Follow these detailed steps carefully to ensure your black cat cookie sandwiches are purr-fectly delicious and visually stunning. Working methodically is the key to success with cutout cookies.

Step 1: Prepare the Dry Ingredients

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisking is important as it aerates the mixture and ensures the baking soda and salt are evenly distributed, which means no salty or bitter bites. Set this bowl aside.

Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugar

In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed. Continue beating for about 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. The mixture should become light, pale, and fluffy. This process, called creaming, incorporates air into the dough, which is essential for a tender cookie.

Step 3: Add the Wet Ingredients

Add the room temperature large egg and the vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Beat on medium speed until everything is fully combined and the mixture is smooth. If you are using the optional black gel food coloring for a deeper color, add it now and mix until the color is uniform.

Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in three additions. Mix only until the flour is just incorporated. Over-mixing at this stage can develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in tough, hard cookies instead of tender ones. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.

Step 5: Chill the Dough (Crucial Step!)

Divide the dough in half, form each half into a flat disk, and wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, or up to 24 hours. Do not skip this step! Chilling the dough solidifies the butter, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven and ensures your cat shapes remain sharp and defined. It also makes the dough much easier to handle and roll out.

Step 6: Preheat Oven and Prepare for Baking

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents the cookies from sticking and makes for easy cleanup.

Step 7: Roll and Cut the Cookies

Take one disk of dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface (you can also use cocoa powder to prevent white streaks), roll out the dough to a uniform thickness of about ¼-inch. Use your cat-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. Place the cutouts about 1-2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps, re-roll them, and continue cutting until all the dough is used. If the dough becomes too soft at any point, pop it back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Step 8: Bake the Cookies

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The edges should be set, and the centers should look slightly soft. Because the cookies are black, it can be difficult to see if they are browning, so rely on the texture and time. Be careful not to overbake, as they will become hard and bitter.

Step 9: Cool the Cookies Completely

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. It is absolutely essential that the cookies are at room temperature before you attempt to fill them, or the frosting will melt and ooze out.

Step 10: Make the Cream Cheese Filling

While the cookies are cooling, prepare the filling. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter together until smooth and creamy, with no lumps. This should take about 2 minutes.

Step 11: Finish the Filling

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until it’s all incorporated. Add the vanilla extract. Once the sugar is mixed in, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 2-3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Add a few drops of orange gel food coloring and mix until you reach your desired shade of orange.

Step 12: Assemble Your Black Cat Cookie Sandwiches

Pair up your cooled cookies into matching sets. Transfer the orange frosting to a piping bag fitted with a round tip (or simply use a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off). Pipe a generous amount of filling onto the flat side of one cookie, spreading it almost to the edge. Gently press a second cookie on top to create the sandwich, causing the filling to spread evenly to the sides. Immediately press two candy eyeballs into the top cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies.