Halloween chocolate sugar cookies
Here’s a recipe kids will love: Halloween chocolate sugar cookies (Petit Écolier style), topped with a small chocolate slab decorated with spooky designs,skulls, ghosts, and bats, perfect for delighting and amusing both kids and adults!
If you’re not familiar with Petit Écolier cookies, they are a classic French treat from the LU brand. The cookies are cut with a cookie cutter, baked, and then a chocolate slab with fun motifs is placed on top. I’ve recreated them here with a Halloween twist.
This sugar cookie dough is very simple. The cookies hold their shape during baking, don’t crack on top, and most importantly, they stay soft. Their melt-in-the-mouth yet slightly crisp texture makes them perfect for children and adults alike. You can also use this dough to create other shapes, fill them with jam, or decorate them with royal icing, according to your preference.
I hope you have a wonderful Halloween evening, and that these chocolate Halloween monster cookies will be a hit, bringing joy and fun to everyone at snack time!
Table of Contents
Tips for Perfect Spooky Halloween Sugar Cookies
Take the butter out of the refrigerator an hour before starting the recipe. It should be soft so it can be easily creamed, either with a stand mixer or simply with a spatula.
Do not overwork the dough: as soon as it is homogeneous, stop mixing.
The dough should be soft, but you must be able to gather it into a smooth, non-sticky ball. You may need to roll it out immediately, lightly flouring your work surface. If it is sticky, add a little more flour. Be careful, it should not be hard!
These tips are not mandatory but are recommended to ensure your Halloween sugar cookies turn out perfectly.
Chill the dough for 20 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling it out between two sheets of parchment paper. This will prevent you from having to flour your work surface.
Before cutting the shapes, place the rolled-out dough back in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Firm dough makes it easier to cut the cookies without deforming them and to move them more easily.
Before baking, leave the tray with the shaped cookies in the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.
Temper the chocolate to get glossy chocolate slabs that won’t melt in your hands. You can simply melt the chocolate, but it will be less shiny and melt faster.
You can brown the cookies more or less according to your preference.Watch them near the end so they don’t get too dark.
Ingredients:
Note: Find the printable recipe card at the end of the article.
For 31 Halloween Petit Écolier–Style Cookies
Sugar Cookies Dough
- 125 g (4.4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g (3.5 oz) powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp (20 g / 0.7 oz) milk
- 3 g (1 tsp) baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- 320 g (11.3 oz) all-purpose flour
Halloween monster chocolate toppings
400 g (14 oz) dark chocolate (or chocolate of your choice)
4 g (0.14 oz) Mycryo cocoa butter (optional)
How to make Halloween Sugar Cookies
Prepare the cookies
Take the butter out of the fridge 1 hour beforehand. It must be soft for easy creaming.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the soft butter with the sifted powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy. You can also do this in a mixing bowl using a spatula or even by hand.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, mixing well to incorporate. Then add the milk and continue mixing until the mixture is fully combined.
Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. For small batches, you can finish mixing with a spatula if needed.
Sift in the flour and baking powder, and mix until you have a homogeneous dough. Do not overwork it. You can check the dough’s texture in the tips above.
Form the dough into a log and divide it in half to make two balls.
Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and flatten slightly. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before rolling it out between two sheets of parchment paper. This prevents the dough from sticking and avoids having to flour your work surface.
Roll the dough out to 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick, then place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm it up. This makes it easier to cut and transfer the cookies without distorting them.
Next, cut out the shapes using the cookie cutter included in the kit. I used the Silikomart’s Cookies Choc and Decora’s CiocCookies cutters. Each set comes with a cookie cutter and a silicone mold to make the chocolate tops.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or, preferably, on a Silpat mat. You can also use a perforated baking tray.
Return the sheet with the shaped cookies to the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Gather the scraps into a ball and re-roll as before.
Preheat the oven to 165°C (325°F) conventional heat.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Keep an eye on them toward the end so they don’t become too dark. Pay attention to the first batch, as baking times can vary between ovens.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
Preparing the Chocolate Toppings
Note: Since I only had two silicone molds and the chocolate takes some time to set before unmolding, I divided the chocolate in half and tempered each portion separately. With 200 g (about 7 oz) of chocolate, you can make around 15 to 20 chocolate plaques, depending on the mold used. You’ll have a little leftover, which you can use to stick the chocolate plaques onto the cookies.
