Name: Glowing Jack-o'-Lantern Cookies
Ingredients: 1/3 cup hard candies; 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature; 1 cup sugar; 1 egg; 1 teaspoon lemon zest, optional; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; red and yellow liquid coloring or orange paste coloring; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Glowing Jack-o'-Lantern CookiesKevin Kennefick

Simple butter cookies with a hint of lemon are colored orange and cut like jack-o'-lanterns. Use the tip of a knife to cut the shapes freehand and your jack-o'-lanterns will have lots of personality. They take on added luster—literally!—when you crush and melt hard candies in the spaces for the eyes, nose, and grinning mouth. The stained glass effect is beautiful and surprisingly effective given the simplicity of the process. Use lemon drops for a yellow gleam and to ramp up the flavor, or, if you prefer, try butterscotch candies for an orange glow. Let your kids work off some energy crushing the candies while you prepare the dough.

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