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Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies Recipe

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3.8 from 14 reviews

These Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies are a festive and delicious Halloween treat featuring buttery sugar cookies decorated with vibrant orange, green, and black frosting to resemble classic pumpkin faces. Perfect for parties or seasonal celebrations, these cookies bake to a soft, chewy texture and are beautifully decorated with sprinkles, making them as fun to look at as they are to eat.

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

  • 2 cups butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour

Frosting

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Food coloring gel – orange, green, and black
  • Halloween sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the cookies.
  2. Make Cookie Dough: In a stand mixer bowl, combine the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Blend on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, ensuring a smooth dough.
  3. Add Flour: Gradually add the flour one cup at a time to the wet ingredients while mixing on low speed until a soft cookie dough forms.
  4. Roll Dough: Transfer about one-quarter of the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness using a rolling pin.
  5. Cut Cookies: Use cookie cutters to cut out the dough into shapes and place them on baking sheets, spacing them evenly.
  6. Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are lightly golden around the edges. Repeat with remaining dough.
  7. Cool Cookies: Remove cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
  8. Prepare Frosting: In a clean stand mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed to blend, then increase speed until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.
  9. Divide Frosting: Split the frosting evenly into three small bowls or ramekins for coloring.
  10. Add Colors: Mix orange, green, and black food coloring gel into each bowl respectively, stirring well to achieve vibrant colors.
  11. Fill Piping Bags: Spoon each colored frosting into a separate clear piping bag and snip the tip to create a small opening for detailed piping work.
  12. Decorate Faces: Use black frosting to pipe the eyes and mouth openings of the jack-o’-lantern cookies. Sprinkle black sugar on top and gently brush off excess.
  13. Outline and Fill: Pipe orange frosting around the cookie edges and fill the face areas, leaving eyes and mouth clear.
  14. Add Stems and Sprinkles: Pipe green frosting onto the cookie stems and decorate with Halloween sprinkles.
  15. Add Pumpkin Details: Pipe thin orange lines vertically down the cookies to mimic pumpkin spines.
  16. Serve: Allow decorated cookies to set briefly, then serve and enjoy your festive Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies!

Notes

  • Ensure the butter is softened at room temperature for easier mixing.
  • Do not overbake cookies to keep them soft and chewy.
  • Use gel food coloring for vibrant colors without thinning the frosting.
  • Chill dough if it becomes too soft to handle during cutting.
  • Experiment with different shapes and icing designs for variety.

Find it online: https://cookedbysarah.com/jack-o-lantern-cookies-recipe/