing into 6 bowls - you want orange, white, brown, black, green and purple. Tint each one with edible colouring (you won't need to tint the white one) and cover with cling film as royal icing dries out quickly. Take 2 tablespoons of royal icing out of each one and place in a small piping bag (please see this youtube video where Chef Jessica Pedemont shows how to make a small parchment piping bag as above, it's super handy to know how to make these). These tiny piping bags are to pipe the outlines of icing and draw patterns.
To make Pumpkin Cookies/Autumn Cookies/Spooky Message/SOS/HELP Cookies: Pipe an outline around each cookie and let it set hard (around 15-20 minutes). Keep this little piping bag in an airtight container as we will use it to draw patterns on top of the pumpkins. Then add a few drops of water to the matching icing so that it becomes runnier in texture (be careful to not add too much water). Spoon into the centre of the cookie spreading it out to the borders with the back of the spoon. Poke any air holes with a toothpick and allow to set completely. Then using one of the piping bags with icing, draw patterns.
To Make Hangman Cookies: Draw two red crosses for eyes in red royal icing and take a small length of twine and wrap it around the neck.
To Make Rat Cookies: Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of powdered/icing sugar on a non stick chopping board. Roll out some grey or brown fondant and use the rat cutter to cut out rats.
Wet a brush and brush water lightly on the back of the fondant and then stick it to the rat cookie. This rat cookie had indents for the ears, eyes and head but if yours doesn't draw them in using a small paring knife. Use your nails to create an articulated tail. Draw a red eye in using red royal icing.
To make Planchette Cookies: Sprinkle a little cocoa powder or powdered/icing sugar on a non stick chopping board. Roll out some black fondant and use the heart cutter to cut out hearts. Wet a brush and brush water lightly on the back of the fondant and then stick it to the heart cookie. Take a chopstick and poke a hole into the cookie in the same spot as the cookie hole. Mix the gold lustre dust with the vodka well and paint designs on the cookies.
To make Witch's Hat Cookies: Sprinkle a little cocoa powder or powdered/icing sugar on a non stick chopping board. Roll out some black fondant and use the witch's hat cutter to cut out hats. Wet a brush and brush water lightly on the back of the fondant and then stick it to the hat cookie. Cut out thin strips and add them as a band on top using a little water to help it stick to the fondant. Mix the gold lustre dust with the vodka well and paint a square buckle.