Candy Corn Cookies - Two Ways

Candy Corn Cookies!! Aren't they so festive? We tried this recipe last year and loved it so much we made it twice and remembered it enough to do it again this year. It is just a simple sugar cookie but it is really tasty, I got it from the TasteofHome website.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Yellow and orange paste food coloring (I used liquid and it worked fine just took a bit more i suppose)

Directions:In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Now there are two ways to form the shape of these yummy cookies and I have tried both. For the first way which is a bit simpler, split the dough into thirds and color one orange and one yellow leaving the last third white.

I stole the idea of how to shape the cookies from Kathie at her blog Kathie Cooks. Thanks Kathie, such a great idea. You take a bread loaf pan and line it with parchment paper or plastic wrap. (Just a tip, I used plastic wrap and it still had a hard time coming out. Try multiple layers.) Then just layer the dough in starting with orange then yellow then white. Try to make your layers as flat as possible.

Then put your pan in the fridge for two hour up to overnight. I did two hours and it worked great. Take your dough out of the fridge next and out of the pan, and slice it the short way in to 1/4 in slices. While you are slicing preheat your oven to 350.

Next cut your slices into triangle shapes. Squish in the corners so they look more rounded and place on your cookie sheet. (Another tip, I always cook my cookies on parchment paper so the bottoms don't brown as easily)

The second way may take a bit more time but I think it is worth it. You get bigger cookies and they all look like candy corn.

 Form your dough into a log and cut it into 6 equal parts.

 One section will stay white, the rest of them you can start by coloring it all yellow. (I just stuck mine back into the mixer and added the color in that way.)

 Take your yellow dough make a log again separate it into 5 sections. Leave three yellow and pop the other two back into the mixer and add your red to make orange.

 Then you layer them all together in gradually thinner layers.

 And form it into a Candy Corn shape.

 Wrap in plastic wrap and stick it in your fridge. It helps keep the shape if you pop your head in the fridge every once in awhile and turn the cookies, so all the sides stay flat.

 After a couple hours in the fridge all you do is cut them up and pop(I am saying pop a lot today...)them onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 7 to 10 min in either shape and voila! They should not be brown at all.

Ta DA!!! They are delicious and perfect. But... if you want to take them one step further like I did, you can glaze them!!! Yummo. It was just a simple glaze, I got the recipe from my handy dandy Joy of Cooking the 75th anniversary addition. (If you were wondering)

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbs water
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

That's all folks, mix it together and apply to your corn. I used a pastry brush, actually it might be a basting brush but whatever. I also doubled the glaze recipe because the above only makes 1/2 cup of glaze.  Then you place your cookies on cooling racks and brushed them and let them sit for 20-30 min so the glaze hardens up.

Oh they are so cute and so delicious. I want to try a lemon glaze on top next time. And do not let your lame significant other tease you about the fact that some of the colors are upside down on the cookies. (If you shape them the first way.) And if he or she does, no cookies for them!

Sorry about the two different qualities of pictures, the first were taken last year. Thank goodness I have a new camera, not perfect but better!!