Simple Halloween Shortbread Cookies

The dough mixes up beautifully, and the decorations are simple and doable. No fancy techniques, no cookie cutters. Amen. But my favorite thing about this recipe is that they aren’t just easy… they’re delicious. Tender and butter shortbread, yummy chocolate on top. You’ll love them.

decorated halloween shortbread cookies with chocolate, sprinkles, and eyes, cooling on wire rack.

I don’t think too hard about what kind of cookie to make for every holiday. I always make shortbread because I like it. It’s fun to decorate, and whatever decorations I have on hand will work just fine.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

You don’t have to use two different kinds of chocolate for the coating. I like the mix of both, but one is just fine. Get your sprinkles in fun colors like orange, green, purple, white, and black. If you don’t have candy eyes, just use M&Ms.

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ingredients on counter

This will make 24 cookies, but the dough freezes really well. You can easily double or triple the recipe by making adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup salted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2-2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips (you can use both kinds of chocolate chips or just one)
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
  • candy eyes
  • Halloween sprinkles

How to Make Halloween Shortbread Cookies

Step One: Make The Dough

Get your oven to 325℉ and line two baking sheets with parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy – this takes longer than you think, so be patient. Add 2 cups of flour and mix on low. It’s gonna look super crumbly and you’ll think you messed up, but you didn’t!. Don’t add anything. Just dump it on a floured counter and work in that last ¼ cup of flour with your hands.

creamed butter and sugar and crumbly dough

Step Two: Roll And Cut

Roll it out to about ½ inch thick. If it sticks to your rolling pin, dust with more flour. Cut into little rectangles – about 3 x 1 inch. They don’t spread much, so you can put them pretty close together on the pan.

dough being rolled out and cut into rectangles

Step Three: Bake

Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are golden. Let them cool completely – and I mean COMPLETELY – or the chocolate will slide right off.

fully baked cookies on parchment lined baking sheet.

Step Four: Dip And Decorate

Now for the fun part. Melt your chocolate chips separately (semisweet in one bowl, and white in another) with a little shortening in the microwave. Start with 45 seconds on LOW, stir, then go from there. Dip the cookies alternating between semisweet and white, shake off the excess, and plop them on parchment paper. Add your sprinkles or candy eyes while it’s still wet.

shortbread cookie dipped into bowl of melted chocolate.

Let them sit until the chocolate hardens up. That’s it.

Storage Instructions

Store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

You can freeze the baked and cooled cookies without the chocolate coating for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, and then dip and decorate them as instructed.

Questions You May Have

Why is the baking time so long?

I’ve found that a longer bake at a lower temperature prevents them from cracking or crumbling in the oven.

Can I use a cookie cutter with shortbread?

Yes! A circle or a pumpkin cookie cutter would work very well. But something more intricate (like a bat or broomstick) isn’t the best choice with this dough.

rectangle shortbread cookies decorated with sprinkles and googly eyes on wire rack.

More Fun Cookies To Make

Printable Recipe

Halloween Shortbread Cookies

These cute and spooky cookies have an easy shortbread base with simple Halloween touches. Makes 24 cookies.
Print Recipe
halloween shortbread cookies with colorful sprinkles and candy eyes
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:20 minutes
Total Time:50 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup salted butter room temperature
  • ½ cup brown sugar packed
  • 2-2¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips (you can use both kinds of chocolate chips or just one)
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
  • candy eyes
  • Halloween sprinkles

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Instructions

  • Prep baking sheets. Preheat oven to 325℉ with two racks in the upper middle and lower middle positions. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Make dough. Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 cups of flour and mix on low until the flour is mixed in. The cookie dough will appear very crumbly, but do not add any liquid. Turn it onto a floured surface and mix in the remaining ¼ cup of flour by hand.
  • Roll out and cut. Roll the cookie dough out to ½ inch thickness, dusting the rolling pin with flour if the dough sticks. Cut into 3 x 1-inch strips. Place on a prepared baking sheet. They will not spread much.
  • Bake and cool. Bake the cookies for 20 minutes, until cookies are set and edges are golden brown. Cool completely on wire racks.
  • Dip and decorate. Melt the chocolate chips separately (semisweet in one bowl, white in another) with some shortening in the microwave on LOW for 45 seconds, stirring halfway through. Dip the cookies in the milk or white chocolate and place them on a piece of waxed or parchment paper. Add Halloween sprinkles or candy eyes while the chocolate is still melted. Let them rest on the paper until the chocolate sets.

Notes

You can double or triple the dough easily with a stand mixer.

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 239IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 173kcal
Author: Katie Shaw

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