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    TaraTeaspoon » Desserts » Chocolate

    This page contains affiliate and sponsored links. See my full disclosure.

    Published: by

    Chocolate Skeleton Cookies • With Video!

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Jump to Comments
    skeleton cookies pin image

    Chocolate skeleton cookies are nothing but good old bones! Sweet icing bones and dark chocolate cookies, that is.


    Skeleton Cookies on plate

    Nothing says Halloween like a Gingerbread Man. Oh…wait…using a gingerbread man cookie cutter—that’s where I was going with this. Change that little shape into a creepy skeleton and you’ve got something. Swap in chocolate cookie dough for the spiced standby and a ghoulish face for the smile, and you have some crazy fun Halloween treats.

    The simple design makes these a go-to Halloween treat. Skeleton cookies come together in no time. I even added a little sanding sugar sparkle to some.
    My chocolate cookie is a dark, rich and buttery roll-and-cut recipe. You can make the cookies ahead and ice them anytime. They can keep in an airtight container for several days.

    These Skeleton Cookies are easy to decorate. No need for perfection. No one is counting how many ribs they have or how big their eye sockets are!

    container of Wilton meringue powder

    The royal icing is the perfect smooth and sweet topper. I use meringue powder instead of raw egg whites, which makes the icing food-safe and easy. 

    How perfectly do the bones make these little gingerbread men look like skeletons? I love it. My skull faces sort of take on a Scream painting look, and no two are the same. That's the beauty of these little guys. Perfection is not the deal when piping these bones. No one is counting how many ribs they have or how big their eye sockets are!

    Cooking tip: Royal icing looks great piped onto cookies (that’s why we food stylists use it!). It solidifies to make a lovely un-smearable decoration. It even tastes sugary and good. However, if you don’t have powdered egg whites around to make it, and/or you love a butter-based frosting, then by all means use that instead. It won’t be as smooth, and it will most certainly smear if it’s touched by curious-kid-hands. It will still be cute and quite tasty!

    I've used royal icing on several of my Halloween treats, like these Spooky Spiral Cookies.

    Spooky Spiral Cookies for Halloween

    And I made my Eerie Eyeball Cake eyeballs with royal icing!

    cake stand with chocolate cake and eyeball candy on top

    It looks good on chocolate cookies, sugar cookies and gingerbread! Keep that gingerbread man cutter handy until December.

    These skeleton cookies are so cute packaged as favors in little cellophane bags, or just piled on a party platter. Watch my video to see just how easy they are to make!!

    Get the recipe below!

    Plate full of Halloween Skeleton Cookies

    Chocolate Skeleton Cookies

    Tara Teaspoon
    Dark as a spooky night, these cookies are made from a rich chocolate dough, with just a hint of cinnamon.
    4.46 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 2 hrs
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 24 cookies
    Calories 263 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1¼ cups unsweetened cocoa
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1½ cups unsalted butter
    • 2½ cups confectioners’ sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 recipe Royal Icing recipe below
    • White sanding sugar

    Royal Icing

    • 2 cups confectioners' sugar
    • 2 ½ tablespoon meringue powder or powdered egg whites
    • ¼ cup water

    Instructions
     

    • Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt and cinnamon; set aside.
    • Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light, about 2 min. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Working in two batches, add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Divide dough in half and wrap pieces in plastic wrap, flatten into disks and chill 1 hr or overnight.
    • Heat oven to 350ºF. On a floured surface roll dough to ¼ inch thick. Cut with a 5-inch gingerbread man cookie cutter and transfer to unlined baking sheets. Reroll scraps once. Bake until cookies spring back when touched, about 12 min. Cool on wire racks.
    • Prepare 1 recipe Royal Icing. With an electric mixer mix confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and water on low speed, scraping sides of bow,l until icing is the consistency of soft whipped cream, about 10 min. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a #2 plain tip. Decorate with lines for a skeleton. Pipe an outline of a skull and circles for eyes and mouth; flood face with icing. Sprinkle some with sanding sugar. Dry completely.

    Notes

    Chocolate skeleton cookies are nothing but good old bones! Sweet icing bones and dark chocolate cookies, that is.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 263kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 3gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 38mgPotassium: 98mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 375IUCalcium: 14mgIron: 1.4mg
    Want to watch videos to show you how to cook?Check out our Youtube and try this recipe and more.

