Halloween Cut Out Cookies

Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Gradually beat the flour into the batter. Mix until well blended. Gather up the dough and divide in half. Flatten each half into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 sheet pans. Let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften up. Roll out half of the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies using floured Halloween shape cookie cutters. Arrange the cut out cookies on the prepared pan. Gather up the dough scraps, reroll and cut out additional cookies. Repeat the rolling and cutting with the remaining dough half. Bake the cookies about 8 minutes until the edges are golden. Immediately sprinkle the tops of the cookies liberally with the colored sugar. Transfer the cookies to racks and cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.