Description
These Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies are festive and delicious treats perfect for Halloween. Soft spiced sugar cookies are filled with creamy milk chocolate, topped with cute Jack-O’-Lantern faces, and dusted with cinnamon sugar for a flavorful and fun dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling and Topping
- 12 oz milk chocolate, chopped or use chocolate bars
- Cinnamon sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition.
- Mix dry ingredients and combine: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a dough forms. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until firm.
- Roll and cut dough: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to cut cookies. Cut faces into half of the pumpkins using a sharp knife or small cookie cutter for Jack-O’-Lantern designs.
- Assemble cookies: Place uncut pumpkin cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Center a piece of milk chocolate on each. Top with the Jack-O’-Lantern cut-out cookies and press edges gently to seal the filling inside.
- Bake: Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Remove from oven, dust with cinnamon sugar while warm, and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is crucial for easy rolling and clean cookie shapes.
- You can substitute semi-sweet or dark chocolate if preferred.
- Ensure edges are sealed well to prevent chocolate from oozing out during baking.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For a festive touch, use colored sugar or sprinkles instead of cinnamon sugar.
