Can someone please tell me what that cookie cutter is in the bottom right hand corner?! I’ve turned it a million ways and I just don’t see it. A deformed foot?

I was also able use my gorgeous rolling pin that I got from some of my friends for my birthday.

Isn’t she just beautiful? It’s from Anthropologie and I can’t stop staring at it. Look at the detail on the side! I’m in love.

Okay, focus… Roll out the refrigerated dough between two pieces of wax paper.

Dip your cookie cutters in a mixture of cocoa powder/flour to keep the dough from sticking to them…

Place your cookie cutters in place and start peeling away the excess.

Use a spatula to help successfully transport your cookie dough to the baking sheet.

While baking, start making & coloring your icing (I stuck to Halloween colors).

and have plenty of sprinkles to decorate with!

Decorate away! (my poor ghost cracked a little bit because I moved it before it was completely dry)

I rarely ever make cut out cookies because 1.) they’re a pain in the butt to make (waiting to refrigerate and then cut out), 2.) they’re a pain in the butt to decorate, and 3.) you’re going to use your entire kitchen space AND a million dishes just to make three decorated cookies. Not cool.

Although I love pretty decorated cookies, I don’t necessarily jump at the idea of making them. I’d rather let the people with the right tools and patience whirl away in their kitchens decorating sugar cookies. I didn’t bust out my Wilton tip set or pastry bags for these… I simply used a spoon and a toothpick. I already spent 3+ hours making the dough, waiting for the dough to refrigerate, waiting for the cookies to cool, and making the icing that I didn’t have the patience to sit another couple of hours to decorate. Plus, I wasn’t going to have anymore sunlight to take pictures by the time I was done! So please excuse my not-so-perfect cookies.

Even though they’re not as pretty as most, they sure tasted deeeeelish! They were sturdy enough to hold their shape and not break apart as I moved them around, yet they were soft as can be when biting into them. I think I loved them so much because I used dark cocoa powder rather than the normal. It really makes a difference! I’m going to start replacing regular cocoa with dark cocoa in every recipe now. This recipe is ever so slightly adapted from Bake Greek.

• 1 1/2 (3/4 cup) sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup flour

1. Cream butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Add the cocoa powder, and mix until incorporated.
3. Add egg and the vanilla extract. Blend together
4. Finally, mix in the flour until combined.
5. Wrap and refrigerate the dough in two separate batches for at least two hours.
6. Roll the dough out between two pieces of wax paper.
7. Dip cookie cutters in a mixture of equal parts flour + cocoa powder before cutting out the shapes.
8. Place shapes at least two inches apart on the baking sheet.
9. In an oven preheated to 350 degrees, bake for 10 mins, 12-15 for larger ones.

Royal icing recipe, as seen HERE (I halved it and still had plenty extra)

• 6 oz (3/4 cup) of warm water
• 5 Tablespoons meringue powder
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 kilogram (2.25 lbs.) powdered icing sugar

1. In mixer bowl, pour in the warm water and the meringue powder. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy and thickened…about 30 seconds.
2. Add the cream of tartar and mix for 30 seconds more.
3. Pour in all the icing sugar at once and place the bowl on the mixer.
4. Using the paddle attachment on the LOWEST speed, mix slowly for a full 10 minutes. Icing will get thick and creamy.
5. Cover the bowl with a dampened tea-towel to prevent crusting and drying.
6. Tint with food colourings or thin the icing with small amounts of warm water to reach the desired consistency.