Description
These Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies are festive, soft-spiced cookies perfect for Halloween. Filled with rich milk chocolate and decorated with cute Jack-O’-Lantern faces, they offer a delightful combination of warm spices and melty chocolate inside a tender cookie shell.
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 Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, beat the unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, which usually takes about 2-3 minutes. This step creates a smooth base for your dough. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by mixing in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients and Form Dough: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a uniform dough forms. Divide the dough into two parts, tightly wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of chilled dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Using a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible. For half of these cutouts, use a sharp knife or smaller cutters to carve Jack-O’-Lantern faces to create the top cookie layer.
- Assemble the Stuffed Cookies: Place the plain pumpkin-shaped cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place a piece of chopped milk chocolate or a small chunk of chocolate bar on the center of each plain cookie. Then carefully top with a Jack-O’-Lantern face cookie, pressing gently around the edges to seal the two halves together, enclosing the chocolate inside.
- Bake and Finish: Bake the assembled cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until they turn lightly golden on the edges. Once baked, immediately dust the cookies with cinnamon sugar while still warm. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Ensure the dough is well chilled before rolling to prevent sticking and easier handling.
- Use good quality milk chocolate for the best melty center.
- Press cookies firmly when sealing to keep the chocolate from oozing out during baking.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
