Directions

Vanilla Cookies

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla.  Add the eggs and mix until well combined.  Add the sifted flour and baking powder as well as the salt and mix just until the dough comes together.  If the dough is still sticky add a little more flour until a nice smooth dough forms.

2. After the cookie dough is made roll it out on a silicone baking mat or baking paper, so you don't have to transfer the large cookie shapes later, to approximately 5mm thick and spread it far enough to cut out the large cookie shapes later.  Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to firm up the dough to make cutting out easier.

3. Place your pumpkin cookie cake template carefully on top of the rolled out dough and cut out the shape using your plastic cookie dough cutting tool or a knife (DO NOT use a knife on a silcone mat - the plastic dough cutting tool is fine on a silicone mat). Take your time and keep the blade as upright as you can so that the edge of the cookie is cut straight.  After cutting around the outer edge and inner edge (if you want the eye, mouth or nose cutouts for the top layer) carefully lift off the cookie dough away from the cutout shape.  Slide the baking mats with the cookies on top onto a cookie sheet or baking tray and put the cookie cutouts back into the fridge to chill while the oven heats up or at least 10 minutes.  This will help the cookie to keep its shape when baked.

4. Heat oven to 160°C (325°F) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked.  Take the cookies out of the oven and leave the cookies on the trays to cool completely.  Large cookies can be difficult to move without breaking, especially when they are warm. You can bake one day and decorate and assemble the next if you wish.

5. OPTIONAL: Use the leftover cookie dough to cut out any shapes you might like to use for cookie cake toppers or to serve with your cookie cakes.  Alternatively you can put the leftover cookie dough into the freezer to use another time.

Royal Icing

1. Mix royal icing as per packet instructions, substituting some of the water for lemon juice if you wish, and colour if you wish. I used a gel orange food colour. I used 70ML of liquid for my royal icing and I used 40ML lemon juice and 30ML water. You want the icing to resemble a cake batter in consistency.

2. I used a piping bottle with a 2mm opening to pipe the outline of the skull and then I added a little bit more water to make the icing a bit runnier (like melted chocolate consistency) and used the same bottle to flood the rest of the cookie with the icing, using a tooth pick to pop any air bubbles and to smooth the icing over any gaps it didn't cover.  If you wish you could add sprinkles to the royal icing before it dries for a different effect.

3. Allow this royal icing to set completely before assembling the cookie with the buttercream.  Alternatively you could use buttercream for the top skull cookie if you prefer.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

1. Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. Gradually increase mixer speed to high and continue beating until light and fluffy, scraping down the side of bowl a few times. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the icing sugar until desired consistency is reached and level of sweetness. You can add a little more icing sugar to make the icing sweeter if desired. Beat on high until well combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes.

2. If the buttercream is too soft to pipe you can pop it into the fridge to firm up a little or add more icing sugar to the mixture.

3. OPTIONAL: Remove a small portion/s and colour with your choice of gel food colours. You can use this coloured buttercream to decorate the top cookie if you wish to use with or instead of the royal icing.

Assembling The Cookie Cake

1. Pipe the buttercream onto the bottom layer of cookie cake.  I used a 13mm fine star icing nozzle.

2. Put the top layer of cookie on top of the first layer. Carefully moving the cookie into position so it doesn’t crack.

3. Smooth out the buttercream inside the face cutouts.

4. Fill the face cutouts with lots of sprinkles.

5. OPTIONAL: You can add some toppers to the cookie cake if you wish or use something other than sprinkles inside the cutouts like chocolate chips, lollies etc.

6. Chill the cookie cake before serving.