It’s a long story, but I have this crazy tradition where I bring in decorated sugar cookies and cupcakes for my kids classes for every holiday! It is a lot of work, baking, frosting and decorating 50 sugar cookies, and it usually either consumes my entire day, or keeps me up t’ill 2am at night, but the kids love them, and the teachers love me! 😉 It’s worth all the work just for that, but I love the memories I am making with my kiddos who have fun helping me, and taking them in to their classes on each holiday. 

I was looking through my cookie cutters for some halloween themed inspiration, and came across my fox cutter that I thought would make a cute Warewolf. Then on pinterest I saw some monster claw cookies with cashews which I thought were awesome… until  I saw Brazil nuts in the store. The faces turned out cuter than I had anticipated, and the claws came out a little scarier! But these were so much fun to make! I hope you guys have a very happy, scary, fun and delicious halloween!!

Ingredients for the Sugar Cookie
{Recipe adapted from Alton Brown}

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions:
Place the butter and sugar in large bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture comes together to form a dough.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar, as well as your rolling pin, and roll the dough out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. Cut into Warewolf shapes and rounds, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet covered in parchment, and bake for 9 to 12 minutes, or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges. Let cool and harden on the baking tray slightly before carefully transferring to a cooling rack .

For the Frosting
6 Tbsp butter, softened
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar 
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk 
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and cocoa, mixing well. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Need: Grass Piping tip & small circle cutter
Candy eyes
Ball black fondant
Edible yellow & black pen
Mini white chiclets

For the claws: Prepare a pastry bag with a multi-opening/grass tip, fill with the frosting and close tightly with a rubber band. Hold the tip vertically over the round-shaped cookie, squeeze and pull up quickly. Repeat to cover the whole cookie. Place three Brazil nuts on the edge of the cookie, then pipe over the tops of them:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
<3 Sarah