You can whip up a batch of these cookies in the food processor in no time at all.

Ingredients

• 125 grams butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• ½ cup blanched peanuts
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• ¾ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ cups rolled oats
• Butter icing
• 50 grams butter
• 1½ cups icing sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
• ¾ teaspoon warm water
• To decorate
• an assortment of peppers, lifesavers, chocolate bits, licorice, flaked almonds, chocolate hail, cachous

Method

1. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add peanut butter, peanuts, egg and water. Process until the peanuts are chopped.
2. Add flour, baking soda and rolled oats and pulse only until combined. Be careful not to overmix.
3. Place heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture on greased baking sheets. With a wet fork, press cookies out to about 4-5cm diameter.
4. Bake at 180ºC for about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cake rack to cool.
5. Method by hand
6. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Chop peanuts finely, add to the creamed mixture with peanut butter, egg and 1 tablespoon water and mix well. Sift flour and baking soda together. Stir carefully into the creamed mixture with the rolled oats. Continue from step 3.
7. Butter icing
8. Beat the butter until soft and creamy. Sift and gradually beat in the icing sugar, alternately with the vanilla essence and warm water, to give a creamy spreading consistency.
9. To decorate
10. Spread each cookie with butter icing, dip edges in chocolate or coloured hail for hair or beards. Arrange candy to complete spooky faces.

Cooks Tips

- You the can buy the small quantities of lollies and other goodies to decorate the cookies from bulk bin section at your supermarket.