HALLOWEEN!

Seriously? Already? It’s happening, whether we like it or not. Can we discuss the cuteness of these cookies? OMG. Ridiculous. Can we also take a moment to discuss my hatred toward candy corns? I know, hate is such a strong word. But when it comes to candy corns I think there are only two categories. Love and hate. Sorry, but I can’t STAND them. I was thinking about it the other day. How much money would somebody have to pay me to eat a candy corn? At least $50-$100. Bleh!! That chalky, sticky consistency that gets stuck in your teeth and leaves a film on your gums.

NO THANK YOU.

However, nothing screams Halloween more than candy corns! So… why not make a delicious cookie that looks like a candy corn but tastes completely different? Genius. And delicious.

With a few simple steps these little guys are surprisingly easy to make, and the dough can be made ahead, leaving you plenty of time on Halloween to make this chili. And cornbread, of course.

The great thing about this recipe is you can use YOUR favorite sugar cookie dough recipe. Even store bought if that’s easiest! Once the dough is made, divide it into three equal sections. Keep one section as is, and using food coloring, make one section orange, and one section yellow. Starting with the white section, press the dough firmly into a loaf pan. Next, layer the orange dough on top, and the yellow dough on top of that.

Pop the whole thing in the fridge for at least two hours, or up to two days. When you’re ready to bake, just slice…

and cut into triangles!

And you’ve got yourself the cutest Halloween cookies. EVER.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Scale

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg (at room temperature)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Yellow and orange food coloring

Instructions

1) In a stand alone mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat for about 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down sides as needed.
2) In a separate bowl whisk the flour and the baking powder. Add half the flour to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add the rest of the flour and mix. If dough seems too sticky to handle or roll out, add 1 tablespoon more of flour at a time until it’s smooth and easy to handle.
3) Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. Leave the first section of dough as is. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to the second section of dough, and using a mixer or your hands, mix until you reach the color you want. Add orange food coloring to the third section of dough and mix.
4) Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and press the white section of dough into the bottom of the pan. Use your hands to press down firmly, including the edges. Sometimes I use a piece of folded parchment paper to help smooth out the dough. Add the orange layer on top and press down until smooth. And finally add the yellow layer on top. Cover and chill dough in the fridge for 1-2 hours, or up to 2 days.
5) When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough from fridge and using the plastic wrap take dough out of the pan and unwrap. Slice dough into 1/4 in slices. I also like to trim a small amount off the top of the yellow layer to make it nice and smooth. Cut each slice into triangles, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, let cookies cool, and serve!