Description
Delight in these festive Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies, perfect for Halloween celebrations. These soft, pumpkin-shaped cookies are filled with melted milk chocolate and finished with a buttery cinnamon sugar coating, offering a perfect balance of spice, sweetness, and creamy chocolate in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) salted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 12 ounces milk chocolate, melted
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Make the cookie dough: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition until evenly combined. Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt, then beat until the dough forms a ball.
- Roll and cut the cookies: Generously flour your work surface. Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a disk. Roll out each disk to 1/4 inch thickness, using enough flour to prevent sticking. Using a pumpkin cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and transfer them carefully to a parchment-lined baking sheet. For half the cookies, cut out eyes and a mouth using a paring knife or small cookie cutter. Cover the baking sheet and freeze the cookies until firm, about 15-20 minutes. Roll out and cut the scraps to use all dough.
- Bake the cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies on the middle rack for 8-12 minutes, aiming for soft cookies that are just lightly golden brown. Avoid overbaking. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare cinnamon sugar coating: In a medium pot, melt the butter and allow it to brown slightly while stirring often for about 2-3 minutes, until it smells toasted. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Brush this browned butter over the top halves of the cookies (the ones with faces) and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.
- Assemble the cookies: Spread melted milk chocolate over the flat half of the cookies without faces. Gently place the pumpkin-faced cookies on top and press lightly to adhere. Serve immediately or let the chocolate firm up. Store assembled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Using pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters enhances the festive presentation; recommended cookie cutters make the process easier.
- If you don’t have a pumpkin cookie cutter, cut out 3-inch circles and use a sharp paring knife to make eyes and a mouth for the jack-o’-lantern effect.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
