Halloween is a holiday that appeals not only to children but also to adults. So let’s have fun together in the kitchen making these ghost cookies. Mom prepares the dough and the kids cut them out. They are really easy to make and absolutely delicious. I don’t have little kids anymore, but I can tell you that I took them out of the oven and watched them disappear; never mind waiting for “trick or treat”!
Other Halloween recipes you might be interested in:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 34 pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Halloween
Ingredients for ghost cookies
These quantities make 34 cookies.
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 egg yolks
- egg white (a few tablespoons only if needed)
- 2 tablespoons Marsala wine
- 1 packet vanillin
- powdered sugar (for decoration)
Tools
If you prefer, you can make the dough with a mixer.
If you don’t have the round cutters I used to make the ghost’s eyes and mouth, you can use pastry bag nozzles.
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Sieve with fine mesh
- Plastic wrap
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- 1 Cookie cutter heart-shaped, 3 inches
- 2 Cookie cutters round: one small and one larger
- 1 Toothpick
- 2 Baking sheets
Preparation of ghost cookies
In a bowl, put the butter in pieces and the sugar and work with a spoon until they are perfectly blended.
Then add the two egg yolks and mix again. Set aside the egg whites because you might need a few tablespoons.
At this point, start adding the sifted flour together with the vanillin through a fine-mesh sieve and work the dough in the bowl. If it seems too crumbly, add a little egg white; I suggest proceeding one tablespoon at a time. This may depend on the quality of the flour.
When all the flour has been incorporated, transfer the dough to the work surface and add the Marsala wine. If you don’t like it, you can omit it, but I assure you it gives a very pleasant aroma.
Work with the hands until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough that does not stick.
Form a loaf, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.
After the resting time, take the dough loaf, place it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out with the rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
Then cut out hearts with a 3-inch heart-shaped cutter. Re-knead the scraps and roll them out until the dough is used up.
Now take a heart and cut it in half.
Separate the two parts and gently push the two tips inward to create the shape of a ghost. Gradually transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
At this point, use a small round cutter to cut the eyes; then use a larger one to cut the mouth. Finally, use a toothpick to make two small holes for the nose.
Here they are:
Bake the ghost cookies in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 15 minutes. Take them out and let them cool completely before dusting them with powdered sugar. Enjoy! Paola
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