I love Halloween because it is so much fun when we are children (my kids were obsessed with what they would wear and who they would go trick-or-treating with) and it brings out the kid in adults like nothing else will. I can’t think of Halloween without conjuring up a mental picture of my very dignified, conservative and reserved parents hosting a Halloween party back in the ’90’s dressed as Raggedy Ann and Andy…such a great memory.
Last August my friend, Michael Lee West, invited a small group of bloggers to participate in THE MYSTERY INGREDIENT CLUB on her blog, Rattlebridge Farm. It was so much fun waiting for the mystery ingredients to arrive, using them in recipes and then writing a post about them for FOODIE FRIDAY , a weekly blogging party hosted by ML. For this second MIC I received a colorful assortment of Creepy Sprinkles that immediately put me in Halloween mode. I found the very clever idea for these Swirly Halloween Cookies at Make, Bake, Celebrate and I’ve been saving it for an occasion like this. I love these whimsical cookies. Just a hint: they take time to assemble but they freeze perfectly.
Use your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe or try the one at the bottom of this post. I prefer a recipe without baking powder because I don’t want the cookies to puff up during baking. Use food color gels for the best color intensity and be careful to work on parchment paper so the dough doesn’t stain your work surface. My cooking island has a butcher block top and I learned the hard way that food coloring isn’t its friend.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, then chill it for several hours. Make a small indentation in the dough balls and add food coloring gel, a little at a time, (I used a toothpick) until you achieve your desired color. These colors are intense so go slowly. I used green, black and purple. I didn’t have orange dye so combined some red and yellow and got the color I wanted. Go ahead and knead the color into the dough with your hands. It will stain countertops but it won’t stain skin. I was skeptical but it didn’t stain my hands.
Divide the dough into little balls about the diameter of a nickle. If you weigh the four portions of dough before you add the food color you will end up with close to the same number of little balls of each of color. If the dough becomes too soft to handle any time during this process just stick it back in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up. When all the little balls are formed combine one of each color and gently roll it into a little ball…like a teeny basketball. Then with the flat of your hands roll the multicolored ball of dough into a rope about 8″ long. Loosely coil the rope into a circle. If the end of the roll is a little funky just trim it with a small knife.
I added a few purple jimmies to the test tube mix because I like purple and wanted it to be one of the colors in the cookie. When I was ready to coat the edge of the cookies with the sprinkles I moistened the edge with a tiny drop of water to help them stick. Carefully pick up the cookies and roll them in the jimmies. If the cookies look misshapen just gently press them back into shape with your finger.
Aren’t these some of the darn cutest Halloween cookies you have ever seen? It’s the colors and the sprinkles that make them fun. I was going to add some lollipop sticks to some and make little cookie pops but I ran out of sprinkles before I got to that stage. I know I will be making these cookies again before HALLOWEEN so will do it then.
I remember the days when the moms on our street made little treats for all the trick-or-treaters who came to their doors…cookies, popcorn balls, fudge…but those days are long gone. The number of kids who come to my door decreases every year and I’m sure that soon there won’t be any at all. When my kids were little and I knew all the neighbors I handed out little cups of hot spiced wine to the parents. They needed a little treat too! Those days are definitely over…
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This post is linked to FOODIE FRIDAY at Rattlebridge Farm. Stop by for a visit to see how others used their mystery ingredient.
Thank you so much, Michael Lee, for hosting the MYSTERY INGREDIENT CLUB.
- 1 cup (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups (420 g) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and sugar together until just incorporated
- Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix well on low speed.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Add to the butter and egg mixture. Mix on low until speed until well combined.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- When ready to use let the dough stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Form into desired shapes and bake at 350 degrees until set but not browned.
Your cookies are beautiful Cathy, love the colors! How fun to see all the different ways folks have been using the sprinkles-enjoy:@)
Happier Than A Pig in Mud recently posted..White Chocolate-Cinnamon Apple Popcorn
I love the colorful swirls! This would be a fun project for kids. They’d love coloring the dough and rolling the colors together!
Betty recently posted..Gingered Carrot Soup
You had a ball!
Great presentations:-)
Trick or treat:-)
Monique recently posted..When Autumn Leaves Are Falling~
Cathy, those are the cutest cookies I have ever seen!! They are so colorful and bright and perfect for big or little kids. It’s such fun to see all the creativity involved in the MIC and to visit the participants.
I do miss the good ole days of Trick or Treating!
Kitty recently posted..Ghostly Sprinkled Pretzel Rods
These are the prettiest Halloween cookies I’ve seen and too pretty to eat! Love the addition of the purple!
