Candy Corn Halloween Cookies

Anyone else find candy corn irresistible?  I find myself buying it every year and I only want it when the weather turns colder and the leaves start to fall.  There is something so nostalgic and familiar about candy corn.  It's like Easter eggs at Easter.  You just have to have it.

​Since candy corn is one of my favorite traditions, I was excited to find mini candy corn.  

I knew these would be perfect for baking.  

And since I love any excuse to bake cookies, I decided mini candy corn and sugar cookies would pair well together.  

Sugar cookies are fun for kids to make too.  Little ones can help roll out and cut the cookies.  And they really love to decorate.  I let my kids use these mess free icing tubes.  I have a pampered chef set and a set I found at an after Christmas clearance sale.  They are easy for kids to use and icing won't come out of the end like with an icing bag.  You may have to help preschoolers since it does take some pressure to squeeze the icing out.  

Aren't these the cutest?  And they are really yummy too.  Now, if I can just keep my boys from eating all of them in one day.  

Here's the recipe:

Sugar Cookies

½ cup butter (1 stick)                          ¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup sugar                                         2 cups flour
1 Egg, large                                          1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. milk                                          ¼ tsp. nutmeg (optional)

In electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together.  Beat in egg, then milk.  Add vanilla.  Blend salt and nutmeg into flour.  Mix flour into dough.  Knead on pastry cloth then put in Ziploc bag and refrigerate for about an hour or overnight if you want to bake later. 
Roll out dough onto lightly floured surface and press with cookie cutters.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.  Cool on wire rack. 


Butter-cream Frosting:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick real butter not margarine)
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk
​
In electric mixer, cream butter, shortening and vanilla.  Add sifted powdered sugar and milk. Continue to mix at high speed until icing is blended.  Tint with icing color if desired.

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