Are you a candy corn lover or hater? If you don’t like candy corn you can make these candy corn cookies instead! We like to serve them alongside Apple Cider Slushies and these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. For a fun treat to make with your own little goblins, try these Candy Corn Shaped Sugar Cookies.
Candy Corn Cookies
Are you ready for Halloween? My kids were already planning their next costumes while trick or treating, last year. So, needless to say, we are ready for Halloween to be here!
These Halloween cookies are some of the cutest little sugar cookies. With an emphasis on “little,” these cookies are bite-sized and only end up being about two inches tall (and some may end up a little smaller).
But, hey we are going for fun here, not perfection. Especially if you are making these with kiddos. Either way they are going to be delicious! My kids love this candy corn cookie recipe, the only problem is that it is really easy to eat a lot of them.
Make sure to plan ahead when making this Halloween sugar cookies recipe. The dough does need to sit in the refrigerator for around 1 1/2 – 2 hours, to ensure it is hard enough to slice into.
Spooky Sugar Cookies
These spooky Halloween sugar cookies are so yummy and look just like candy corn. They say you either love candy corn or hate it. I really like candy corn, but I am probably in the minority on that. Your kids are going to have so much fun making these.
Like my peanut butter blossoms, this Halloween cookie recipe has a short cooking time, so they might not look done when you pull them out of the oven.
Why is it Called Candy Corn?
No Halloween would be complete without candy corn. Those triangle shaped, waxy, tri-colored candies have been grazing the fall scene since the 1950’s, but have actually been around since the 1880’s.
Invented by an employee named George Renninger at the Wunderle Candy Company, it was originally dubbed “chicken feed” because of its similar look to corn on the cob. Those fun, striped colors (white, orange, and yellow) remind us of the fall harvest. This is how it became a Halloween staple.
Candy Corn Sugar Cookies Ingredients
- Butter: You will need unsalted butter that has been softened. Make sure to pull the butter out of the fridge a couple hours in advance.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Egg: One large egg.
- Vanilla Extract: Use real vanilla extract not vanilla flavoring.
- Flour: All purpose flour is all you need.
- Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is fresh.
- Salt: I like to use kosher or fine sea salt.
- Food Coloring: You will want to use orange gel food coloring
- Semisweet Chocolate: I use a good quality chocolate bar found in the baking section.
How to Make Halloween Cookies
- Line loaf pan. Line or make a sling for a 8×4-inch loaf pan using wax paper or parchment.
- Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand up mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg and mix well.
- Add dry ingredients. Next, mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. After combining well, add in vanilla extract.
- Divide dough. Separate the dough into 3 equal amounts using a 1-cup measuring cup (each section will be about 1 cup each).
- Color dough. Put one of the dough sections into a bowl, add the orange food coloring. Knead until color is well distributed. Add more coloring until you reach the desired color. Press the dough into the bottom of the loaf pan, trying to get it even as possible.
- Melt chocolate. Melt the chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl in the microwave for 10 second increments, stirring between, until melted.
- Add chocolate to second dough. Let the chocolate cool a little. Add it to the second section of dough and knead until the chocolate is well incorporated. Gently press the chocolate dough on top of the orange layer in the loaf pan.
- Press on final dough. Press the last section of dough over top of the chocolate layer. Cover and place the loaf pan in the fridge for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
- Cut dough. Preheat the oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the loaf pan by pulling up on the parchment or wax paper. Cut dough lengthwise into 1/4″ slices (there should be between 10-12 slices). Cut each slice into 9-10 wedges. Place cookies on baking sheet, one inch apart.
- Bake. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Make sure not to over bake cookies, they will not change color but will spread a little. Let the cookies sit on the cookie tray for 5 minutes, then move to a cooking rack.
Candy Corn Cookie Recipe Tips & Variations
- Plan ahead. This cookie dough does need to be refrigerated for 1 1/2 – 2 hours and up to 3-4 days.
- Using food gel. I recommend using food gel instead of liquid food coloring, it will give you way better colors since it is concentrated and you only need a little. Start out with 1/4 teaspoon.
- Bright color. Use a little more food coloring for a vibrant orange.
- Don’t over bake. Make sure not to over cook the cookies. They won’t brown like other cookies and if you over bake them they will end up hard.
- Different flavor. Change it up by adding orange or almond flavor.
- Thickness. Slice the dough between 1/4 – 3/8 of an inch. You can either slice the dough lengthwise or crosswise.
- How many cookies. This will make 130 small cookies, serving size is 5 cookies.
How to Store Sugar Cookies
- How to Store Sugar Cookies at Room Temperature: The best way to store these cookies is at room temperature. If you can, store in smaller portions. This will keep the cookies fresher because they aren’t being exposed to air every time the container is open. Baked sugar cookies will last in an air tight container for at room temp for about 7-14 days if stored correctly.
- How to Freeze Sugar Cookies: Let the cookies cool off completely before putting them onto a baking sheet and putting in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight glass, BPA-free freezer-safe bag or freezer-safe plastic container, separating them with parchment or wax paper. Make sure to label with the recipe name and date. The cookies should last about 3 months in the freezer.
- How to Thaw Cookies: Let the cookies thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Try these sweet fall recipes!
- Apple Cider Slushies
- Spooky Witch Hats
- Apple Crisp
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Spiderweb Black Velvet Cake
- Stained Glass Spider Web Cookie
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Candy Corn Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks, softened to room temp
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- orange gel food coloring
- 2 ounces semisweet chocolate squares
Instructions
-
Line or make a sling for a 8×4-inch loaf pan using wax paper or parchment.
-
In the bowl of a stand up mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla extract, mix well.
-
Next, mix in flour, baking powder, and salt.
-
Separate the dough into 3 equal amounts using a 1-cup measuring cup (each section will be about 1 cup each).
-
Put one of the dough sections into a bowl, add the orange food coloring. Knead until color is well distributed. Add more coloring until you reach the desired color. Press the dough into the bottom of the loaf pan, trying to get it even as possible.
-
Melt the chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl in the microwave for 10 second increments, stirring between, until melted.
-
Let the chocolate cool a little. Add it to the second section of dough and knead until the chocolate is well incorporated. Gently press the chocolate dough on top of the orange layer in the loaf pan.
-
Press the last section of dough over top of the chocolate layer. Cover and place the loaf pan in the fridge for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
-
Preheat the oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the loaf pan by pulling up on the parchment or wax paper. Cut dough lengthwise into 1/4" slices (there should be between 10-12 slices). Cut each slice into 9-10 wedges. Place cookies on baking sheet, one inch apart.
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Bake for 7-8 minutes. Make sure not to over bake cookies, they will not change color but will get spread a little. Let the cookies sit on the cookie tray for 5 minutes, then move to a cooking rack.
Recipe Notes
- To get the dough layers flat, if you have a second loaf pan you can lay parchment over the dough and press the loaf pan on top to try to gently flatten the dough.
Nutrition Information
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