Introduction

These Halloween Shortbread Cookies are buttery, tender, and perfectly festive with fun sprinkles and chocolate chips. Whether you prefer slice-and-bake rounds or charming cut-outs, they’re easy to make and deliciously crisp. Perfect for spooky celebrations or a sweet seasonal treat.

Several round cookies with light cream color and a slightly glossy texture are studded with small dark chocolate chips and colorful orange, yellow, and brown sprinkles. One cookie is shaped like a pumpkin with subtle indentations and small ear-like curves on top, lying on a silver wire cooling rack. The cookies have a flat, smooth surface with slight browned edges and are arranged overlapping each other in a close-up view on a white marbled textured surface. photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
⅔ cup powdered sugar
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for melting (optional)
⅓ cup Halloween sprinkles, divided

Instructions

Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until fluffy.
Step 2: Beat in the vanilla extract, followed by the egg yolk until combined.
Step 3: Turn the mixer to low speed. Add the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and all but 1 tablespoon of the sprinkles. Avoid overmixing.
Step 4: For slice-and-bake cookies: Form the dough into a 10-inch log, wrap in plastic, and chill for about 2 hours until firm. Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice the dough into ¼-inch rounds and place them 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Step 5: For cut-out cookies: Divide dough in half. Roll each half out between sheets of lightly floured parchment paper to about ¼-inch thickness. Sprinkle extra sprinkles on top, lightly rolling to set them. Chill wrapped dough for 2 hours. Remove parchment, cut out shapes with cookie cutters, place on parchment-lined trays, cover, and chill another 20 minutes.
Step 6: Bake cookies at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until edges start to turn golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Step 7: If desired, melt extra chocolate chips in the microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring between each. Transfer melted chocolate to a zip-top bag, snip off a small corner, and pipe designs onto the cooled cookies for decorating.

Tips & Variations

For extra festive cookies, use Halloween-themed sprinkles and colorful sugar crystals.
If you don’t have mini chocolate chips, roughly chop regular-sized chips or use white chocolate chips for variety.
Chilling the dough well is key to maintaining cookie shape and preventing spreading in the oven.
To make vegan shortbread, substitute butter with a plant-based alternative and use a flax egg instead of the yolk.

Storage

Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. They also freeze well: freeze baked cookies in a sealed container for up to 3 months. To reheat, let frozen cookies thaw at room temperature, then warm briefly in a low oven if desired.

How to Serve

A stack of six round, thick cookies with visible chocolate chips and small colored bits is placed on a round wire cooling rack on a white marbled surface. The cookies are pale golden with a slightly soft texture, showing small cracks and chocolate pieces evenly spread throughout. In the background, there is a white bowl filled with dark chocolate chunks, and a glass jar with colorful sprinkles can be seen softly blurred. The scene is clean and bright with soft natural light. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 4:5 --v 7

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted?

Yes, but reduce or omit the added salt in the recipe to avoid the cookies becoming too salty.

How do I prevent my cookies from spreading too much?

Chilling the dough thoroughly before baking helps the cookies hold their shape and limits spreading. Also, avoid overmixing the dough once the flour is added.