Ingredients
3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons milk
Candies, such as cinnamon hearts, licorice diamonds, sprinkles, and candy-coated sunflower seeds, for decorating
Preparation
Chocolate-Cinnamon Cookies: Sift flour, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl.
Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined. Divide dough in half, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8-inch thickness. With your fingers, make a dent at the narrow end of a 5-to-6-inch-long oval cookie cutter to create a chin shape; cut out cookies in skull shapes. Arrange cutouts 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on a wire rack.
Icing: Stir together sugar and milk until smooth. Transfer to a squeeze bottle or a resealable plastic bag with a corner snipped off.
Outline cookie edges with icing, leaving a 1/4-inch border; fill in with more icing.
Use larger candies, like cinnamon hearts and licorice diamonds, for eyes and nose, and smaller sweets, like sprinkles and candy-coated sunflower seeds, for mouth.
