chocolate cinnamon skeleton cookies (Print Version)

Spiced chocolate treats shaped like skeletons, decorated with white icing for spooky fun.

# What You Need:

→ Cookies

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→ Royal Icing

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# How To Make:

01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt until evenly blended.
02 - In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated.
03 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until a dough forms. Avoid overmixing to prevent tough cookies.
04 - Divide dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until firm enough to roll.
05 - Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
06 - On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out skeleton or gingerbread man shapes using cookie cutters.
07 - Place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set. Cool completely on wire racks before decorating.
08 - In a clean bowl, beat egg white with powdered sugar and water until smooth and thick enough to pipe. Adjust consistency with additional water if needed.
09 - Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a fine round tip. Pipe skeleton designs onto cooled cookies and allow icing to dry completely before storing.

# Expert Tips:

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  • The chocolate cinnamon combo creates this sophisticated warmth that feels like autumn in your mouth
  • These cookies hold their shape beautifully so your skeleton designs actually look recognizable
  • The dough is forgiving enough to reroll a couple times without getting tough or weird
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  • If the dough gets too warm while rolling, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes—it'll be much easier to work with
  • The icing consistency should be like toothpaste, too thick and it won't pipe smoothly, too thin and it will spread everywhere
  • Let the decorated cookies dry for at least an hour before storing them or your skeleton faces will smudge together
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  • For the cleanest skeleton designs, pipe the outline first and let it dry slightly before filling in any larger areas
  • If you don't have a skeleton cutter, gingerbread men work perfectly—you're decorating them as skeletons anyway
  • A tiny pinch of cayenne in the dough adds this mysterious warmth that people can't quite place but absolutely love

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