Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Candy corn is my biggest weakness around Halloween. It never fails... every year I eat so many of them that it makes me sick. So sick that I never even want to look at another one again. But then my mind changes the very next day. It's a vicious cycle.
I made these sugar cookies to ship to a distant cousin of mine. She's a freshman at college, and I always loved receiving goodies when I was at college. There was something about picking up a package at the campus post office and carrying it back to my dorm. It made me feel loved. :) My mom was always good at sending me goodies and letters (even if she did live only 15 minutes away). I think that's where I got my love of sending letters and goodies to others. Thanks Mama!
Well, Hailie.... I hope you enjoy!
I saved a few for Aubrey and me to try, and they were so good. I love how they are bite-sized.

The only issue I had with making these cookies is the amount of butter seemed to be too little. I had to add another tablespoon to get the dough to come together. I probably would have done better adding another 2 tablespoons (totalling 6).

Another variation is a chocolate cookie. If you'd like to make chocolate dough, you would reduce the flour to 1/2 cup and add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
About 36 pieces of candy corn

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Add flour (or flour and cocoa if you're making chocolate cookies), and mix until a dough forms.

Scoop out level teaspoons of dough, and roll into balls (chill dough briefly if it becomes too soft to handle). Place balls on greased baking sheets, 2 inches apart. As an alternative to a level teaspoon of dough, you can use a small ice cream scoop. Fill it with dough, release the dough from the scoop, and divide that amount in half to form two smaller balls of dough.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are firm and cookies are dry to the touch (do not let cookies color), 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from oven; gently press a candy corn into the center of each cookie (surface of cookies may crack slightly). Cool on sheets 1 minute; transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Yield: 36 tiny cookies

Source: Stylish Cuisine ... originally from Martha Stewart