Hocus Pocus Sugar Cookies Recipe
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Black and brown gel food coloring
- Candy eyeballs
- Silver or grey royal icing (for the stitching and lock)
- Black royal icing (for the book details)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together. Mix on medium-high speed for about 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. This creates the perfect base for a soft cookie.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the butter mixture. Continue to beat until everything is well combined. If you want the dough itself to be dark like the book, add a few drops of brown and black gel food coloring at this stage.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while mixing on low speed. Mix just until the flour disappears to avoid overworking the dough.
- Divide the dough into two disks and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Place them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Chilling prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven and makes the dough easier to roll out.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a knife or a rectangular cookie cutter to cut out shapes that resemble small books. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. The edges should be set but not browned. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Once cool, use the grey or silver icing to draw “stitching” lines around the edges and a semi-circle on the right side for the lock. Place a dab of icing on the back of a candy eyeball and press it into the center of the right side. Use black icing to draw the “eyelid” and extra wrinkles to make the book look old and weathered.