Spooky Easy Ghost Cookies
Indulge in the spirit of Halloween with your loved ones by creating these charming and spooky easy ghost cookies. These cute treats are sure to set the tone for a festive feel. We lovingly refer to them as "Mom's Special Halloween Cookies." It's become a tradition in our family to spend time together making them before settling down to watch classic Halloween movies, and it's a moment I cherish and look forward to all year long.
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Ingredients
Cookies:
- Ghost shortbread cookies:
- 1 cup butter softened unsalted (227 grams) - with so few ingredients, it's important to use quality butter that tastes great!
- ½ cup confectionary sugar 60 grams 60 grams
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup corn starch 68 grams 68 gramss
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour 260 grams
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Vanilla buttercream:
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature (113 grams, 1 stick)
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted (224 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Toppings:
Toppings:
- Chocolate chips for the eyes
- Chocolate sprinkle for eyelashes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
- Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼ inch thickness.
- Cut into rectangles 1 ½x2 inches in size or cut into shapes using a cookie cutter.
- Place cookies 1 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets
- Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden at the edges.
- Cool on wire racks, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Cream the butter, then mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Drizzle in the milk while mixing on low, then increase speed to high and beat until smooth.
- Top the cookies with a generous layer of buttercream and use chocolate chips and sprinkles to create eyes, eyelashes and mouth.
Notes
- Choose high quality butter: with so few ingredients, choosing quality butter is important.
- Measure ingredients properly: I know not every home baker is going to want to weigh their ingredients. I blogged for years before even considering it! But, now that I weigh my ingredients, I never make a recipe without grams because just a little too much or too little of any one ingredient can really throw off a recipe. And if I'm going through all the trouble to bake, I want to make sure it comes out just as I expected. Here is a great kitchen scale I recommend.If you don't use a kitchen scale, spoon and level your flour for increased likelihood of accuracy.
- Chill before baking...sometimes: This recipe has very specific ratios with less butter so that it's not necessary to chill, it doesn't bubble and spread, in my experience the dough usually doesn't have to be chilled before baking. However, if I've over-handled it or kept it out too long, it still will become very soft and difficult to manage while rolling or cutting shapes. If your shortbread feels too soft, no need to worry. Just pop in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, or until you're ready to bake. This is more likely when baking with littles.
- Bake until golden: Despite the recommended baking time, it's best to let the shortbread get slightly golden before removing it from the oven. This ensures they are fully crisp and will continue to harden as they chill for easy handling.
Nutrition
Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 16
Calories: 220kcal