Halloween Shortbread Cookies
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These pumpkin shaped Halloween Shortbread Cookies are filled with spooky sprinkles and decorated with chocolate icing jack-o-lantern faces!
These Halloween Shortbread Cookies are a super easy and simple treat to make this spooky season! These buttery cookies are flavored with vanilla extract, filled with plenty of Halloween colored sprinkles and topped with chocolate icing. I made mine shaped like pumpkins and decorated them with cute little jack-o-lantern faces but you can customize yours however you want!
More Halloween Treats You’ll Love
- Black Cat Sugar Cookies
- Booberry Hand Pies
- Black Cocoa Spiderweb Brownies
- Ghost Sandwich Cookies
- Black Cocoa Crinkle Cookies
Ingredient Breakdown
All-purpose flour – this gives the cookies structure.
Butter – provides flavor and structure. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Do not use cold or melted butter.
Granulated sugar – sweetens cookies.
Vanilla extract and salt – enhances flavor. Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for best flavor.
Halloween sprinkles – make sure that you use jimmies and not nonpareils because nonpareils tend to bleed into the dough.
How To Make Halloween Shortbread Cookies
1. Make the Shortbread Dough: In a small bowl whisk all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside.
2. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy then add the vanilla extract.
3. Add the dry ingredients all at once then mix on low speed until just combined then mix in the sprinkles.
4. Divide dough in half then shape into flat discs. Wrap each tightly with plastic wrap then refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
5. On a floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies and place on a baking sheet then freeze for at least 5 minutes.
6. Bake cookies at 325°F for 12-14 minutes or until the edges begin to lightly brown then allow to cool completely (my cookies were 3 inches but you may have to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger). Repeat with the second disc of dough. You can reroll the dough scraps up to 2 more times.
7. Make the Chocolate Icing: In a small bowl whisk the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and water. The icing is thick but you can add a little bit of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Decorate shortbread cookies with jack-o-lantern faces or as desired. Store Halloween Shortbread Cookies in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature.
Pro Tips For Halloween Shortbread Cookies
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Don’t over mix the dough! Only mix until the dry ingredients are just combined. Over mixing = more gluten development which means tough cookies. We don’t want any tough cookies here!
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle oven rack. This ensures that there is even heat circulation.
- Keep the shortbread cookie dough cold! If you put warm cookies in the oven they will spread so I recommend freezing the cookies for a few minutes before baking them.
- Use jimmies sprinkles and not nonpareils because nonpareils tend to bleed into the dough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Make Shortbread Cookie Dough In Advance?
Yes! Once you make this shortbread cookie dough you can either refrigerate it for up to 3 days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or freeze it for up to 3 months wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a zip-top bag.
Why do you have to chill shortbread cookie dough?
You need to chill shortbread cookie dough in order to make the dough easy to work with and to prevent your cookies from spreading too much. If you’re dough is warm then it will become sticky and difficult to handle. I recommend chilling your dough for at least 1 hour before rolling it out and chilling your cookies in the fridge or freezer right before baking them.
Why Is Shortbread called Shortbread?
Shortbread gets its name from its crumbly texture which is a result of the dough’s high fat content. The traditional ratio for shortbread is 1:2:3 (one part sugar to two parts butter to three parts flour).
What’s the difference between sugar cookies And Shortbread?
Unlike sugar cookies, shortbread is made without eggs or any leavening agents. Shortbread also has a more crumbly texture as a result of the dough’s high fat content. If you’re looking for sugar cookie recipes try my Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies or Sugar Cookies with Hershey Kisses.
My Favorite Cookie Tools
- Kitchen scale I love this scale, I’ve been using it for years!
- Stand Mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment Paper
- French rolling pin gives you more control than rolling pins with handles.
- Dough measuring strips for these Halloween Shortbread Cookies I used the blue strips which are 1/4 inch thick.
- Pumpkin cookie cutter I have this whole set of Halloween cookie cutters but you can also get the individual pumpkin cutter here.
If you try this recipe then please leave a rating/comment below to let me know how you liked it and feel free to ask any recipe questions you may have! 🙂
Halloween Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Baking sheets
- Rolling Pin
- Pumpkin cookie cutter
Ingredients
Halloween Shortbread Cookies
- 300 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 48 g (1/4 cup) Halloween jimmies sprinkles
Chocolate Icing
- 120 g (1 cup) confectioners' sugar
- 10 g (2 tbsp) cocoa powder
- 30 g (2 tbsp) water
Instructions
Halloween Shortbread Cookies
- In a small bowl whisk all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside.
- Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to cream the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy then add the vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once then mix on low speed until just combined then mix in the sprinkles.
- Divide dough in half then shape into flat discs. Wrap each tightly with plastic wrap then refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- On a floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies and place on a baking sheet then freeze for at least 5 minutes.
- Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges begin to lightly brown then allow to cool completely (my cookies were 3 inches but you may have to adjust the baking time if your cookies are smaller/larger). Repeat with the second disc of dough. You can reroll the dough scraps up to 2 more times.
Chocolate Icing
- In a small bowl whisk the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and water. The icing is thick but you can add a little bit of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Decorate shortbread cookies with jack-o-lantern faces or as desired.
Video
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale! Measuring ingredients by volume is not accurate.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter. You can use salted butter, just be sure to omit the 1/2 tsp salt.
- Store Halloween Shortbread Cookies in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature.
- Shortbread cookie dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a zip-top bag can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and baking.
- Nutrition: the provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Please read my Nutrition Disclaimer for more information.
