Description
These delightful Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies combine soft, spiced pumpkin-shaped cookies filled with melted milk chocolate and finished with a buttery cinnamon sugar coating. Perfect for Halloween celebrations, this recipe yields festive treats that are both visually charming and irresistibly delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) salted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 12 ounces milk chocolate, melted
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Cream Butter, Sugar, and Vanilla: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. This ensures a smooth and aerated base for your cookie dough.
- Add Eggs and Dry Ingredients: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to incorporate. Next, add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Beat the mixture until fully combined and a smooth dough forms a ball.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: Generously flour your work surface to prevent sticking. Divide the dough in half, flattening each half into a disk. Roll out each disk to approximately 1/4 inch thickness, ensuring enough flour is on the surface to prevent sticking. Use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Carefully transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. For half of the cookies, cut out eyes and mouths using a paring knife or smaller cookie cutter to create jack-o’-lantern faces. Freeze the baking sheet covered for 15 to 20 minutes until cookies are firm. Roll out dough scraps and repeat the process.
- Bake Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies on the middle rack for 8 to 12 minutes for soft textures, or until they are just lightly golden brown. Avoid overbaking. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Cinnamon Sugar Coating: In a medium pot, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, allowing it to brown slightly and develop a toasted aroma, about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Brush this browned butter over the top half of the cooled jack-o’-lantern cookies and sprinkle them generously with cinnamon sugar.
- Assemble Cookies: Spread the melted milk chocolate evenly over the plain (non-faced) half of the cookies. Place the decorated jack-o’-lantern cookies on top of the chocolate-coated cookies, gently pressing down to adhere and sandwich the filling inside. Serve immediately or allow the chocolate to set, then store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- If you don’t have a pumpkin cookie cutter, simply cut out 3-inch circles and use a sharp paring knife to carve out eyes and a mouth to create jack-o’-lantern faces.
- Ensure the dough is sufficiently chilled before baking to maintain cookie shape and achieve clean cut edges.
- Use room temperature eggs for better mixing and dough consistency.
- Do not overbake to keep the cookies soft and tender.
- Store assembled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for best freshness up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
