Cookies

• Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 baking trays with silpats or parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
• In a large bowl with a hand mixer cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice and beat to combine.
• Stir in the dry ingredients. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
• Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon drop the chilled dough on to the baking tray spacing about 2” apart. Bake cookies for about 15 minutes or until slightly golden at the edges.
• Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool.

Glaze

• While the cookies are cooling combine the confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth.
• Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze and return them to the wire rack. Sprinkle cookies with sprinkles or sanding sugar if desired.
• Let the glaze harden for several hours to prevent sticking. Store in an airtight container.

White Chocolate and Marshmallow

• Line a rimmed cookie sheets with wax paper.
• Lightly spray a large microwaveable bowl with non-stick spray and mix noodles and peanuts.
• Spray a medium sized microwave safe bowl with non-stick spray and add marshmallows and butter, microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir to combine. Add white chips and frosting and stir. Microwave in 20 second intervals stirring after each heating until smooth and creamy.
• Pour melted mixture over noodles and stir to coat.
• Spray a tablespoon with non-stick spray and drop noodles by tablespoon onto the prepared sheet pan. Add sprinkles to each cookie as you go.
• Allow to cool completely before storing in a sealed plastic container in a cool place.

Easy Version

• Combine chow mein noodles and peanuts in a large bowl.
• Melt chocolate or almond bark in a double boiler or microwave oven.
• Mix melted chocolate with dry ingredients.
• Drop cookies by tablespoon onto wax paper lined baking trays following the same instructions as for the marshmallow cookies.

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add extracts and orange zest.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Mix in dry ingredients about a third at a time until incorporated (dough will be a little crumbly but not dry).
• Stir in white chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and pecans.
• Drop by rounded spoonfuls on to a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet (I roll my dough into 1 ¼” balls for more uniform cookies). Allow your baking sheets to cool a bit between batches (placing dough on a hot baking sheet causes the cookies to flatten out too much).
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden. Cool cookies for 2 minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

• In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and extracts.
• In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour to the creamed mixture in thirds, mixing into a soft dough.
• Divide the dough into four balls, cover and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.
• While dough is chilling, heat oven to 325° F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time (It is important to keep the remaining dough chilled until you are ready to form the fingers), roll into 1″ balls (I use a melon baller).
• Shape the balls into 3″ by 1/2″ fingers between the palms of your hands (don’t worry if they are not perfect, it adds to the effect). Using the flat tip of a table knife, make an indentation for each fingernail. Make three slashes in the middle to create a knuckle.
• Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until slightly golden (the ends of the fingers can tend to burn a little, again, don’t be concerned, it adds to the overall look). Transfer to wire racks to completely cook before decorating.
• While the cookies are cooling, sort out some unbroken almond slices to use as finger nails. I dump the almonds into the center of a plate and then place the ones I intend to use around the edge (makes them easy to grab).
• Arrange the cooled cookies up along the edge of your wire rack finger nail out. Place a good-sized drop of red gel in the middle of the nail bed area, and top with an almond slice. Gently press the almond slice into the gel (a chopstick can prove handy to help position the almond). Allow the gel to dry for an hour or so before moving them.
• I hope you have a “scream” making these cookies with your kids. Happy Halloween!