Halloween Shortcrust Cookies

To make the Halloween shortcrust cookies, first cut the pumpkin into 1-1.25 inch slices 1, remove the seeds 2, and place the slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper 3. Bake in a static oven at 430°F for about 20 minutes.

Once cooked 4, take it out of the oven and cut away the skin with a knife 5. Place flour and cold butter cubes in a food processor 6.

Blend quickly to get a sandy texture 7, put it in a bowl and then add powdered sugar 8 and the pumpkin puree passed through a potato masher 9.

Finally, add the egg yolks 10, mix everything with a fork. Once the dough has acquired consistency 11, pour it onto the work surface and knead quickly 12 until you get a smooth dough. If the dough is too soft (due to the pumpkin's moisture), add a little more flour.

Form a dough ball and wrap it in plastic wrap 13, then store it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Now prepare the cocoa shortcrust dough following the same procedure: place the sifted flour in the food processor, add the cold butter cubes 14 and blend to get a sandy mixture, pour the mixture onto a work surface 15 (alternatively, you can use a bowl).

Make a well in the center and add the sifted cocoa powder to avoid lumps 16, the powdered sugar, also sifted 17, and the egg yolks 18. Initially mix with a fork.

Then, once you have gathered the ingredients, continue kneading by hand, form a dough ball 19, wrap it in plastic wrap 20, and place it to firm up in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After the resting time, take the pumpkin shortcrust dough and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface 21 to a thickness of about 0.2 inches.

Cut the cookies with the shapes you prefer, we chose a pumpkin-shaped and a ghost-shaped cookie cutter 22. For each Halloween cookie, cut out 3 shapes with the same cutter, leaving two whole and cutting a hole in the center of one with a round cutter 23. Place the whole shapes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, while the ones with the hole should be baked separately on another tray as they will require shorter baking times 24. Bake the whole shapes in a preheated static oven at 340°F for 18-20 minutes, while the ones with the hole will bake at the same temperature for about 15 minutes.

Take the whole cookies out of the oven 25 and let them cool. Now move on to the cocoa shortcrust dough, roll it out on a work surface to a thickness of about 0.2 inches 26, cut out 3 cookies in the same shape 27.

Place the whole shapes on a baking tray and on another place the shapes to cut out in the center with a round cutter (28-29). Bake the whole cookies for about 15 minutes at 340°F along with the cut-out ones at the same temperature. Once baked, take the cut-out cookies out of the oven 30.

And the whole ones 31, then let them cool. Meanwhile, prepare the icing: pour the powdered sugar into a bowl, add the water little by little 32 while mixing with a fork until you reach the desired consistency 33.

Transfer the icing to a piping bag without a tip 34 and cut a very thin hole in the end (or use a cone of parchment paper), and trace the outline on the edge of a whole cookie 35. Place the cookie of the same shape but with a hole on top and fill the inside with candies. Again, apply the icing on the edge 36.

Close with another whole cookie of the same shape 37. Always with the piping bag, decorate the surface of the cookies making monstrous faces 38. Your Halloween shortcrust cookies are ready 39!