These Jack Skellington cookies bring a little The Nightmare Before Christmas magic to your Halloween baking! With buttery vanilla cookies, a chocolate filling, and cute stitched smiles, they’re lovely for a family movie night or a homemade gift. 🎃🖤

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My kiddo has been loving Jack Skellington lately, so we decided to turn our favorite sugar cookie dough into these spooky little faces!

Ingredients

• 1 stick softened butter (½ cup)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• A pinch of salt
• 2 packets vanilla sugar or vanillin sugar
• All-purpose flour, added gradually until the dough holds together
• Chocolate, melted, for the filling
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

A little recipe note: I added the flour by texture rather than measuring it. Add small amounts until you have a soft dough that holds together and can be rolled after chilling.

How to Make Jack Skellington Cookies

1. Prepare the dough.
Mix the softened butter, sugar, egg, salt, and vanilla sugar. Gradually add flour until a soft dough forms. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Roll and cut.
Roll the dough evenly on lightly floured parchment paper. Cut out circles, leaving half plain for the cookie bottoms.

3. Make Jack’s face.
On the remaining circles, use the wide end of a piping tip to cut out the eyes and a smaller tip for the nostrils. Gently mark a curved smile with a spoon, then add little stitches using the tip of a knife.

4. Bake and cool.
Transfer the parchment to a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for approximately 15–20 minutes, checking earlier for thinner cookies. Remove when the edges are lightly golden and let cool completely.

5. Decorate and assemble.
Dust the face cookies with powdered sugar. Spread melted chocolate onto the plain cookies, then gently place the faces on top. Let the chocolate set before serving.

Make It a Halloween Movie Night

Serve your cookies with hot cocoa and a cozy Halloween movie! Each little face turns out differently, which makes these homemade treats even more charming.

Watch my full step-by-step tutorial on Parenting with Sara below!

Save this recipe for your next Halloween baking day! 🍪🖤