Happy Halloween!

I just had the best Saturday morning ever!  Sleep, followed by baking, followed by carving pumpkins.  So much fun.  It reminded me of why I love Halloween!  This is the second year in a row I have made these cute little cookies, and it is well on its way to becoming a tradition around here.

They're great.  I'll put the recipe below in case you're drooling.

I also made Candy Corn-Popcorn Balls for a costume party we're going to this afternoon--yum!

Can you tell I love candy corn?

Then we carved pumpkins.  When I asked my son what kind of face he wanted on his pumpkin, he replied, "thirsty!"  So here's what I came up with--does he look thirsty to you?

 I don't know what it looks like to me, but definitely not "thirsty."  Maybe "panting-y."

Meanwhile, That Daddy was busy with his own:

That's right, he carved a pumpkin to look like Lionel Richie.  Who does that?  It is remarkable how it just walks the line between impressive and creepy.  I will be interested to see how many parents get it, and how many just think we're freaks.

Okay, so here's the recipe I promised.  It is from an old Martha Stewart Food magazine.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies
4 T. unsalted butter, very soft
1/2 C. sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3/4 C. all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
About 36 candy corns

Preheat oven to 350.  Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl--beat with a wooden spoon until combined.  Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.  Add flour and mix to form dough.

Scoop out level teaspoons (yes!  they will seem tiny!) of dough:

Then roll them into balls.  Doing all the rolling after you do all the scooping saves time.  Place on baking sheets 2 inches apart.  Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are firm and cookies are dry to the touch (do not let them color), 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and gently press a candy corn into each cookie.  Eat up!

Hope you and your family have a very Happy Halloween!