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Haunted House

BOO! Halloween's at hand, and ghosts have to live someplace. Why not spirit them away to this cute—and delicious—haunted house? "I make lots of spooky cookies at Halloween," writes Joanne Woerlein of Etobicoke, Ontario. "Last year I decided to try making a Halloween house out of sugar cookies. It was such fun!"

1 ServingsPrep: 1 hour 20 min. + chilling Bake: 15 min. + cooling

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
ICING AND ASSEMBLY:
4-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blue, green, black and orange paste food coloring
Pastry tips—round #6 and #3
Additional confectioners' sugar
10 to 14 orange Spree candies

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time,
beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and
baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide dough into
thirds. Chill for 1-2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of dough to
1/4-in. thickness. Position house side pattern on dough. With a
sharp knife, cut one side piece. Reroll scraps; cut another side

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Haunted House (continued)

Directions (continued)

piece. Score and cut out window outlines; set window pieces aside.
Transfer side pieces to an ungreased baking sheet.
Roll out second portion of dough. Position house front pattern on
dough. Cut out house front; remove scraps. Cut out door and windows
pieces; set aside. Reroll scraps; cut out house back. Cut out window
piece; set aside.
Roll out remaining dough into two 5-1/2-in. x 4-in. rectangles for
roof pieces. Transfer front, back and roof pieces to ungreased
baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are
lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to
wire racks to cool completely.
Cut reserved window pieces in half for shutters. Place shutters and
door on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 5-7 minutes
or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before
removing to a wire rack to cool.
To make icing: In a bowl, combine the first three ingredients. Add
water and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Beat on hight for
4-5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Set aside 1 cup white icing.
Tint remaining icing gray, using blue, green and black food
coloring; set aside 1/2 cup. Thin remaining gray icing with 2
tablespoons water. Cover icing between uses.
To decorate: Place front, back, side and roof pieces on a work
surface. Insert #6 tip into a pastry bag; fill with 1/2 cup gray
icing. Outline windows, doors and edges of house and roof with
icing; let dry. Fill in outlines with thinned gray icing.
To assemble: Transfer remaining thinned gray icing to a bowl. Beat in
1-2 tablespoons confections' sugar until stiff peaks form. Pipe
icing along sides of front and one side section. Position at right
angles to each other on board. Press into place; prop with cans.
Pipe icing along inside edge of added stability. Repeat with second
side piece and back; let dry. Pipe icing along top edge of house.
Position one roof piece; repeat. Pipe icing along top edge of roof
pieces. Let dry completely.
To make decorations: Divide reserved white icing into thirds. Tint
one portion black and one orange; leave remaining icing white. Using
#3 tip and white icing, outline two large and three small ghosts on
waxed paper; let dry. Thin remaining white icing with 1-2 teaspoons
water. Fill in ghost outlines. Let dry completely.
Use orange icing to make three pumpkins; use black icing for three
bats. Let dry. Thicken remaining black icing with 1-2 teaspoons
confectioners' sugar; pipe faces onto pumpkins and ghosts. Let dry

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Haunted House (continued)

Directions (continued)

completely. Use a toothpick and thinned white icing to make bat
eyes; let dry.
Finishing touches: To remaining gray icing, add black coloring to
make a darker gray. Using #6 tip and dark gray icing, pipe U-shaped
designs on roof for shingles; let dry. Thin remaining icing if
necessary with water, then spread over shutters and doors; let dry.
With remaining thickened black icing, pipe a tombstone and "RIP" on
the door; let dry. Attach the door, shutters, ghosts, bats and
pumpkins with icing. Attach Spree candies to roof. Yield: 1 haunted
house.