Ghost Sugar Cookies
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 30 servings
- Calories
- 159
- Total Fat
- 5
- Saturated Fat
- 3
- Carbohydrates
- 28
- Dietary Fiber
- 0
- Sugar
- 21
- Protein
- 1
- Cholesterol
- 18
- Sodium
- 65
- Total: 5 hr 30 min (includes chilling and drying time)
- Active: 1 hr
Ingredients
Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Royal Icing and Decorating:
3 large pasteurized egg whites
Pinch fine salt
1 pound confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
30 black jelly beans, halved crosswise
One 15-inch piece black licorice lace, cut into 30 equal strips
Directions
Special equipment:
a 3.5-inch ghost-shape cookie cutter- For the cookies: Stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Combine the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
- Starting on low speed, mix in the flour mixture in 3 additions; scrape down the sides of the bowl in between. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours, up to overnight.
- Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Cut the dough in half. Dust your work surface and the dough liberally with flour and roll one piece of dough about 1/4 inch thick. Cut as many ghosts as you can with a 3.5-inch ghost-shape cookie cutter and transfer to the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. Gather the scraps from both pieces of dough, then flatten, rewrap and refrigerate.
- Meanwhile, bake the ghosts, switching and rotating positions of the baking sheets halfway through, until golden on the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with the refrigerated dough scraps to get about 30 cookies in total.
- For the royal icing: Combine the egg whites and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high until foamy, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon water. Beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed to high and beat until the icing is thick and glossy but still pourable (like very thick paint), about 3 minutes, adding more water as needed to reach the right consistency. Transfer to another medium bowl.
- For decorating: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and place a wire rack on each.
- Dip 1 cookie, face down, into the icing and let the excess drip back into the bowl, to evenly coat the top. Place icing-side up on the prepared wire rack. Add 2 jelly bean halves for the eyes and 1 licorice strip, curved up, for a smiling mouth. Repeat with the remaining cookies and candy. Let sit until the icing hardens completely, at least 1 hour.