Spooky and tasty! Underneath a ghostly sheet of white chocolate is a delicious chocolate chip butter cookie.
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BOO! Sorry if I startled you — I've been surrounded by these little ghosts and they're beginning to get to me! Good thing they're so delicious!
White Chocolate Ghost Cookies are a fun and really tasty treat to roll out this Halloween. How about bringing a batch to the kids' classroom for a party treat? Or to put out on a platter at your own Halloween gathering.
This year you may be face with a Halloween that doesn't look the same, missing the usual Halloween gatherings and traditions so that we can keep each other safe during this Pandemic. But you can still have fun at home with your friends or with your family making goodies like these. We love making cookies together at holiday time — why not at Halloween time, too?
Why you'll love these cookies
Well, first of all — BOO! They're ghosts! What a fun dessert for kids, friends, and family at Halloween parties in the classroom or at home.
Also, they're easy to make. The cookie dough comes together quickly with only six ingredients. Kids will love to help with this recipe, especially cutting out the ghosts.
More than just a cute cookie, it's really tasty, too. This butter cookie recipe is a favorite: the cookies have a crisp outside and tender inside, full of buttery flake and tiny bits of chocolate.
🔪How to make this recipe
Step 1: Make the cookie dough
Blend butter and confectioner's sugar together, then add in vanilla extract. Add in the flour and salt, then mix in some mini chocolate chips. Turn the dough out of the mixer and squeeze it a few times to bring it together. Wrap and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Cut out cookies
Roll the chilled dough out to a ¼-inch thickness. Use a sharp knife to cut out a simple ghost shape — like a tombstone shape with a rounded top. Place the cutouts on a lined baking sheet. Chill the cutouts for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Bake the cookies
Pop the chilled cookies into the oven and bake them for just under 20 minutes until they're light golden brown. Let these cool. Roll out, cut, and bake cookies until all the dough is used.
Step 4: Melt the white chocolate
Melt the white chocolate chips together with a little vegetable shortening in the top of a double boiler. The chocolate should be smooth and melted.
Step 5: Coat the cookies and add eyes
Use a pastry brush to brush white chocolate onto each cookie, covering the sides and the front, except for the bottom edge. Rest the cookie on a cooling rack and add two mini chocolate chips for the eyes. Coat the rest of the cookies, add eyes, and let the cookies sit a short time until the chocolate is firm.
Step 6: Enjoy!
Serve the cookies, or keep them wrapped for up to 3 days.
Notes:
- Use the best quality butter you can afford here. The butter flavor really shines in these cookies, and it's worth using the good stuff.
- This recipe has two chilling times: the first one helps the dough firm up to make it easier to roll out and cut. The second chill helps to keep the cookies from spreading too much while baking. These chills are important so be sure to include them!
- You can use a microwave to melt the white chocolate if you'd prefer. Just be sure to do this in short bursts, and stir in between. If the chocolate gets too hot, it will seize.
- Mini chocolate chips make easy and simple eyes for these cookies. If you have small candy eyes, feel free to use these instead.
The recipe for these spooky delicious cookies is below. Here are more fun Halloween treats to make, too!
💬 Tell me what you think of these White Chocolate Ghost Cookies: leave a comment and a star rating below!
White Chocolate Ghost Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for the ghosts' eyes
- 2 ¼ cups white chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Cream together the butter and confectioner's sugar for 3 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the bowl a couple of times during the mixing, it should be smooth. Add in the vanilla extract and beat the mixture on low to incorporate it.
- In a separate large bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Add this into the butter mixture and mix together on low speed, scraping down the bowl often, until the dough has come together.
- Add in the mini chocolate and mix just until they're distributed through the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured area. Squeeze the dough together just a couple of times so that it is smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Cut out the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. The cut cookies will need to chill before baking so be sure the baking sheet can fit in your fridge.
- Unwrap the chilled dough and use a knife to cut it in half. Rewrap one of the halves and hold it in the fridge. Place the other half on a large piece of parchment paper. Move the dough to one side of the parchment and fold the other half of the parchment over the top of the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough inside the parchment to a ¼-inch thickness.
- (Tip: on a toothpick, measure up from the tip ¼-inch and mark it with a Sharpie. To see if your dough is at ¼ inch thickness, poke the toothpick into the dough and check it against the mark.) If you don't want to use parchment paper you can just lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin.
- Use a sharp knife to cut out the cookies: they should have a tombstone shape, with a rounded top and a straight bottom. The cookies should be about 3 inches tall and 1 ½ inches wide. Cut them out freehand or make a template from paper or cardstock.
- Place the cookies onto the parchment lined baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them. Roll scraps together and continue cutting cookies to fill the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator for 15 minutes. If you have unused dough, wrap this in plastic and refrigerate it also, until you're ready to roll and cut the next batch.
Bake the cookies:
- After chilling, put the cookies in the oven and bake them for about 18 minutes: check them after 15 minutes - bake the cookies only until the edges and tops have very lightly browned.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Finish rolling, cutting and baking any additional dough you have left. Let all the cookies cool.
Melt the white chocolate:
- Pour the white chocolate chips and the vegetable shortening into the top pan of a double boiler, with water in the bottom pan. Heat the water to a simmer. Stir the chocolate until everything is melted and smooth.
Coat the cookies:
- Have a cooling rack of piece of waxed paper ready for the cookies.
- Working with one cookie at a time, use a pastry brush to brush white chocolate over the front and sides of the cookies. Leave about a ½ inch at the bottom of the cookie uncovered. Place the cookie on the rack or waxed paper.
- Place two mini chocolate chips on the ghost for eyes.
- Continue brushing chocolate over the rest of the ghosts and adding mini chocolate chip eyes.
- Let the cookies sit until the chocolate is firm, which should only take 15 minutes or so. The serve the cookies and enjoy!
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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