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    • No-Bake Cookies for Halloween - Easy Graham Cracker Sandwiches with Sprinkles
    • 25 Halloween Cakes and Cupcakes
    • 35 Halloween Desserts and Treat Ideas
    • Homemade Halloween Treats
    • Halloween Spiderweb Caramel Apples
    • Pumpkin Marshmallows on Cupcakes
    • Halloween Monster Chicken Sliders
    Tara in kitchen making salad

    About Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.

    Find out more!

    Recipe and Food Styling by Tara Bench. Originally published in LHJ Oct 2012. Photography William Brinson. Prop Styling Michele Faro

    « Monster Halloween Cookies
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    Filed Under: Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts, Halloween Tagged With: baked, baking, chocolate, cookies, dessert, halloween, holiday, october, royal icing, treats

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. George Bench says

      October 24, 2014 at 12:30 pm

      Cute Tara! You are so darling! Love reading your comments. Hope somebody lets you know that Peggy Bench is following your blog 🙂

      Reply
      • tarateaspoon says

        October 25, 2014 at 1:01 am

        Oh thank you! Im so happy Peggy is following! Love you guys!

        Reply
    2. robin rue says

      October 23, 2017 at 10:42 am

      Those cookies are just too cute. My kids are going to love them. We all love Halloween around here 🙂

      Reply
    3. Jessica Joachim says

      October 23, 2017 at 1:23 pm

      These little guys turned out so cute, and I bet they taste delicious as well. I have always loved themed desserts and snacks for Holidays. I bet my daughter would have fun trying to make these one night.

      Reply
    4. Melissa Chapman says

      October 23, 2017 at 2:48 pm

      Those are some great looking cookies and the icing looks good too. I never made my own icing but this recipe looks easy and fun to work with.

      Reply
    5. Beth Davidson says

      October 23, 2017 at 5:23 pm

      You are great at designing treats! I always get bored in the middle and make everything look like blobs. Lol. Is meringue powder in the baking aisle? I've never used it before.

      Reply
    6. Tara says

      October 23, 2017 at 5:49 pm

      Oh thanks!! Yes at many grocery stores it's in the baking aisle. But sometimes they have it in the health food section. Sometimes it's just called powdered egg whites. Michaels for sure has it in the cake decorating section! ALSO you can use the link above, in my post, to order it online.

      Reply
    7. Terri Steffes says

      October 23, 2017 at 6:25 pm

      Those are super cute and would be fun to give to the neighborhood boys. ALL my neighbors have sons, which will be great in about 5 years when they can shovel my snow and mow my grass! Until then, I need to load them up on cute treats like these!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:47 pm

        Oh good idea! Nice thinking ahead!!

        Reply
    8. Cassie says

      October 23, 2017 at 6:29 pm

      These are so clever and I know that if I tried to recreate I could definitely not make them look as good as you - that's awesome talent to get the piping that good!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:47 pm

        Oh you are sweet! But the piping is so forgiving. Just bones!

        Reply
    9. Katrina says

      October 23, 2017 at 6:52 pm

      These are so cute and so well decorated! A quick and easy Halloween treat! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:48 pm

        Ah thanks! For sure!

        Reply
    10. Karen Morse says

      October 23, 2017 at 7:34 pm

      There are so many fun and yummy recipes this Fall that I would love to try! Being a teacher, I'm sure this recipe will be appreciate by my students! It's adorable and it looks so good.

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:48 pm

        These are for sure fun teacher to student gifts! How fun!

        Reply
    11. Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says

      October 23, 2017 at 11:03 pm

      Every single October I say that I'm gonna break out my gingerbread man shapes and make skeletons. Every year I fail at that...because I always forget. These are just so cute!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:48 pm

        Great minds!! Haha. Thanks!

        Reply
    12. AnnMarie John says

      October 23, 2017 at 11:30 pm

      Those skeleton cookies will be a hit with the kids especially my youngest. I'm sure she'll really enjoy those too, since they're chocolate! Thanks for the lovely recipe!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:49 pm

        I love chocolate too!

        Reply
    13. Kim Six says

      October 24, 2017 at 5:15 am

      These are so funny..and the perfect mix of creepy and adorable. I love the idea of little cookie bones!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:49 pm

        Thanks! And tasty too!

        Reply
    14. Lindsey Mozgai says

      October 24, 2017 at 10:09 am

      These skeleton cookies are so cute and a great alternative to candy treats for Halloween.

