The Sweet Apprentice: Halloween!!!

Halloween it's not a portuguese tradition but we're starting to celebrate it in kindergarden or elementary schools and also in private parties. Some clubs are making theme parties and people join easily and like!

This year i made some halloween cookies like ghosts and pumpkins :) kids loved them.

I used a simple recipe from "the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook" here it is:

Sugar Cookies

200g unsalted butter at room temperature

280g of caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

400g plain flour

a pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Royal Icing

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon freshly sqeezed lemon juice

310g icing sugar

food colouring optional

Put the butter, sugar and vanilla extract toguether and mix them really well until you have a fluffy cream. Add the egg and mix it again.
Add the flour, the salt and the cream tartar mix them well but don't overmix it. The dough must be soft and easy to handle.

After the dough is ready, you must clean a surface and put some flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Get your cookie cutters ready and let the magic begin. preheat the oven for about 10 minutes.

Take a look regularly to make sure the cookies are not burning and when they're light golden they are ready.

For the royal icing...

Beat the egg white with the lemon juice and after that gradually start adding the icing sugar. Mix it well until everything it's well incorporated. Add some drops of food colouring if you want and start to decorate your cookies!