Halloween Ghost Cookies (With Chocolate Chips)

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Spooky and tasty! Halloween Ghost Cookies are delicious chocolate chip butter cookies with a ghostly coating of white chocolate.

Prep Time40

Cook Time23

Chilling time45

Total Time1 48

Course: Cookies, Dessert, Halloween

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 407kcal

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.

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 paper 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.)
Cut the cookies out freehand by using 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 1½ inches wide.
Other options are to or make a template from paper or cardstock, or to use a ghost-shaped cookie cutter.
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 it in plastic and refrigerate it also, until you're ready to roll and cut the next batch.

After chilling, put the cookies in the oven and bake them for about 18 minutes: check them after 15—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.

In the Microwave: Pour the white chocolate chips and vegetable shortening into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave them in short, 30-second bursts, stirring between each one, until they're melted and smooth. It's important to not over-heat the chocolate.
Or on the Stovetop: 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.

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.

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!
Mini chocolate chips make easy and simple eyes for ghost cookies. If you have small candy eyes, feel free to use these instead.