These Halloween treats may look like pumpkins, but they taste like sugar cookies with a hint of orange. Your children will have fun decorating them before the party.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. orange extract
• 3 tsp. grated orange zest

• 1 tbsp. orange juice concentrate
• 4 hard-cooked eye yolks
• 2 or 3 drops each of yellow and red food coloring
• Green and black icing (optional)
• Chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Resift the flour with salt and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and beat in sugar until fluffy. Mix in the orange extract, grated orange zest and orange juice concentrate. Press the egg yolk through a sieve and add it to the mixture, blending until smooth. Mix in the flour and salt in thirds and blend until a soft dough forms. Wrap the dough in two or three rounds in waxed paper or plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.

2. Roll out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap to a 1/8-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch circles. Bake on lightly buttered cookie sheets for 8 to 9 minutes. Don't overbake. Cool thoroughly on a rack.

3. For a stem effect, trim the tops with green icing; to create jack-o'-lanterns, draw triangle eyes and toothy grins with black icing or use chocolate chips as shown. Makes 52 2-inch circles. Store in a tightly sealed container until ready to serve.

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