HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN COOKIES
What can’t be missing on Halloween? Of course, pumpkin and treats, and for this reason, I decided to make crumbly and delicious pumpkin-shaped cookies that are, of course, orange.
A fun idea to prepare with your kids for the night of October 31st, easy to make thanks to the special cutters. These cookies consist of two discs of shortcrust pastry and a few drops of food coloring to resemble the vegetable symbol of this holiday: the pumpkin, and they enclose a hazelnut cream filling.
For once, it won’t be the pumpkin that’s carved but the shortcrust pastry!
You just need to follow a few simple instructions, and you’ll bake crumbly cookies, just right, super delicious, and perfect to make your kids happy on Halloween night or to offer as a trick or treat if someone rings your doorbell. And for a menu themed around PUMPKIN, I also leave you these recipes
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 18 COOKIES
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- to taste lemon zest (optional)
- 1 pinch salt
- a few drops food coloring (orange)
- 7 oz hazelnut cream
Tools
- Bowl
- Rolling pin
- Cookie Cutter
Steps
Cut the butter into cubes (you need to take it out of the fridge 5 minutes before) then put it in the bowl of the stand mixer along with the sugar, 1 pinch of salt, and lemon zest. Mix in the stand mixer (with the paddle) or by hand on a work surface until you get a light and fluffy mixture.
Add the egg yolks and also the gel coloring drops, adjusting until you reach the desired color intensity: the dough should be orange. Continue mixing until everything is incorporated. Finally, add the flour. Knead until completely absorbed into the dough, obtaining the classic shortcrust consistency. Shape into a rectangular loaf, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
After the resting time, take the dough from the fridge and work it by hand for a few seconds to make it elastic again. Roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured work surface to a thickness of about 1/8 to 1/5 inch. Using a cutter, cut pumpkins from the dough. Place the cookies on a baking tray with parchment paper and bake in a static oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Now, you just have to fill half of the Halloween cookies with hazelnut cream, cover them with the other half of the cookies, and gently press to make the top part adhere. Happy Halloween!
NOTES
INGREDIENT TIPS: In general, to obtain good shortcrust pastry, both in terms of texture and flavor, you need high-quality ingredients, so I will give you some suggestions.
BUTTER: Butter is perhaps the ingredient that most affects the flavor of the pastry; hence, it is important to choose a good quality one (brand does not matter). Additionally, it should be used slightly soft but still cold (take it out of the fridge only 5 minutes before using it).
SUGAR: Classic granulated sugar is fine and will give you a crispy shortcrust, while using powdered sugar will result in a more crumbly texture.
FLOUR: The flour should be a weak flour, the classic “00” flour, which will allow you to achieve a crumbly pastry.
STORAGE
Halloween cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. While in the refrigerator, they can last up to 4 days, but the pastry might become less crispy.
