Jack Skellington Nutella Cookies – Halloween Cookies

Let’s get down to making these scrumptious Jack Skellington cookies, but in a more laid-back way

Ingredients:

For the Cookie Dough:

• 1 1/3 cups unsalted butter at room temperature (around 300g)
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (about 280g)
• 1 tablespoon of caramel extract (15ml)
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 5 1/5 cups all-purpose flour (approximately 650g)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch (roughly 70g)

For the Filling:

• About 8 1/2 ounces of Nutella (around 240g)
• Oil-based food coloring

To Decorate:

• Approximately 8 ounces of white chocolate chips (about 225g)
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (around 30ml)

Instructions:

1. Let’s kick things off! In a bowl, beat 1 1/3 cups of room temperature unsalted butter, 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon of caramel extract until it’s all light and fluffy.
2. Now, add 3 eggs, one at a time. Mix and make sure to scrape the bowl each time you add an egg.
3. In a separate bowl, sift 5 1/5 cups of all-purpose flour and add in 1/2 cup of cornstarch. Whisk them together until they’re all cozy.
4. Time to combine the wet and dry teams. Gently fold until a dough forms. You might want to get your hands in there to help it along. Just remember, don’t over-knead or over-mix!
5. Divide that dough in half.
6. Roll out half of the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Pop it in the freezer until it’s nice and firm, which should take around 15-20 minutes.
7. Roll out the other half of the dough and give it the same freezer treatment.
8. Use a 4-inch circular cookie cutter to shape your cookies. Gather the leftover dough, roll it out again, and make more cookies.
9. Place each cookie on a piece of parchment paper and keep them cool in the fridge while you’re working on the other batch.
10. Now, let’s add those spooky Jack Skellington faces, but only to HALF of the cookies. You can do three at a time and keep the others cool as you switch.

Baking Instructions:

• Take those cookies straight from the fridge to the oven; otherwise, they might spread too much and lose their shape.
• Lay them on a baking sheet, and use the parchment paper to move them around.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 10-12 minutes. Don’t overbake!
• Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They might be delicate when they’re hot, but they’ll firm up as they cool. Handle with care!

Assemble and Decorate:

1. Melt around 8 ounces of white chocolate chips (225g). Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and give it all a good mix.
2. Dip the cookies into the white chocolate, but only do this to the ones with the Jack Skellington faces.
3. Shake off any extra chocolate, then place them on a wire rack and redefine the mouth and nostrils. Pop them in the fridge until they set.
4. Onto the filling: Spread Nutella on the other cookies evenly.
5. Put the top pieces on the Nutella and press them down gently.

6. Now, fill the mouth and nostrils with fondant, and you’re ready to enjoy your spooky treats!