Halloween Skeleton Cookies Food

SKELETON MEAT PLATTER

Steps:

• For the skeleton head: Cook the bacon in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until golden and crispy, 7 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, Cheddar, scallions, bacon, some salt and a few grinds of pepper and mix until fully incorporated.
• On a piece of parchment, mold the cheese mixture with your hands into the shape of a skull, then wrap the head in the prosciutto. Make 2 divots for the eyes and place the olive halves in the divots. Pinch the middle of the face together to make a nose and create an indent below the nose to make a mouth. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
• For the skeleton body: Prepare a grill or grill pan for medium-high heat.
• Grill the pepper whole, rotating occasionally, until charred on all sides and slightly soft, about 10 minutes. Cut the pepper from stem end to bottom on one side to create one long piece of pepper. Grill the sausage coil in one piece, flipping halfway through, until opaque and completely cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
• To assemble: Position the skeleton cheese head at the top of a board or platter. Place the red pepper directly underneath the head and fold it slightly to create a heart. Align the baby back rib racks around the heart, one on each side, with the bony parts facing up to resemble a rib cage. Position the sausage coil under the rib cage to resemble intestines.
• Fill the space around the intestines, heart and rib cage with the pulled pork, tucking it under as needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Serve with sliced baguette and assorted crackers.

SKELETON COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat butter, sugar and dry pudding mix in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs. Mix all remaining ingredients except icing. Gradually add to pudding mixture, beating well after each addition. Refrigerate 15 min.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Place dough between 2 sheets of parchment or waxed paper; roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into halloween shapes with 3- to 4-inch cookie cutters, rolling dough scraps as necessary. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 10 to 12 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand on baking sheets 3 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely. Decorate with icing to resemble skeletons as shown in photo.

CHOCOLATE SKELETON COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. gingerbread boy cookie cutter. Place on greased baking sheets. , Bake at 375° for 7-8 minutes or until set. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For icing, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Cut a small hole in the corner of a resealable plastic bag; fill with icing. Pipe skeleton bones on cookies.

CHOCOLATE-CINNAMON SKELETON COOKIES

Steps:

• Make the cookies: Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Divide the dough in half; pat each piece into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
• Roll out each dough disk between 2 sheets of parchment paper until 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the dough into shapes using a 4 1/2-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. Reroll the scraps and cut out more cookies. (If the dough is too soft, freeze 10 minutes before cutting.) Refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are set but still soft, 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Make the icing: Beat the confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and water in a bowl with a mixer on high speed until smooth and thick. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and snip off a corner. Pipe skulls and bones onto the cookies. Let set 30 minutes.
• To decorate the cookies, first make the outline of the skull, eyes, nose, mouth and bones. Then thin some icing with a little water and pipe into the outline of the skull; use a toothpick to help.

HALLOWEEN COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment. Put the butter, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt into a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the flour to make a stiff dough, then shape into 2 discs, cover with cling film and chill for 10 mins.
• With plenty of extra flour on the work surface and rolling pin, roll a batch of dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. Stamp out as many 7cm rounds as you can. In half of the rounds, stamp out 2 eye sockets with an apple corer, then use well-floured fingers to pinch the jaw shapes. Lift onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 mins or until pale golden, then cool for 2 mins before lifting onto a wire rack.
• Sandwich the cold biscuits together with the jam. Mix the icing sugar with 4 tsp water until smooth, divide into 3, then colour as you like. Put into piping bags, snip off the tips, then pipe spooky patterns and faces onto the skulls.