Well, it’s that time of year again. Ghouls, goblins and high-fructose corn syrup.
I always look forward to all the creative costumes Boulder has to offer. Of course, there is never a shortage of hookers, playboy bunnies and Midwest farmers’ daughter costumes. I always went the other way, you know, furry costume from head to toe, leaving something for the imagination.
This year I might change it up a bit; I can’t decide between Lindsay Lohan pre-Mean Girls or the Lilo of the here and now … living on the edge, people.
One thing I know for sure is what the treat will be: Yummy Mummy Cookies. Probably nothing yummy about a mummy. I mean, the dead body of a human or animal that has been embalmed and prepared for burial, in accordance with the practices of the ancient Egyptians? Not one thing appetizing about that, but it’s Halloween, and we are getting scaaaaryyyy … bwaaaaa haaaa haaaa! OK, as scary as one can get with butter, sugar, eggs and frosting.
These cookies are only the head of the mummy, so cute! Making butter cookies instead of sugar cookies makes for an uneven surface to frost, hence making the bandage-like frosting more true to life. Because I’m sure you might have been confused: “Is this a real mummy, or just a cookie?” So I have my scary, tasty treat planned out, almost decided on a costume, got my Halloween hooch ready and waiting (Jagermeister works well), now I need to decide what to pass out to all the little Lady Gagas and Harry Potters. I’m leaning towards Spam. They’re going to need some protein after all that candy, don’t ya think? The neighborhood kids just love me.
OK, back to trying on costumes.
Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap or Lindsay Lohan in the Betty Ford Clinic? Decisions, decisions.
Now, follow the directions, put some love into it and invite me over when it’s done.
Yummy Mummy Cookies
3/4 cup unsalted softened butter
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 egg 1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray a baking sheet or line baking sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer or by hand, until light and fluffy. Add in egg, vanilla and mix well.
Add flour, salt and baking powder.
Mix until dough forms. Dough will be a bit crumbly.
Drop dough by tablespoons (I do just a tad bigger than a tablespoon) onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 9-10 minutes until edges are starting to brown.
Let sit on pan 5 minutes before removing to wire rack or parchment paper. Let cookies cool.
Buttercream frosting
1/2 cup softened butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. almond extract
5-6 tbsp. milk or heavy whipping cream
Mix all ingredients in bowl until light and fluffy. You may need more milk, depending on how spreadable frosting turns out. Add extra milk slowly.
Possible ingredients for decoration include chocolate chips, chocolate sprinkles, sliced almonds, plain brown M&Ms and white chocolate chips.
The frosting and decorating process options are endless. One example:
Take about a 1/4 cup frosting out and mix with black food coloring gel. Set aside.
Frost your cookies with the white frosting, swishing back and forth across cookie to look like loose gauze.
Up towards the top of cookie, make a little groove across cookie with knife, take a little black frosting and frost a straight line in groove. Add more white frosting above and below the black so eyes look hollow. Leave cookie like that, or place 2 white chocolate chips on black frosting for eyes. Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
