Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.
Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and food colouring if using.
Sift the flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl.
Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture to form a dough.
Knead the dough into a ball and chill in the fridge for one hour.
Preheat your oven to 170°C and line two baking trays.
Roll the dough to a 0.5cm thickness and cut out Halloween shapes.
Place shapes on trays and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Cool cookies on the tray for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
Decorate with writing icing, fondant, and warmed jam once completely cooled.