Mary recently posted..Mystery Ingredient & Halloween Fun: Creepy Sprinkles Lab
oh these are the cutest cookies, you did a fabulous job! i did a stupid version, i LOVE YOURS! the colors and spidy are just perfect together, is it ok to say darling for halloween, or do i have to say demonically dastardly deliciously deviously delightful
what i really mean is i gotta makes these soon~
a quiet life recently posted..mystery ingredient club~
Your cookies are beautiful! Such a great idea!
Sherry
Cathy, these are adorable! What a creative idea. I’ll give your recipe a try because my recipe using a lot of baking powder. ‘-)
Happy Owl-Ween…….Sarah
I bet my grandkids would love to make those!!! So cute!!
xo Kris
They look so fun!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Gluten Free Pumpkin Soup Bread
Cathy, the cookies are just too stinkin cute! I also remember the days when mom’s gave us homemade popcorn balls, candied apples and cookies. Although those days are long gone, I still make homemade treats for a few of the children on my street that know me well and know that my food is safe (and yummy). xo
Debbie@Mountain Breaths recently posted..Mystery Ingredient: Creepy Halloween Fun
These are adorable Cathy. I wish I was a third as creative as you are.
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Dark Chocolate Mousse topped with cassis flavored whipped cream
Oh these are just spooktacular! You are such a creative gal! I wish I had one right now to dunk into my morning coffee!
You always make the cutest cookies! Love all the colors! Great Halloween cookies
and actually, with the colors, perhaps Mardi Gras cookies as well?
These are super cute!
Happy weekend.
Oh Cathy…HOW FUN!!! You did a “spooktacular” job of using ML’s Creepy Sprinkles! Wasn’t that a fun MIC?
Thanks for the recipe & explanation on how you did these. I bet Ms. C. would get a kick out of helping with these, too.
Rettabug recently posted..Sprinkles Galore!
Cathy those are just the most unique cookies I’ve seen! They go perfectly with the Halloween (and sprinkle) theme. I love how you’ve stacked and packaged them ~ and your Halloween “companions” to the cookies are a HOOT!
I remember so many of those same traditions we used to partake in at Halloween, so much fun, both when we were kids, and then as parents. I too, am sorry to say those days are long gone.
Happy Foodie Friday, have a great weekend!
Mari @ Once Upon a Plate recently posted..Witches Brooms ~ Foodie Friday Mysterious Ingredient Club
These are just the most adorable cookies ever! Love the colors you chose.
Karen Harris recently posted..Ham, Swiss and Green Onion Bread and Butter Pudding
Very cute, Cathy! I was stumped by this one, I thought it was going to be apples! I am in a sugar coma right now, we just ate what I made…
Love your presentation too!
Kathleen recently posted..The Mystery Ingredient Challenge~Was it a TRICK or TREAT???
Your cookies are so dang cute!!! I love the colors and the sprinkles add so much!
Erin @ Making Memories recently posted..Monster Brownies
Yes, ma’am. These are the cutest cookies I’ve ever seen. Thank YOU for the tip on how to color cookie dough. I have some gel colors, and have been too chicken to crack them open. Thank you, too, for warning me not to stain my counter. For Christmas, I hope to get busy and creative. Somewhere, I pinned your Christmas cookies.
Foodiewife recently posted..Perfect Hamburger Buns — In an hour! (Including a Whole Wheat Version)
These look so festive. Perfect for Halloween. You have me thinking about what Halloween treat post I will put up.
Debra recently posted..Rosemary and Thyme Spicy Herb Salt
Those are the cutest cookies. I thought I’d make some to send to my granddaughters, but when I read “roll them into balls about the size of a nickel” I decided not to. Ha! When I was a kid, there was an older woman up the street who would make homemade donuts for Halloween. When we’d go trick-or-treating at her house, she’d invite us all in for donuts and hot chocolate. That doesn’t happen anymore! Last year we only got a handful of kids… Halloween is going the way of school and church carnivals… not a bad idea, I think.
Karen recently posted..Tuscan Spinach-Basil Pesto Salad
Such a lovely assemble of cookies, love the last one with the spiders! I know I would love to bake these too if I have the right props:D
Jeannie recently posted..Red Velvet Cake with Cream cheese frosting
Cathy, your swirly cookies are GORGEOUS and look delicious, all layered with flavor. Thank you so much for playing along with us for the second MIC! I’ve had internet woes and hope this message goes through. Thanks again. xx
I kind of miss all of the holiday madness in the US…. we just don’t do that in France and I so miss it. These cookies are fabulous! I love the colors and love the sprinkles!!!
Jamie recently posted..Mom’s Chocolate Waldorf Astoria Cake
They are just perfect for Halloween.
So very pretty in a creepy sort of way.
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