Chocolate Cinnamon Skeleton Cookies (Printable)
Chewy chocolate cinnamon cookies cut into skeleton shapes and decorated with royal icing. The perfect spooky Halloween treat that's as fun to make as it is to eat.
# Ingredient List:
→ Cookie Dough
01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
07 - 1 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
→ Royal Icing
10 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 1 large egg white
12 - 2-3 tablespoons water
# Steps:
01 - Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
02 - Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
03 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing just until dough comes together. 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 for easy rolling.
05 - Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
06 - Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut skeleton or gingerbread man shapes with cookie cutter and transfer to prepared baking sheets.
07 - Bake for 10-12 minutes until set. Cool completely on wire racks before decorating.
08 - Beat egg white with powdered sugar and water until smooth and reaches pipeable consistency. Adjust with additional water or sugar as needed.
09 - Transfer icing to piping bag fitted with fine tip. Pipe skeleton designs onto cooled cookies and allow to dry completely before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The chocolate-cinnamon combo creates this warm spiced depth that feels sophisticated but still totally kid-friendly
- These cookies hold their shape beautifully so your skeleton designs actually look like skeletons after baking
- The dough is surprisingly forgiving and rerolls well without getting tough or losing flavor
02 -
- Warm dough is your enemy here—if it starts getting soft and sticky while you're cutting out shapes, pop the whole sheet back in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing
- Rolling the dough too thin will create brittle skeletons that break during decorating, while too thick means they won't bake through before the edges burn
- Royal icing days deceptively fast once exposed to air—keep your piping tip covered with a damp cloth when you're not actively using it
03 -
- After piping your skeleton designs, let the cookies dry flat on a wire rack for at least 4 hours or overnight—stacking them too early will smudge all your careful work into sad ghost shapes
- If you're making these for a party, bake and decorate them 2 days ahead and store in single layers between parchment paper in an airtight container