Halloween Shortbread Cookie Bites combine pumpkin spice and dark cocoa powder into a marbled cookie with a buttery shortbread texture. The tiny square cookies are craveable with a deep chocolate flavor and classic fall spices. The dough is made in minutes with the help of a food processor and these cute cookie bites can be jazzed up with Halloween sprinkles in any color. Make a batch of this tasty shortbread for snacks any time during pumpkin spice season!
These shortbread cookie bites win prizes for both flavor and texture. I'll take any opportunity to add pumpkin spice to my fall treats, like these sheet pan pumpkin spice pancakes or pumpkin zucchini bread. Layer that spice with a tender all butter shortbread sweetened with powdered sugar and I'm sold. These Halloween cookie bites are egg-free, just like my strawberry shortbread cookies and almond shortbread bars. Egg-free recipes mean you can share them with even more friends!
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Ingredients
I include ingredient notes here when I think they'll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!
- All-Purpose Flour -This standard flour you probably already have in your pantry is perfect for a shortbread cookie with its balanced protein content
- Unsalted Butter - This recipe was developed with unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, omit any additional kosher salt. We almost never use unsated butter, but in these shortbread cookies the pop of salt from coarse grained kosher salt was better than having salt from the butter throughout.
- Powdered Sugar - Also called confectioner's sugar, powdered sugar contains very finely ground sugar and a bit of cornstarch to prevent clumping. This promotes a soft, tender texture in your shortbread cookies.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice - Pumpkin pie spice blends combine cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves to get that perfect fall flavor. Each blend will have different proportions of each spice. Once you identify a brand you love, stick with it.
- Dark Cocoa Powder - Use a Dutch processed dark cocoa powder here for the richest chocolate flavor and dark marbling. Brands like Hershey's Special Dark or King Arthur's black cocoa powder are good options. Dutch process cocoa is treated to reduce the acidity and produces a smoother chocolate flavor.
- Sprinkles! - Sprinkles are totally optional, but they are also more fun. Choose nonpareil style sprinkles (tiny spheres) for the easiest slicing. The eyeball sprinkles are super cute, but aren't easy to cut through once the dough is chilled.
Make the Shortbread Dough
Trace a rectangle that measures 12-inches by 8-inches on a large piece of parchment paper with a pencil. Turn the paper over so that the graphite from the pencil doesn't transfer to your dough. This will be used as a landing spot for the dough and your rolling guide in later steps.
Cut the butter into 16 pieces, each measuring one tablespoon.
Prepare the spiced dough by adding 12 tablespoons (¾ cup) of butter, flour, pumpkin pie spice, powdered sugar, and kosher salt to the bowl of a food processor.
Process the dough until it starts to form a ball.
Remove the dough from the food processor and break it into four roughly even balls. Set these aside on the parchment paper.
Prepare the dark chocolate dough by adding 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) of butter, flour, dark cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and kosher salt to the bowl of a food processor. There's no need to clean out the processor bowl between the two doughs.
Process the dough once more until it starts to form a ball.
Remove the dough from the food processor and break it into four roughly even balls. Set these aside on the parchment paper.
Roll, Chill, and Bake the Cookie Bites
Flatten each dough ball into a small pancake shape
Stack these dough pancakes on top of one another, alternating the two colors. Turn the stack on its side.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and roll it into a rectangle using your pencil marks as a guide.
Trim the edges to size and add the scraps back to the dough in a way that will increase the marbling effect.
Roll the dough once more, cover it back up with the plastic wrap, and chill it laying completely flat for one hour.
If you want to add sprinkles, press them into the dough before covering it with the plastic wrap and chilling. We did half of the dough with sprinkles and half without.
While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Once the dough is chilled and firm, cut it into 96 squares. Use a ruler for precise even cookie bites or just do it by eye for less uniform shapes. Nonpareil sprinkles are easy to cut through, but larger ones are not.
Transfer the dough squares to the parchment lined baking sheets. Leave a little bit of room between each cookie, but they won't spread much.
Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. Swap the baking sheets from the top rack to the bottom rack and then bake for an additional 5-6 minutes. When the cookies are ready, the tops will be matte and slightly puffed with no shiny areas on the dough. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pans.
Substitutions and Variations
The substitutions listed below have been tested in this recipe and work well. If you successfully make any other ingredient substitutions, let us know in the comments!
- Add More Color - Use a gel paste food coloring to color the spiced dough for colorful cookie bites. Orange would be a great option, but electric green would be fun, too.
- Omit Spice - If pumpkin pie spice isn't your favorite, feel free to omit it from the spiced dough. You can replace it with ½ teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, but don't add vanilla extract. The additional liquid can throw off the texture of the shortbread.
Equipment
Here are some kitchen tools that help you make these tasty Halloween cookie bites in a flash:
- Food Processor - Use a food processor to prepare your dough with very little effort. The one pictured in this post has a 9-cup capacity. There's no need to bring your butter to room temperature with this method, the processor will warm it up as it incorporates it into the flour and powdered sugar.
- Chef's Knife - A sharp knife is perfect for cutting the cold dough into small 1-inch squares. You can also use a pizza cutter and a straight edge from a ruler to make the cuts.
- Parchment Paper - Lining pans with parchment paper means your cookie bites will slide right off after baking and cooling. Parchment paper can come in brown or white color, both will do the job. To keep the parchment paper in place and prevent it curling up, crumple it in a ball before pressing it flat into your pan.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these shortbread cookie bites at a party in festive bowls or shallow dishes. You can also transfer a handful into cellophane bags and tie them with a ribbon for party favors. They make a great addition to the treat spread at any party with their snackable size.
Make this Recipe Kid Friendly
The kids will love the size of these little cookies! They may also enjoy rolling out the dough, pressing in the sprinkles, and transferring the cut cookies to the baking pan. Any time you can involve the kids in preparing a recipe you are helping them practice skills they can use beyond the kitchen.
Storage
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. This shortbread will get softer with storage. You can freeze baked cookies in an airtight container as well. Transfer them to the counter and allow them to come up to room temperature before serving. With this batch of cookies we added the Halloween sprinkle cookies to lunches and saved the marbled cookies for November treats!
Make-Ahead Options
You can prepare the dough ahead of time and freeze the dough in two balls that are wrapped well with plastic wrap. You can also do the marbling and rolling of the dough in one day, chill it overnight, and bake them off the following day. Store the dough sheet flat on a baking pan to make cutting it easy the following day.
More Halloween Treats
It's fun to serve up Halloween-themed snacks and treats! