Description
These chocolate sugar cookies are shaped into festive jack-o’-lanterns, perfect for Halloween. Rich in cocoa flavor with a crisp-tender texture, they’re fun to decorate and delicious to eat.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla extract to butter mixture and beat until combined.
- Gradually mix dry ingredients into the wet mixture until a smooth dough forms.
- Divide dough in half, flatten into discs, and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness on a floured surface.
- Use a pumpkin-shaped cutter to cut out cookies; carve faces on half of them.
- Place cookies on baking sheet and bake for 8–10 minutes, until set.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Optionally, sandwich cookies with orange-tinted buttercream or leave as is.
Notes
- Add cinnamon or pumpkin spice for seasonal flair.
- Use marshmallow fluff or Nutella as alternative fillings.
- Decorate with orange icing or edible glitter for Halloween sparkle.
- Make bite-sized versions with smaller cookie cutters.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg