Description
Delight in these festive Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies, perfect for Halloween celebrations. Soft, cinnamon-spiced cookie dough encases a creamy milk chocolate center, creating a gooey surprise with every bite. These charming pumpkin-shaped sandwich cookies combine classic fall flavors with a fun twist, ideal for parties or seasonal treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange food coloring (optional)
- 1 tablespoon milk (if needed for dough consistency)
Filling
- 4 ounces milk chocolate, cut into squares or pieces
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon to ensure even distribution of leavening and spices.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter with granulated and light brown sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps incorporate air for a tender cookie.
- Add Egg and Flavorings: Beat in the large egg and vanilla extract until fully combined. Stir in orange food coloring if you’d like to give the cookies a festive pumpkin hue.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, blending until a soft dough forms. If the dough feels dry, add 1 tablespoon of milk to achieve the right consistency.
- Roll and Cut Dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll each half out on a floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter to cut out an even number of cookies. On half of them, carefully cut out jack-o’-lantern faces using a small knife or paring tool.
- Assemble Cookies: Place a piece of milk chocolate in the center of each whole cookie. Top with a cut-out jack-o’-lantern face cookie and gently press the edges together, sealing the chocolate inside to create stuffed sandwich cookies.
- Chill: Put the assembled cookies in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to help them set, which prevents spreading during baking.
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent sticking.
- Bake: Bake the chilled cookies for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges turn just golden. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
- Cool and Serve: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy them warm for gooey chocolate centers or cooled for a firmer texture.
Notes
- Substitute milk chocolate with dark chocolate, Nutella, or peanut butter cups for different filling flavors.
- Add pumpkin pie spice to the dough to enhance the seasonal flavor profile.
- Cookies freeze well both before and after baking, making them perfect for advance preparation.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich cookie
- Calories: 260
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 105mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
