Introduction

These Easy Jack Skellington Cookies are perfect for fans of spooky treats and delicious homemade goodies. Crispy, buttery cookies are filled with black cherry jam and decorated with iconic faces using simple icing. They’re fun to make and great to share during Halloween or any themed party.

The image shows a close-up of round cookies decorated to look like spooky skull faces for Halloween. Each cookie has a white icing base layer with smooth texture, topped with two large glossy dark purple-black eyes made of jelly or glaze. Below the eyes, there are two small dark dots representing the nose. A thin black icing forms the wide stitched smile with vertical stitches crossing a curved black line across the lower half of each cookie’s face. The cookies are placed on a white marbled surface decorated with small white spider web shapes. In the background, part of a purple box with black and white Halloween-themed designs is also visible. photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Ingredients

200g dairy-free block butter (cold and cubed)
100g caster sugar
300g all-purpose/plain flour
Ice-water (if needed)
50g black cherry jam (homemade or shop-bought)
200g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Black food gel
Dairy-free milk (for icing)

Instructions

Step 1: Cream the cold, cubed butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Sift in the flour and mix until a thick dough forms. If the dough is too stiff, add a teaspoon of ice-water. Combine by hand or using a food processor, then wrap the dough in plastic wrap or baking paper and chill in the fridge for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F). Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper.
Step 3: On a heavily floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to about 1 to 1.5 cm thickness. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out cookie shapes. Place the shapes on the lined tray, and on half of them, cut out eyes and nose shapes to resemble Jack Skellington’s face.
Step 4: Bake the cookies in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Rotate the tray halfway through baking for even cooking. Let the cookies cool slightly on the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
Step 5: For the icing, mix icing sugar with vanilla extract in a bowl. Add dairy-free milk a teaspoon at a time until the icing has a thin, toothpaste-like consistency.
Step 6: Dip the top of the face-cutout cookies into the white icing and let excess drip back into the bowl. Allow the icing to set completely.
Step 7: Use black food gel to color some icing. Transfer it into a piping bag, snip off the tip, and pipe the signature mouth and facial details onto the cookies.
Step 8: Spread or pipe black cherry jam onto the solid cookies without faces and sandwich them with the iced cookies. Avoid overfilling to prevent the jam from oozing out.
Step 9: Serve and enjoy these spooky, sweet sandwiches!

Tips & Variations

Use homemade black cherry jam for a fresher, more natural flavor.
If you don’t have a round cookie cutter, use a glass or cup to cut out cookie shapes.
For a sturdier dough, chill it longer before rolling.
Substitute black food gel with melted dark chocolate for decorating.
Add a pinch of cinnamon to the dough for a subtle warm spice note.

Storage

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If filled and iced, enjoy within 2-3 days for the best texture. Reheat gently in a low oven or warm briefly in the microwave to soften if desired.

How to Serve

The image shows round sandwich cookies with two light beige soft cookie layers, with a bright red jam layer sandwiched in the middle. The top cookie has smooth white icing decorated with black icing in the shape of stitched mouths and large hollow eye holes, resembling skull faces. One cookie has a bite taken out, exposing the textured cookie and jam inside. The cookies are placed on a white marbled textured flat surface with a blurred Halloween-themed background in purple, black, and white. photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I use regular butter instead of dairy-free?

Yes, regular butter works well if you have no dairy restrictions and will produce the same delicious cookie texture.

How do I prevent the icing from cracking on the cookies?

Make sure the icing is spread evenly and allowed to dry at room temperature without moving the cookies. Avoid adding too much liquid to the icing, as a thicker consistency is less likely to crack.

Easy Jack Skellington Cookies Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.9 from 74 reviews

These Easy Jack Skellington Cookies are a delicious and festive treat inspired by the iconic character from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Made with dairy-free butter and simple ingredients, these sandwich cookies feature a sweet black cherry jam filling and detailed black and white icing decorations that bring Jack Skellington’s signature face to life. Perfect for Halloween or any spooky occasion!

Author: zara
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: Approximately 24 cookies (12 sandwich cookies) 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cookies

200g dairy-free block butter (cold and cubed)
100g caster sugar
300g all purpose/plain flour
Ice-water (if needed, about 1 teaspoon)

For the Filling

50g black cherry jam (homemade or shop bought)

For the Icing

200g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Black food gel
Dairy-free milk (quantity as needed, about 2-3 teaspoons)

Instructions

Prepare the Cookie Dough: Cream the cold, cubed dairy-free butter and caster sugar together until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Sift in the all-purpose flour and mix to form a thick dough. If the dough feels too stiff, add ice-water one teaspoon at a time to help bring it together. You can mix by hand on a clean surface or use a food processor. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or baking paper and chill in the fridge for at least 40 minutes to 1 hour to firm up.
Preheat the Oven: While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 180°C fan (about 356°F). Line a baking tray with grease-proof (parchment) paper.
Roll and Cut the Cookies: Once the dough is firm, roll it out on a heavily floured surface to about 1 to 1.5 cm thickness to prevent sticking. Use a circle cookie cutter to cut out rounds. For half of the cookies, cut out eye and nose shapes to create the Jack Skellington face slots. Place all the cookies on the lined baking tray.
Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes. To ensure even baking, you can rotate the tray halfway through. When done, let them cool slightly on the tray before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat baking until all cookies are done.
Make the Icing: In a bowl, combine icing sugar and vanilla extract. Add dairy-free milk a teaspoon at a time until you reach a thin, toothpaste-like consistency suitable for dipping. Dip the top of the cookies with the faces into the icing and allow excess to drip off. Set aside to dry completely.
Decorate the Faces: Mix black food gel into some icing to create black colored icing. Transfer this to a piping bag and snip off a small tip. Pipe a large line for the mouth and smaller lines for other facial details, mimicking Jack Skellington’s iconic look.
Assemble the Sandwich Cookies: Spread or pipe black cherry jam onto the plain cookies (without faces). Carefully place an iced cookie with the face on top to form a sandwich. Add just enough filling to avoid it oozing out through the cut-out eye holes or edges.
Serve and Enjoy: Your Jack Skellington cookies are now ready to be served. Perfect as a Halloween treat or spooky dessert!

Notes

Ensure the butter is cold and cubed for easier creaming and better dough texture.
If the dough is crumbly, add ice-water sparingly to bring it together without making it sticky.
Use a heavily floured surface to prevent the dough from sticking while rolling.
For precise face cut-outs, a small cookie cutter or knife may be used following a template or video guide.
Let the icing dry fully before assembling the sandwich cookies to avoid smudging.
You can substitute black cherry jam with any dark berry jam for different flavor variations.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Keywords: Halloween cookies, Jack Skellington recipe, dairy-free cookies, sandwich cookies, festive cookies, black cherry jam, vegan baking