Description
These Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies are perfect for Halloween and fall celebrations. Soft, spiced cookies with a gooey milk chocolate center combine classic warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg with a fun festive design. The cookies are filled with melted milk chocolate and dusted with cinnamon sugar for an extra touch of sweetness and spice.
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
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl, beat the unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract and combine thoroughly.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and salt. Gradually incorporate these dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until a cohesive dough forms. Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until firm.
- Preheat & Roll: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly flour a clean surface and roll out one half of the chilled dough to about ¼-inch thickness. Use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible. For half of these cookies, carefully cut out Jack-O’-Lantern faces using a sharp knife or a small cookie cutter to create window-like designs.
- Assemble the Cookies: Place the whole pumpkin-shaped cookies (without cutouts) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Center a piece of chopped milk chocolate or a small piece of chocolate bar on each cookie. Carefully top each with a Jack-O’-Lantern cut-out cookie. Press the edges firmly together to seal the cookies and enclose the chocolate inside.
- Bake: Bake the assembled cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until they are lightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately dust the cookies with cinnamon sugar for added flavor and a rustic finish. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential to make rolling and cutting easier and to prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- Use good quality milk chocolate for the filling to ensure a smooth melt and rich flavor.
- If you don’t have a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, a round or other holiday-themed cutter can be used.
- To store, keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
- Be gentle when sealing the cookies to avoid breaking the cutout top piece.
