Spider Cookies



Such a good addition to any Halloween Party!!



Ingredients:

*1 pouch cookie mix (any flavor), I used "Funfetti Cookie Mix"

*30 Rollo Carmel Candies

*Black or Red string licorice

*Mini M&M's

*Black gel

Directions:

*Bake cookies according to directions on the pouch

*Immediately after baking, place a Rollo in the center of the cookie.  Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks

*Cut licorice into 2-inch pieces for the legs.  Attach legs by sticking into the caramel.  The Rollo will be melted enough to easily do this.  Use the Mini M&M's and place on for eyes, use black gel to make pupils in the eyes.

Those pull apart licorice is not easy, you have to have patience with these!

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Centers

Who doesn't love a chewy peanut butter cookie?  I was going through another one of my MIL's cookbooks and came across this cookie.  Jey loves some peanut butter cookies, and with him having a rough couple weeks I wanted to cheer him up.  It's a great cookie for those on Weight Watchers because it's only 2 points and the cookie is huge!  I also added two semi-sweet chocolate chips to the centers to add a little more to this delicious cookie.  This is a MUST TRY recipe!

Weight Watchers: 2 POINTS per cookie

Ingredients:

*1 cup whole-wheat flour
*1/2 teas baking soda
*1/2 teas salt
*1 cup sugar
*1/2 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
*4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
*2 large eggs
*1/2 teas vanilla extract
*30 semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Place the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.  Spray or line with parchment paper two baking sheets with nonstick spray.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.  With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the sugar, peanut butter, and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture and beat until blended.

3. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheets 2 inches apart, making a total of 30 cookies.  With a piece of parchment paper press each mound to make a 2-inch round.  Place 2 semi-sweet chocolate chips in the center of each cookie.  Bake until lightly browned around the edges, 10-11 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheets on racks about 1 minute.  With a spatula, transfer the cookies to racks and let cool completely.

Halloween Cookies

I'm not a huge baker, I rarely look in the baking section.  I was so excited to see that there is such a thing as SHIMMER DECORATING GEL!!  I think it added another dimension to the cookies, now I want to shimmer gel everything!!

Jackson's Pre-K school is having a Fall Festival this weekend, and since we can't go since we will be camping I volunteered to make cookies and cupcakes for the bake sale.  I was feeling so generous that I said I would make 4 DOZEN cookies and 2 DOZEN cupcakes!  After a long night of baking and decorating only 2 dozen cookies, I'm exhausted, but it was a lot of fun!

Sugar Cookies--Makes 2 Dozen
Recipe Courtesy of:  Martha Stewart Magazine

Ingredients:

*2 cups all-purpose flour
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/2 teaspoon baking powder
*1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
*1 cup sugar
*1 large egg, lightly beaten
*2 tablespoons brandy, or milk
*1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Here is my lil' pumpkin cutter!

Directions

*Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar; mix until light and fluffy. With mixer running, add egg, brandy, and vanilla; mix until well combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add reserved flour mixture. *Mix until just combined.
*Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
*On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more. *Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes; do not allow to brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
*Decorate with Royal Icing, optional.

Royal Icing Recipe
Courtesy: Martha Stewart Magazine

Ingredients:

*1 cup confectioners' sugar
*2 teaspoons milk
*2 teaspoons light corn syrup
*1/4 teaspoon almond extract
*assorted food coloring

Directions

*In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
*Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush. (I used a icing spreader)



Since they have to be individually wrapped for the bake sale, I just put them in little bags, tied them with orange ribbon and then glued the little glitter pumpkin on the bow.

Hope you choose to make these cookies, they are such fun!!