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:49 pm

        I love cookies at this holiday! Something different

        Reply
    15. Carolyn says

      October 24, 2017 at 10:48 am

      What a cool idea to use the gingerbread man cookie cutter. My boys would go crazy for these cookies thanks for all the tips on how to make and decorate them.

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:50 pm

        For sure! I hope the video helps!

        Reply
    16. Nicole Kamai says

      October 24, 2017 at 12:36 pm

      Oh these look so cute and so easy to do! I'm going to have to save this if I need something to bring for a party!!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:50 pm

        Oh good! How fun

        Reply
    17. reesa says

      October 24, 2017 at 3:21 pm

      Oh look how cute these are! I am the worst when it comes to frosting cookies!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:50 pm

        These are forgiving! Have a good Halloween!

        Reply
    18. Krystel | Disney on a Budget says

      October 24, 2017 at 7:02 pm

      These look so great and easy enough for someone like me to make. Which is important

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:51 pm

        They are super easy! (Hint: even use store bought dough and add cocoa!!)

        Reply
    19. Alison | So Chic Life says

      October 24, 2017 at 10:30 pm

      These are so adorable! Never thought to use a gingerbread man cookie cutter and decorate a different way. And not too complicated which is always nice when it comes to baking.

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:51 pm

        Ah thanks so much!

        Reply
    20. Jeanine says

      October 25, 2017 at 11:27 am

      These are very cute for Halloween! I'd love to make these with my kids to enjoy after a night of trick or treating!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:52 pm

        Good idea! Thanks!

        Reply
    21. Angela Cardamone @marathonsandmotivation.com says

      October 25, 2017 at 4:13 pm

      These are so adorable! I think my kids will absolutely LOVE making them for Halloween!!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:52 pm

        Oh good good! Thanks!

        Reply
    22. Blythe Alpern says

      October 25, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      This is a genius way to turn a gingerbread man into a ghoulish skeleton. What a fun treat to make with your kids or to create for a Halloween party.

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:54 pm

        Ah thanks. They are great for a party

        Reply
    23. Heather says

      October 25, 2017 at 5:38 pm

      These are adorable and look like so much fun to make! My oldest daughter would really enjoy making a batch with me for a Halloween party this weekend!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:56 pm

        They are so fun! Enjoy

        Reply
    24. Kaity | With Kids and Coffee says

      October 26, 2017 at 6:20 pm

      Stop it with this cuteness! I just watched all of the Scream movies in preparation for Halloween 😉 and the little face on these reminds me of that mask. Love!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:56 pm

        Oh totally that mask! haha

        Reply
    25. Shannon Gurnee says

      October 27, 2017 at 12:49 am

      Your Skeleton Cookies turned out super cute! I would love to try making these sometime!

      Reply
      • Tara says

        January 04, 2018 at 5:57 pm

        Thank you! Have fun when you do!

        Reply
    26. CHelsea says

      October 27, 2017 at 1:11 am

      These are so cute and would be really fun at any Halloween party!

      Reply
    27. Mary Bench says

      July 17, 2018 at 9:56 pm

      I love these! Your ideas are delightful!

      Reply
    28. Brittany Smart says

      July 19, 2018 at 4:30 pm

      Thanks for the video! SO amazing

      Reply
    29. Mary Bench says

      May 05, 2019 at 11:08 pm

      Amazing!

      Reply
    30. Marie says

      October 04, 2020 at 8:09 pm

      These are the cutest skeleton cookies I've ever seen-they taste really good too! I'm tempted to string them and hang them as decoration form my mantel for halloween! Also, I loved your instructional video. It helped out a ton!

      Reply
    31. Sylvia says

      November 23, 2020 at 2:34 pm

      Hi , in your recipe you state confectioners sugar (powdered sugar). Is this right? I’ve never creamed butter and powdered sugar before so I wanted to clarify.

      Reply
      • Tara says

        November 29, 2020 at 12:26 am

        Confectioners' sugar is the same as powdered sugar!

        Reply
    32. Eljay Miller says

      October 20, 2021 at 5:47 pm

      I'm trying to make them now but for some reason it's way to soft to cut out. Any idea what I can do to fix that?

      Reply
      • Tara Teaspoon says

        November 02, 2021 at 3:53 pm

        It's all about chilling the dough and then working quickly to roll and cut once the dough is very cold. I often chill the dough overnight!

        Reply

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