Description
Jack-o’-Lantern Chocolate Sugar Cookies are festive Halloween sandwich cookies made with rich chocolate sugar cookies and creamy orange-tinted cream cheese frosting. These spooky yet delicious cookies are perfect for parties, gifts, or holiday baking fun. With their jack-o’-lantern cutouts and vibrant filling, they combine playful design with indulgent flavor, making them a must-have Halloween treat.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at cool room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
A few drops orange gel food coloring
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy (1–2 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla.
- Gradually mix in dry ingredients until combined. Roll dough between parchment to 1/4 inch thick and chill 1 hour (or 30 minutes in freezer).
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment.
- Cut pumpkin shapes with cookie cutter; cut jack-o’-lantern faces in half of them. Chill cut cookies 30 minutes (or 15 minutes in freezer).
- Bake 8–9 minutes until set. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- For frosting: beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until creamy (2–3 minutes). Add powdered sugar gradually, beat until fluffy. Mix in orange food coloring.
- To assemble: spread frosting on flat side of plain cookies. Top with jack-o’-lantern cutout cookies and press gently to sandwich. Serve or store.
Notes
- Chill dough before cutting and baking to keep shapes sharp.
- Use Dutch-process cocoa for rich flavor, or natural cocoa if preferred.
- Frosting can be tinted any color for variety.
- Store assembled cookies at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 1 week.
- For longer storage, freeze baked cookies unfrosted up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich cookie
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 95mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
