Ghost Cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 40 cookie cups
Ingredients:
1 (17.5-ounce) package sugar cookie mix plus ingredients called for, I used Betty Crocker; or 1 package refrigerated sugar cookie dough (for a true 3-ingredient treat)
1 (12-ounce) container cream cheese frosting, vanilla frosting, or homemade frosting
Mini chocolate chips
Directions:
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a mini muffin pan. Prepare the sugar cookie dough according to the package directions for drop cookies. Roll dough balls that will fill the mini muffin pan 1/2 full (I use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon filled most of the way full to measure out the dough, then roll it into a ball and put the ball in the muffin pan cavity). Press into the dough with a finger to slightly indent the center.
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Bake for 7–10 minutes or until the tops are very lightly browned and no longer glossy at the edges. (The time will vary based on how much dough is in the muffin pan, so watch carefully.) You don’t want the cookies overbaked at all, or they yield hard/unpleasant cookies. Remove from oven and immediately press down the centers with the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon.
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Let cool a few minutes, then begin gently coaxing them out (see note 1). Use a table knife to trace around the edges and a fork to gently ease out the cookie cup. Or pinch the edges and slowly twist the cookie up and out. Once they are out, you can further press down the center if desired. Let cookies cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack.
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Fit a piping bag with an open star piping tip (such as a 1M Wilton Swirl Tip). Add frosting to the bag and pipe into the (completely cooled) cookie cups to form a swirl barely coming up out of the cookie.
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Place 2 mini chocolate chips into the frosting to create eyes. Place the chocolate chips so the flat, round side is facing out.
Notes:
Don’t let the cookie cups cool in the muffin tin, or they’ll be nearly impossible to pull out. Let them cool for a few minutes, then pull them out. Work the edges with a butter knife and slowly coax the cookies out with a small spoon or fork if needed. Or use your fingers to pinch around the edges and spin the cookie up and out.
Storage: Best enjoyed the same day they are made. After that, the cookies and frosting harden.
Quick Tip: If you don’t have your own decorating tips, look for cans of prepared frosting that come with disposable tips.
Recipe courtesy of Chelsea’s Messy Apron.com