Halloween Roll Cookies

You didn't think I'd let Halloween pass by without posting some sort of themed confection, did you?  Although Halloween (and its candy) may have lost some of the charm it had when I was younger, I'm still a big fan of the spooky decorations, horror movies, and costumes.  This Halloween, I decided to make roll cookies with some Halloween cookie cutters I bought from Sur-La-Table for 56 cents each! I guess being last minute has its perks.

For the cookies, I used a recipe that my family used to make every Christmas.  It's the Rich Roll Cookies on page 661 of Joy of Cooking.  I'm not going to reprint the recipe here both for copyright reasons and because I think everyone owns, or knows someone who owns, a copy of Joy of Cooking. The recipe is basic (and buttery) but it also stirs up some nostalgia for me and that's why I think it's just right.

Spot the hipster cookie

For decorating, I made a simple icing with a mix of confectioners sugar and milk.  This icing isn't the tastiest on it's own but it's sweetness and simplicity complements the cookies nicely.  Though I'm not reprinting the recipe, I do have some useful notes and tips to share with you that aren't listed in the book:

1) You don't need to use any flour for dusting if you roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper.
2) Working on a marble or granite surface will make removing the cut cookies and transferring them to a cookie sheet easier (the stone keeps the dough slightly chilled).
3) If you're having trouble moving your cookies from the wax paper to your cookie sheet, simply place the wax paper on the cookie sheet and put the whole thing in the freezer for about 7 minutes.  This will make peeling the cookies off MUCH easier.  It was a real life saver for me.
4) These are probably sort of obvious but... the thinner your cookies the more difficult they will be to transfer (definitely use the freezer method above for very thing cookies regardless of work surface). 
5) Cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet will cook more slowly those on an unlined baking sheet.
6) I prefer these cookies lightly browned because it makes their basic flavor a bit more complex.
Edited to add: 7) The recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups flour and I snuck in 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour... no one could tell the difference, even I forgot until just now!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!