Spooky Sweets

I like to make fancy, complicated baked goods when I have the time, but sometimes those just aren't right for the occasion. A carrot-cake cheesecake with piped decorations is fantastic for a dinner party, but way too complicated to serve and eat at a potluck with not enough seats. In this case, I wanted to make some treats for my husband to take to work and share with his coworkers, so I needed something easy to share and eat. But I still wanted it to be just a little bit fancy, and Halloween-appropriate. So: Pumpkin Pie Jack O'Lantern Cookies.

You'll need:
4 store-bought pie crusts
1 cup canned pumpkin
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter

Open packages of pie crust. On a clean, floured cutting board, roll it out until it's slightly thinner than how it came out of the package. Use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many pumpkin shapes as you can fit. Roll out the scraps again and cut out more pumpkins. Divide the pumpkins into two equal piles. Take the pumpkins from one pile and carefully cut out basic jack o'lantern faces on them with a sharp knife. Leave the other pile alone.

Mix the pumpkin and all other ingredients until smooth. Lay out the uncut pumpkins on cookie sheets. Place about a tablespoonful of pie filling on each pumpkin and flatten it a little, making sure to leave the edge bare. Carefully lay a jack o'lantern face on top. Use a fork to pinch together the edges of the top and bottom pumpkins.

If desired, beat the egg and brush it over the tops of the cookies to promote shine. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-20 minutes or until golden (check often). Remove from oven and sprinkle with sugar immediately.

Then, enjoy!