Prep: 15 minutes, Chill: Overnight, Bake: 350°F., Decorate: 25 minutes

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Royal Icing

1. In small bowl, mix flour and salt. In medium bowl, with electric mixer on medium, beat together butter and sugar about 2 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. On low speed, beat in flour mixture in thirds. Shape into disk; divide in half. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

2. Heat oven to 350°F. Using half of the dough at a time, roll out between waxed paper to 1/4-inch thick ness. (You can also roll out on well-floured surface.) Remove top waxed paper sheet; cut out shapes. Repeat with scraps. Transfer cookies from paper to ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until brown around edges. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. Makes 48 cookies.

4. To decorate: Add food coloring to thin Royal Icing. Add food color ing to thick Royal Icing. Using cookies pictured as a guide, pipe edging and designs on cookies. To make a spider web, paint cookies with white icing. Pipe contrasting spiral on top. Draw a knife through spiral, starting at center.

Royal Icing: For thin icing (base coat), in small bowl, with electric mixer on low to medium speed, beat together 1 pound sifted confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup warm water, and 3 tablespoons powdered egg whites about 6 minutes or until consis tency of honey. For thick icing (piping), make a second batch as above, but use only 6 tablespoons warm water; beat until consistency of sour cream.

Nutrition facts per cookie: 99 calories, 3 g total fat, 12 mg cholesterol, 8 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrates, 0 g dietary fiber, 1 g protein.