Melt the chocolate (chopped or in chips) in a double boiler over low heat, removing it occasionally and stirring well. You can use it as is, but for a perfect result, I recommend tempering the chocolate according to the recommended temperature curves for the type of chocolate you choose.
I used a simpler tempering method with Mycryo cocoa butter.
Melt the dark chocolate to 50 °C (122 °F), then let it cool while stirring occasionally until it reaches 34–35 °C (93–95 °F). Add the Mycryo and mix well. Use the chocolate at 32 °C (90 °F).
Place the silicone molds on a rigid tray and fill each cavity with a teaspoon of chocolate. Tap the tray on the countertop to evenly distribute the chocolate and release any air bubbles. If the chocolate overflows, quickly scrape off the excess before it hardens.
Let the chocolate set for about an hour before unmolding. You can also prepare the chocolates the day before.
Carefully unmold the chocolates and stick them to the cookies using a little melted chocolate. Spread a thin layer of chocolate in the center of each cookie. Be careful: the chocolate should not be hot, or it may melt the chocolate plaques.
Let set before enjoying.
Storage :
You can keep these sugar cookies for up to two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, away from heat and humidity. Separate each layer with a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Halloween Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Tops (Petit Écolier style)
INGREDIENTS
- For 31 Halloween Petit Écolier–Style Cookies
Shortbread dough for cookies
- 125 g unsalted butter softened
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp milk 20 g / 0.7 oz
- 3 g baking powder 1 tsp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- 320 g all-purpose flour
Halloween monster chocolate toppings
- 400 g dark chocolate (or chocolate of your choice)
- 4 g Mycryo cocoa butter (optional)
PREPARATION
Prepare the Sugar Cookies
- Take the butter out of the fridge 1 hour beforehand. It must be soft for easy creaming.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the soft butter with the sifted powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy. You can also do this in a mixing bowl using a spatula or even by hand.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, mixing well to incorporate. Then add the milk and continue mixing until the mixture is fully combined.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. For small batches, you can finish mixing with a spatula if needed.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder, and mix until you have a homogeneous dough. Do not overwork it. You can check the dough’s texture in the tips above.
- Form the dough into a log and divide it in half to make two balls.
- Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and flatten slightly. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before rolling it out between two sheets of parchment paper. This prevents the dough from sticking and avoids having to flour your work surface.
- Roll the dough out to 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick, then place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm it up. This makes it easier to cut and transfer the cookies without distorting them.
- Next, cut out the shapes using the cookie cutter included in the kit. I used the Silikomart's Cookies Choc and Decora's CiocCookies cutters. Each set comes with a cookie cutter and a silicone mold to make the chocolate tops.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or, preferably, on a Silpat mat. You can also use a perforated baking tray.
- Return the sheet with the shaped cookies to the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Gather the scraps into a ball and re-roll as before.
- Preheat the oven to 165°C (325°F) conventional heat.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Keep an eye on them toward the end so they don’t become too dark. Pay attention to the first batch, as baking times can vary between ovens.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely.
Preparing the Chocolate Toppings
- Note: Since I only had two silicone molds and the chocolate takes some time to set before unmolding, I divided the chocolate in half and tempered each portion separately. With 200 g (about 7 oz) of chocolate, you can make around 15 to 20 chocolate plaques, depending on the mold used. You’ll have a little leftover, which you can use to stick the chocolate plaques onto the cookies.
- Melt the chocolate (chopped or in chips) in a double boiler over low heat, removing it occasionally and stirring well. You can use it as is, but for a perfect result, I recommend tempering the chocolate according to the recommended temperature curves for the type of chocolate you choose.
- I used a simpler tempering method with Mycryo cocoa butter.
- Melt the dark chocolate to 50 °C (122 °F), then let it cool while stirring occasionally until it reaches 34–35 °C (93–95 °F). Add the Mycryo and mix well. Use the chocolate at 32 °C (90 °F).
- Place the silicone molds on a rigid tray and fill each cavity with a teaspoon of chocolate. Tap the tray on the countertop to evenly distribute the chocolate and release any air bubbles. If the chocolate overflows, quickly scrape off the excess before it hardens.
- Let the chocolate set for about an hour before unmolding. You can also prepare the chocolates the day before.
- Carefully unmold the chocolates and stick them to the cookies using a little melted chocolate. Spread a thin layer of chocolate in the center of each cookie. Be careful: the chocolate should not be hot, or it may melt the chocolate plaques.
- Let set before enjoying.
Thank you for your visit and comments!