Happy Days Aunt Chick's Pumpkin Cookies

My aunt has always made cookies at different times of the year with the Aunt Chick's cookie cutters.  She does a bunny with an Easter egg in the spring, Santa Clause in the winter.  But my favorite are the jack-o-lantern cookies.  The orange dough is so fun and festive.  Regular cookie cutters can be used with this dough, but truly consider buying the official cookie cutters at http://www.auntchicks.com/cutters.asp



Ingredients
4 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Red and yellow food coloring

Preparation

1. Sift together flour and salt. 
2. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy
3. Then add 3 eggs, beat
4. Add almond and vanilla extracts and any food coloring desired (red and yellow for pumpkin cookies). 
5. Combine mixtures and shape dough into an oval roll and wrap in waxed paper or place in plastic bag. Chill at least 2 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
7. Use a pastry canvas and covered rolling pin. Flour both lightly. Take out 1/4 or less of dough. Keep remaining dough chilled. 
8. Roll dough into 1/4 - and 3/8 - inch thickness. 
9. With floured cookie cutter, place cutter on dough and press down firmly with fingers all around edges to make sure the entire edge is cut. 
10. With spatula, lift cutter and dough. With thumb, rub cutting edge clean of dough. 
11. Then, using thumb, gently press dough into design of cutter. Be careful never to press closer than 1/4 inch of edge of cutter. 
12. Slap cutter down on table or cookie sheet, and dough will come right out. 
13. Flour cutter before cutting next cookie. 
14. Bake cookies 12 to 15 minutes. Do not allow to brown. Cool thoroughly before decorating.

***Colored Dough: If you wish to make colored dough, mix color into dough just before rolling dough in waxed paper. Colored dough should bake at only 325 degrees to help the dough retain its color.

***Cookie Decoration:
Use allspice for the eyes.
For color (green stem): add food coloring to a beaten egg white, then use a small paint brush to place color on the stem.  While stem is wet, sprinkle with green sprinkles.  For the Easter bunny cookies, use this technique to color and decorate the Easter eggs.