Halloween Cut-out cookies

It just wasn't Halloween at the Hunt house without these awesome orange-flavored sugar cookies!  Nanny would always color them orange and she had pumpkin, ghost and acorn cookie cutouts.  There is also a chocolate recipe.  This is the best recipe for cutting out sugar cookies.  I also use it at Christmas now.  You can substitute vanilla for the orange flavoring, but I like the orange flavor.

Another thing that Nanny did was layer them so that there was a layer of chocolate and a layer of orange.  A double cookie!  Yum!

4 sticks of butter, softened
4 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
4 tsp. orange extract
4 tsp orange coloring (if desired)
8 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Cream butter, then add sugar and cream mixture together. Next add eggs, extract and coloring.  Add baking powder and salt and mix well.  Add flour about 1/2 cup at a time until the dough is the correct consistency.  You may need more or less flour than called for.

Divide the dough into 8ths, wrap and refrigerate.

To roll dough, let the dough soften slightly.  Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut the cookies.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are just browned.  If they are double layer cookies, bake around 20 minutes.

Chocolate dough recipe

4 sticks butter, softened
1 cup cocoa
4 cups sugar
8 cups flour
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp orange or vanilla extract

Follow instructions for regular cookie dough.