Reliable Vanilla Orange Halloween Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (345 g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (3 g)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (227 g)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
• 1 large egg, room temperature (50 g)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10 g)
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (6 g)
• 2 cups prepared royal icing, optional (480 g)
• 1/4 cup orange sanding sugar, optional (50 g)
• Black and orange gel food coloring, optional (4 g)

Instructions

1. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set the mixture aside while you prepare the butter base. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper so they are ready when the dough is cut.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed for about two minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest. Beat until smooth, then scrape the bowl and paddle thoroughly.
3. Finish the dough. Add dry ingredients in two additions on low speed. Stop mixing as soon as no dry flour remains. Divide dough in half, pat into two thick disks, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Roll and cut. Heat oven to 350°F. Roll one disk between parchment sheets to 1/4-inch thick. Cut with Halloween cutters, transferring shapes to prepared sheets. Reroll scraps once, then repeat with remaining dough.
5. Bake the cookies. Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, until edges are set but tops remain pale. Cool cookies on the sheet for five minutes, then transfer them carefully to a wire rack.
6. Decorate simply. Let cookies cool completely before decorating with royal icing. Use black, orange, and white details for faces, outlines, or dipped corners. Leave icing undisturbed until dry before packing or stacking the finished cookies.

Notes

• For especially sharp shapes, slide the filled baking sheet into the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking. This small chill is most useful for narrow bat wings, cat ears, and detailed pumpkin cutters.
• If the dough cracks while rolling, let it sit at room temperature for three to five minutes, then press the cracks together. Add as little flour as possible to the work surface.
• Decorating is optional. Orange sanding sugar sprinkled over unbaked shapes gives a quick finish and costs less than buying several icing colors.