Scooping out the seeds is lots of fun. I used to wash, dry, and roast the pumpkin seeds with salt and cumin (yeah, I know, it's a very Martha thing to do). But the fact is, no one really likes them. Not even me. Especially when there are much, much tastier things to eat at Halloween. Like, for instance, candy.
And at our house, there are always sugar cookies at Halloween.
My mom always makes rolled sugar cookies for holidays. She has been making these cookies and collecting cutters ever since I was a kid. She has a huge box of cookie cutters that she hauls out for each holiday. Halloween cookies are shaped like bats, ghosts, and pumpkins. I noticed a few new shapes in there this year: maple leaves, oak leaves, apples, and little hands.
These buttery cookies will melt in your mouth. The recipe is a closely guarded secret. They're so good, they don't even need frosting, although when I make them, I often drizzle some orange-tinted frosting and sprinkles on the pumpkin-shaped ones. Hey, if you're going to go for the sugar, go all the way, right?
Pretty soon it'll be time for cookies shaped like snowflakes, wreaths, and Santa. Can't wait!
