Shortbread Ghost Cookies
These Shortbread Ghost cookies are festive, easy and cute. Buttery shortbread cookies are cut out into cute ghost shapes, then a pecan half is placed in the center of the cookie. The little ghost’s arms hold the ghost’s delicious treat (the pecan). The cookies are baked until golden, and the pecans get lightly toasted from baking. They are delicious and make a great Halloween treat!
This morning there was a chill in the air, and I’ve noticed my car windows having that cool morning dew on them. It’s that time of year again, where the weather really starts to cool off and the holidays are right around the corner. I still can’t believe it’s October already and Halloween is only a couple weeks away!
Growing up, Halloween was such a fun night. I think I went about 5 years straight as a princess, haha! Now, as a mom, I get to be the one seeing the delight in my own children’s eyes as they excitedly dress up in their Halloween costumes and get ALLLL the candy. I mean what kid wouldn’t like getting delicious candy!? I may or may not sneak some of my kids candy for myself ;). Shh, don’t tell them!
I made these ghost cookies a couple weeks ago and couldn’t wait to share them with you all. They are just the cutest little things, aren’t they? Plus, you truly can’t go wrong with a buttery shortbread cookie. These cookies have the perfect ratio of rich butter and just the right amount of sweetness. The vanilla extract takes these cookies up a notch and really enhances the flavor. The thing I actually love the most about these cookies is the little pecan that the ghost is holding onto. The pecan actually gets toasted when it bakes, so it adds a delicious roasted nut flavor to the cookie when you bite into it.
Here’s why these cookies are special to me
So along with making a fun and easy Halloween cookie for you to make with your kids, friends, family and loved ones, I also made these cookies with my friends from Cookies for Kids Cancer. Cookies for Kids was founded by Gretchen and Larry Witt. Their son, Liam, tragically passed away at the age of 6 from cancer. Cookies for Kids raises money for kids fighting cancer. You can get involved by hosting a bake sale, or even purchasing some of their delicious cookies online! (I’ve had quite a few of their flavors and they truly are delicious!) OXO is also a big supporter of Cookies for Kids, and I personally have a lot of OXO baking items in my house. I always appreciate seeing companies support such important causes like this.
Many of you know my dad recently passed away from cancer, and while I know he was fortunate to live to be an older man, it still is incredibly tough losing a loved one. My dad was diagnosed with cancer in April, then passed away three months later. It’s incredibly hard watching your loved one weaken from the terrible disease of cancer. So, this cause truly means a lot to me.
Let’s get baking!
making the dough
Okay, now it’s time to get into the baking! These cookies truly are easy. I recommend using a handheld or stand mixer to beat together the sugar and butter until fluffy and creamy. You want to make sure you use room temperature or softened butter for this recipe. Cold butter will not be able to fully mix into the cookie dough.
After creaming the sugar and butter together, you’ll add the vanilla extract, flour and salt. That’s it! Not too many ingredients for these cookies. Mix just until combined.
chill the dough
These shortbread ghost cookies do need some chill time in the fridge. Place the cookie dough into plastic wrap, then shape into a rectangle. Place in fridge for at least one hour. This makes the dough easy to roll out and helps them to not spread when baking.
roll out the cookie dough and bake
I like to roll my cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper. I usually sprinkle a little flour on the dough so it doesn’t stick to the parchment paper. Use your ghost cookie cutter to cut out the ghost cookies, then transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Place a pecan half in the center of each ghost. If your ghost cookie cutter had arms, gently bend the arms over top of the pecan. If it did not have arms, you can always make your own, then place on top of the pecan. Use the flat end of a wooden skewer, or chopstick to make eyes on the ghost.
Bake in a 350F oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
If you’re looking for other fall treats to make, check these out!
Let me know what you thought of this cake!
If you make this recipe, make sure to leave a comment or star rating. I love hearing your thoughts as it helps me improve my recipes. I do my best to respond back to all of your comments. Of course, make sure you tag me on instagram if you do make this. It makes my day to see your wonderful creations of my recipes! Make sure you find me on instagram, youtube, or facebook for sneak peeks of recipes, fun behind the scenes and the full baking videos for my recipes.
PrintShortbread Ghost Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
These Shortbread Ghost cookies are festive, easy and cute. Buttery shortbread cookies are cut out into cute ghost shapes, then a pecan half is placed in the center of the cookie. The little ghost’s arms hold the ghost’s delicious treat (the pecan). The cookies are baked until golden, and the pecans get lightly toasted from baking. They are delicious and make a great Halloween treat!
Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
12–16 pecan halves (depending on the size of your ghost cookie cutter)
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add in vanilla extract, flour and salt. Mix just until combined.
2. Scrape dough out of bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap. Cover the dough and shape into a rectangular prism. Chill in refrigerator at least one hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Place chilled dough on a piece of parchment paper. Place another parchment paper on top of dough. Roll dough until it is ½ inch thick. Using a floured ghost cookie cutter, cut out the cookie dough into ghost shapes.
5. Place ghost cookies onto prepared baking sheet. Place a pecan half in the center of the ghost. If the cookie cutter had arms in the shape, bend the arms in, over the pecan to sort of “hug” the pecan. If your cookie cutter did not have arms, you can make your own and place the arms over the pecan to “hug” the pecan. Use the flat end of a wooden skewer or chopstick to make the ghost eyes.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Allow to cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
- Prep Time: 70
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American