Creepy cookies – Halloween Baking. Before we start I have a confession. For the purpose of artistic licence these Creepy Cookies are really biscuits masquerading as cookies because its such a great name. In the UK cookies are softer, chewier than biscuits and often contain pieces of chocolate, nuts or dried fruit. Biscuits are normally made from a firmer dough and baked to a crisper finish. In fact the origins of the word biscuit go as far back as Latin then medieval French and means twice cooked. The second bake or drying out helped preserve the biscuit from spoiling.
Creepy Cookie Dough
The recipe is a variety of Sable pastry a rich egg and butter enriched recipe from France. You can use sable pastry for making tart cases, Linzer biscuits and wonderful festive mince pies. The classic central European Christmas recipe Linzer torte is made from a sable pastry. It is filled with jam and topped with a pastry lattice. The word “sable” is French for sand which you will see perfectly describes the grainy texture when you make the biscuits. The end result is a fine crumbly texture.
Ghastly Ghosties and Scary Halloween Double Chocolate Cupcakes. Do you celebrate Halloween? Yes! Well, when I was little, we celebrated Bonfire night. Maybe a few naughty children in the village threw eggs or played other pranks on Mischief Night. However, no one really celebrated Halloween.
Oh, Mummies! Scary Rice Krispie Cakes. One of my favourite treats as a child was when my mum made a tray of sticky marshmallow rice Krispie cake. However, I’m not really a cake or sweet guy but I swear I could eat the whole thing. I always knew if we were going to make it because I would be sent to the small local village shop which sold slabs of toffee.
Cookies and biscuits differ from cakes and breads because they are made with a firmer dough. Cakes are made with a more liquid-based dough or batter made with more egg or milk which allow the bubbles to expand more and a lighter finish. These Halloween cookies are sandwiched together with simple whipped vanilla buttercream and I use soft mini marshmallows for the teeth
How to make Creepie Cookies
Creepy cookies or biscuits are a great addition to your Halloween baking recipes. You can really let your families creative talents shine. The recipe is a rich pastry that you can ice and decorate as you please with a slightly let down ( runny ) Royal icing, but if you want you can buy premade and ready coloured icing. You can find suitably shaped cutters not in most supermarkets or online or you can cut out a card template and using a small knife just cut around your shape.
Colourful Rainbow Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Parchment
- Plastic wrap or cling film
- A large mixing bowl
- 6 smaller bowls
- A Rolling pin
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 400 gram Self-raising Flour sifted
- 250 gram Jersey Butter at room temperature
- 300 gram Golden Caster Sugar
- 2 free-range Eggs
- 2 Vanilla Pods opened and seeds removed
- Food Colourings
Instructions
For the Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 375 F / 190 C / Gas Mark 5 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- Rub the butter, flour and sugar together in a bowl until it makes a sandy textured crumb.
- Mix the eggs and vanilla together before combining with the flour, sugar and butter mix.
- Divide the cookie mix as follows, divide it into six bowls. Start with a couple of dessert spoons in the first bowl and roughly double up in each bowl. Then mix each bowl with your food colouring. ( See pictures in the post ).
- Chill the coloured dough in the fridge for fifteen minutes and then roll the purple into a sausage shape. Roll the remaining colours out between sheets of cling film. Working in reverse order wrap the colours around the purple cookie cylinder.
- You will then end up with a large rainbow cookie roll. Trim off the ends and use to make multi coloured cookies and thoroughly chill.
- Carefully cut in half then slice into semi circles about 3/4 centimetre in thickness.
- Spread out onto a tray with baking parchment or a silicon baking mat. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Ten for a softer, chewy cookie, twelve for a more crisp biscuit.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes then transfer onto wire rack.
