Halloween Shortbread Cookies
I made this recipe with a set of cookie cutters I got probably on clearance last Halloween in mind. . They're like a stamped cookie cutter that leaves the imprint in the cookie. In normal sugar cookies, you wouldn't know what the stamp imprint was because it would expand and pretty much disfigure it. I stored the cookie dough for a few days in the freezer and it froze well. I did notice after I baked the cookies some of them formed a little air pocket in the middle. The ghost is a good example. He has a beer belly, in case you didn't notice. It didn't do this prior to storing it in the freezer for a few days.
The family loved these. I think our son was the biggest fan. I take my food pictures out on the sun porch and it was so chilly out there I left the glass door open while I attempted to get a few good pictures. My little helper who happens to be two and loves cookies found his way out next to me and stole a pumpkin cookie. He was so careful to reach over the black foam board to get it that I just decided to kiss it good bye.
There it is and there it goes. Down the hatch! We did manage to get in lunch before this whole shenanigans went down. I'm still a good parent! Speaking of good parenting, we're all ready for Thursday night to get a pumpkin full of candy. He's been practicing his roar since he's going as a tiger and saying trick or treat! The last time we went down to my parents, we dressed him up and took him to the neighbors. They wanted us to come over with him. This was a good trial run to see how trick or treating would go. He fought his little tiger costume at first and then realized, "hey, this is pretty cool. I'm a tiger." So, we braved the cold, rainy weather and came home with a bag of candy. Lucian thought it was so fantastic, he wanted to put his costume on the next day and go back over for some more chocolate. Smart boy.
Here's that cute pumpkin before it was scooped up and gobbled down. I just feel like I wasn't able to capture any "wow" pictures other than the ones with Lucian in them. It's sad, but on the bright side it's still an awesome recipe. Everyone loves a quick and easy recipe. The dough can easily be colored and the cookies taste just as good without frosting as it does with frosting.
Discover what favorite pumpkin desserts should be at your Thanksgiving table this year
Halloween Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the mixing bowl, add in the butter and powdered sugar. Mix on low until smooth and well incorporated.
- Add in the vanilla and flour. Mix on low until the dough comes together. You'll need both teaspoons of vanilla to provide enough liquid for the dough to come together.
- Roll dough on the piece of parchment paper. Rolling out the cookies on more flour will make the dough crumbly.
- Cut out cookies and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Freezing the cookies is necessary to make sure they keep their shape. Also if you need to add another layer of cookies, just place a piece of parchment paper on the top of the first row of cookies going into the freezer. This is save space and time.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. The cookies will stay pale. I kept my cookies pretty thin so that they fit the cutters. They were probably about ¼".
- Cool for 5 - 10 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack. You can frost them now if you choose.
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
Enjoy the Halloween shortbread cookies!
