These Halloween shortbread cookies are buttery, crispy, melt in your mouth cookies. They are made with just 8 ingredients and make the perfect recipe perfect for Halloween!
These Halloween shortbread cookies are easy cookies that are perfect for Halloween. They are so simple to make and are filled with fall colored sprinkles. Cut them out into your favorite Halloween shapes!
I loveHalloween candy, but there’s nothing like homemade cookies! These Halloween chocolate chip cookies are the perfect shareable treat!
For more fall recipes, try my peanut butter cup brownies, pumpkin olive oil cake, and apple cider cookies!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You’ll only need 8 simple ingredients to make this easy Halloween shortbread cookie recipe!
- Everyone will love the buttery, melt in your mouth texture of these chocolatey shortbread cookies.
- The cookies are filled with mini chocolate chips and Halloween sprinkles.
- These cookies can be rolled into a log and sliced or rolled out and cut out with cookie cutters.
- These cookies travel well. They are the perfect treat to share with friends and family!
Ingredient Notes
Here are some useful notes on the ingredients.
- Butter- You need one cup (2 sticks) of unsalted room temperature butter. The butter makes the cookies rich and delicious.
- Powdered sugar- Powdered sugar gives the cookies their soft, melt in your mouth texture. Powdered sugar is sometimes called confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar.
- An egg yolk- This recipe uses one egg yolk. The yolk adds flavor and helps give the cookies a tender texture.
- Chocolate chips- I use mini semisweet chocolate chips. I wouldn’t recommend regular sized chocolate chips. They can make the cookies hard to cut out.
- Halloween sprinkles- Halloween colored sprinkles make these cookies festive and colorful!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use salted butter in place of unsalted. If you use salted butter, you won’t need to add salt to the dough.
- Melt some chocolate and spoon it into a sandwich bag. Snip off one corner and pipe or “draw” faces on your pumpkin shaped cookies.
- Leave sprinkles out if you prefer. Add extra chocolate chips in place of sprinkles.
- Swap in toasted chopped nuts in place of some of the chocolate chips.
- I haven’t tried these without the egg yolk or with an egg yolk substitute.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are the directions on how to make and bake these Halloween shortbread.
Step 1: (Photo 1 above) Beat the butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until fluffy.
Step 2: (Photo 2 above)Add the vanilla extract and egg yolk. Then, beat until incorporated.
Step 3: (Photo 3 above) Next, use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the chocolate chips and sprinkles.
Step 4: (Photo 4 above) Divide dough in half. Roll each half on sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thick. Place each circle on a baking sheet. Cover and chill two hours.
Step 5: (Photo 5 above) Lift the parchment paper off the tray and onto the counter. Cut out the cookies and chill for 20 minutes. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes until the edges just begin to turn golden brown.
Step 6: (Photo 6 above) Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes then transfer them to racks to cool completely.
Expert Tips
Tip # 1: Regular chocolate chips make it a little harder to cut these cookies out. Mini chocolate chips are smaller and don’t get in the way of a knife or cookie cutter.
Tip #2: Larger metal cookie cutters work best for this dough. The sprinkles and mini chocolate chips can get in the way of smaller cookie cutters. Metal cookie cutters are generally stronger and a bit sharper.
Tip #3: You don’t need to twist and turn as you cut out the cookies. This can ruin the shape of your cookies.
Tip #4: Melt some extra chocolate chips in the microwave. Place chocolate in a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off a corner and draw or drizzle chocolate over the cooled cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Chilling the dough gives the dough time to develop flavor. It also prevents the cookies from spreading too much when they bake.
Yes you can. I’d recommend adding additional mini chocolate chips in place of the sprinkles.
This cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature for about a week or for 1 month in the freezer. Thaw til it’s just warm enough to cut. Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Take frozen cookies out of the bag or container before thawing.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
Halloween Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cups mini semisweet chocolate chips plus more for melting (optional)
- ⅓ cup Halloween sprinkles* divided
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy.
- Beat in the vanilla extract, followed by the egg yolk.
- Turn the mixer to low speed. Add the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips followed by all but 1 tablespoon of the sprinkles.* Do not overmix.
- For slice and bake cookies, go to the next step. For cut out cookies, skip the next step and go to directions for cut out cookies.
- For slice and bake cookies: Form dough into a 10 inch log. Roll it in plastic wrap and chill for about 2 hours or until firm. After chilling, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the cookie dough into rounds about 1/4″ in size. Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 ” apart. Continue to the last step.
- For cut out cookies: Divide dough in half. Roll each half out on sheets of parchment paper lightly dusted with flour. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle extra sprinkles over the dough (optional). Lightly roll the rolling pin over the dough a couple of times to set the sprinkles. Lift the dough with the parchment paper. Place each circle on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill two hours in the refrigerator. Once chilled, lift the parchment paper off the tray and place it on the counter. Run a long knife between the parchment paper and the cookie dough. Cut out the cookies with cookie cutters. Place cookies on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes. Continue to next step.
- Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes** until the edges just begin to turn golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes then transfer them to racks to cool completely.
- If you have Snoopy cookie cutters or wish to give the pumpkins faces, melt some extra chocolate chips in the microwave in 10 second bursts. Stir in between each burst until chocolate has melted. Place melted chocolate in a sandwich zip lock bag. Snip off a small part of a corner and use bag to "draw" on the cookies.
Kendra
Tested these cookies 🍪 out yesterday! These turned out awesome. I will be making them again in a couple weeks.
Natalie
Thanks for making these cookies, Kendra! So happy you enjoyed them and great to know you’re planning to make them again!