Halloween Ghost Cookies (Cardamom Pecan Cutout Cookies)
The cutest ghost cookies for Halloween, made with a heart shaped cookie cutter. These no spread sugar cookies are flavored with cardamom, nutty pecans and a hint of apple cider concentrate.
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Equipment
- Food Processor or Pastry Cutter
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup pecans
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider concentrate or boiled cider (optional)
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In your food processor, pulse the flour, powdered sugar, pecans, salt and cardamom until everything is combined and the pecans are finely ground.
- With the processor running, drop in the pieces of butter, one at at time, pulsing a few times until the butter is evenly distributed with no visible chunks, and the dough is moistened and crumbly.
- Add the vanilla and the milk (and the apple cider concentrate, if using), then process until the dough starts to stick together.
- Dump the dough out onto a clean counter and use your hands to finish bringing the dough together, kneading in any stray bits of flour. The dough should be soft, smooth and supple.
- Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Cut the Cookies
- Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with sheets of parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, place the disk of dough, and dust the top of the dough with flour, too. Roll out to an even thickness just under 1/4 inch thick.
- Use a 4 1/2 inch heart shaped cookie cutter to cut as many cookies as you can. Gather up the dough scraps, roll them out again, and continue cutting cookies. You should get around 10 hearts.
- Now cut the hearts in half, right down the middle. I like to slightly curve the points at the bottom, to make the ghosts look more "wispy". Place the ghosts on your baking sheets, spacing them several inches apart.
- Use the end of a piping tip or even a straw to cut holes in the ghosts for the eyes. I used the small end of piping tip #12. For the mouth, I used the oblong end of piping tip #45, then widened it into an oval shape with a chopstick.
- Place the baking sheets with the cut cookies in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.Bake the chilled cookies on the center oven rack for about 11 1/2 - 12 minutes. The tops should be a very pale golden with no dark browning, and you should see tiny flaky layers around the edges.
- Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the pan, then very gently transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating. Sugar cookies are delicate when warm, so handle with care.
Decorating Ideas
- Dust the cooled cookies with powdered sugar.
- Brush the cookies with egg white and sprinkle with sparkling sugar before baking. See these sparkling sugar almond cutout cookies for details.
- Dip the cookies in a simple icing that dries to the touch. No piping bag needed! See these iced chai spice sugar cookies for the icing recipe.
Notes
- Making the Dough without a Food Processor: If you don't have a food processor, you'll need a large bowl and a pastry cutter. In the bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Scatter with the cold butter pieces and use the pastry cutter to cut the butter in until very finely cut and evenly distributed. Drizzle with the liquid, then use your hands to work the liquid into the dry ingredients until it forms into a soft dough.
- Storing the Baked Cookies: The baked cookies should be cooled completely then stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you won't be frosting and decorating them immediately, freeze the cookies in an airtight container for 3-6 months.
- Freezing the Dough: To make the dough in advance, wrap the disks of dough in plastic wrap, label them, and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for 3-6 months. Frozen dough should be thawed overnight in the refrigerator. Then take the dough out of the fridge about 1 hour before you're ready to roll out the dough. It should still be cool to the touch when you roll it out, but pliable enough to roll without too much difficulty.
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