Chocolate Cinnamon Skeleton Cookies (Printable version)

Spooky and delicious chocolate cinnamon cookies shaped like skeletons with sweet icing decoration.

# Ingredient List:

→ Cookies

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 2 tsp ground cinnamon
04 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
05 - 1/2 tsp salt
06 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
07 - 1 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

→ Royal Icing

10 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 1 large egg white
12 - 2-3 tbsp water

# How to Make It:

01 - Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly blended.
02 - Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Incorporate egg and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined.
03 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing just until dough forms. Avoid overmixing to prevent tough cookies.
04 - Divide dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes to firm.
05 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
06 - Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut shapes using skeleton or gingerbread man cookie cutter.
07 - Arrange cutouts on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
08 - Whisk egg white, powdered sugar, and water in bowl until smooth and pipeable. Adjust consistency with additional water if needed.
09 - Transfer icing to piping bag fitted with fine tip. Pipe skeleton designs onto cooled cookies. Allow icing to dry completely before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The chocolate cinnamon combo is cozy yet sophisticated, not your average sugar cookie
  • Kids go absolutely wild for decorating skeleton faces, and adults secretly love it too
  • The dough freezes beautifully, so you can bake fresh cookies all spooky season long
02 -
  • Chilling the dough is mandatory, warm dough will spread and your skeletons will look like they melted
  • The royal icing should be thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to pipe smoothly, adjust with water as needed
  • These cookies continue to firm up as they cool, so do not overbake or they will become too crisp
03 -
  • A pinch of cayenne pepper adds mysterious warmth that makes people ask what is different about these cookies
  • Work with one dough disk at a time, keeping the other chilled so it does not become too soft to handle
  • Use a glass to lightly flour your rolling surface instead of dusting directly on the dough, which keeps it from getting tough

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