Ghost Cupcake Cookies

Prep Time:

1h - 1h 30m

Bake/Cook Time:

11m - 12m

Yield:

18-24 cookies depending on size of cookie cutter

Let’s make some BOO-tiful Halloween cookies! These cupcake ghost cookies are simple and sweet…and a sure hit at any Halloween celebration. The spider web detail on the “cupcake liner” is so easy to accomplish. So easy, in fact, it’s almost scary. All you need is a toothpick.

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Products Used

Extra Fine Granulated Pure Cane Sugar Bag

Ingredients

Royal Icing
Ghost Cupcake Cookie Supplies
Cupcake cookie cutter
Gel paste food coloring: black, orange, white
Piping bags
Icing tips: #2
Squeeze bottles, such as used for candy making
Toothpicks
Black food coloring pen
Classic Sugar Cookies
1/2 cup + 1/2 tablespoon butter flavored Crisco
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons of one large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a mixing bowl, cream the Crisco and sugar together.
Beat one egg in another bowl and measure out 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons of egg into mixing bowl with water and vanilla until mixed. Then, blend in remaining dry ingredients on low speed till mixed.
Wrap dough in wax paper or plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
On a floured or powdered sugared surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness.
Use cupcake cookie cutter to cut out 18-24 cookies. Freeze cut-outs for 5-10 minutes before baking to help prevent spreading. After baking 11-12 min, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare Royal Icing and divide into 3 bowls. Use black, orange and white gel food coloring to color each bowl a different color. Set aside.
Fit a pastry bag with a #2 tip and fill with black icing. Create outline of a cupcake liner on bottom half of each cookie, leaving middle to be filled in with icing after performing next steps.
Thin out remaining black icing by adding water, a little at a time. Stir with a silicone spatula, as you make additions until it reaches consistency of thick syrup.To test consistency of icing, drop a "ribbon" of icing back into bowl and count as you watch it disappear, "one thousand one, one thousand two.” Four is too thick; one is too thin. Count of 2-3 is good. Adjust accordingly.Cover with a damp dishcloth and let sit for several minutes. Repeat process to thin all orange icing as well.
When both black and orange bowls of icing have sat for several minutes, stir them gently with a spatula to pop any air bubbles that might have formed and pour into squeeze bottles for decorating.
To create cupcake liner design on bottom of each cookie, work 6-8 cookies at a time, fill in outline with thinned black icing, using a toothpick to guide to edges and pop large air bubbles.
To add spider web detail, start back with first cookie filled and add 3-4 curved lines of thinned orange icing in corner of cupcake liner part of cookie, directly on top of wet black icing. Drag a toothpick from corner out to create a spider web effect. Let icing dry for at least one hour.
To outline frosting design on tops of each cupcake cookie, fit a pastry bag with a #2 tip and fill with white icing. Pipe an outline of three stacked sections across top of each cookie to look like swirls of cupcake frosting once filled in.
Thin remaining white icing as directed above and pour into squeeze bottle.
Fill in frosted tops of each cookie by sections. Start by filling in bottom and top outlined sections of frosting design on each cookie before moving to next, leaving middle sections of frosting blank on each cookie as you go. Then, return to first cookie and fill in center sections on each cookie. Each outlined section will dry a little in between and maintain a separate, stacked, swirled look when completely dry. (To save time, you can also make this one large outlined area and fill with thinned white icing if desired.)
Let cookies dry uncovered, 6-8 hours, or overnight.
When icing has completely dried, use a black food coloring pen to add eyes and a mouth.