Boo-tiful Haunted Houses Recipe

Ok, so this recipe takes quite a while. But it is a great Halloween recipe to try.

• Meal Type: Cookie
• Ethnicity: Other
• Holiday Category: Halloween
• Preparation Time: Over 1 hour, less than 1 day

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla extract
• green and orange hard candies
• 1 can (16-ounces) Vanilla Frosting
• black, orange and green food coloring
• assorted candies (such as candy corn, licorice, candy-coated jelly candy, nonpareils)
• dry cereal (such as chocolate cookie cereal)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 d. F. Line several baking sheets with foil. Place the like-colored candies in large resealable plastic bags; break into small pieces with kitchen mallet. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy; beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture into butter mixture, blending until dough forms. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out house shapes; reroll scraps as needed.
4. Transfer house shapes to prepared baking sheets. Using the tip of a sharp knife, cut out doors and windows from shapes; remove scraps. Bake cookies until golden brown; 18-20 minutes.
5. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks. Spoon crushed candies into window openings; approx. 1 tsp per window (mix orange & green together if desired). Brush away excess.
6. Return baking sheets to the oven and bake until candies are melted, about 2 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool. If desired, while candy is still warm, use a toothbrush to swirl colors together. Let cookies cool completely.
7. To decorate, divide frosting in half. Place one half in pastry bag fitted with a small writing tip; set aside. Divide remaining half of frosting among 3 small bowls. Add a different color food coloring, 1 drop at a time to each bowl until desired colors are reached. Placed colored frostings in separate pastry bags fitted with small writing tips; set aside until ready to use.
8. Remove cooled cookies from foil. Working with one cookie at a time, attach candy and/or cereal decorations to top of cookie with white frosting for the roof. Let set until dry, about 15 minutes.
9. Using colored frostings in pastry bags and remaining white frosting, pipe on decorations, such as spider webs, bats, black cats, ghosts and skeletons. Outline houses, windows and door with frosting. Let cookies set until dry, 1-2 hours. Makes 8 large haunted house cookies.