In a perfect world, Halloween cookies don’t compete with the annual bonanza of candy corn, peanut butter cups, and other sweets that vie for candy lovers’ attention this time of year. Instead, my ideal Halloween treats celebrate that bounty.
That’s why I was immediately on board with my test kitchen pal Kat Boytsova’s idea to use Halloween candy in buttery thumbprint cookies. It’s the perfect way to remix store-bought candies into a homespun treat and showcase the season’s nutty, chocolaty, and caramelly flavors (and it’s way less fussy than messing with cookie cutters and royal icing).
This easy cookie recipe makes an excellent kids’ craft or a fun Halloween party activity. Depending on the ages of your assistant bakers (and how much time you’re willing to invest), you can make your cookie dough from scratch or pick up a package of store-bought sugar cookie mix or roll of pre-made cookie dough from your nearest grocery store.
Ready to make your season a little sweeter? Here’s everything you need to know.
What are thumbprint cookies, exactly?
Thumbprints can be made using all sorts of base cookie recipes but typically start with a crispy shortbread or chewy sugar cookie. At some point in the baking process, you indent each cookie with your thumb or the handle of a spoon, then fill it with something sweet—usually fruit jam or chocolate. If you’ve ever seen or made peanut butter blossoms, you get the idea.
Thumbprint cookies are incredibly versatile: Some of our favorite versions start with chocolate hazelnut cookie dough or pecan cookie dough, but classic molasses cookies work well, too, and certainly suit the season. You can flavor a basic sugar cookie recipe with cocoa powder to make chocolate cookies or incorporate nut butter or brown sugar for a chewier texture. Work some food coloring or matcha into a portion of the dough (as in these marbled Christmas spritz cookies) to make swirl patterns. Want extra-colorful Halloween cookies? Use the base of our Tutti-Frutti Thumbprints. Big fan of chocolate chip cookies? Try this chocolate chipless cookie dough, then thumbprint it with whatever chocolate candy your heart tells you to. Need a gluten-free option? These almond cookies would do nicely. Want them to look just like they do in the picture above? Keep on reading; that recipe is coming up. As for popular thumbprint fillings, you’ll usually see homemade or store-bought jam, fruit curd, meringue, chocolate kisses, or dollops of ganache.
How to make thumbprint Halloween cookies:
The key to this easy Halloween cookie recipe is choosing complementary cookie and filling flavors and having everything ready to go. For some thumbprints, you’ll add the filling before you bake, or halfway in. Here, you’ll removed the cookies from the oven once they’re fully baked, then press pieces of candy into each cookie. If you have any individually wrapped candies, make sure to unwrap them before you get started (you can do this while the dough is chilling). If the cookies cool for too long, the surface will can harden and you won’t be able to embed the candy.
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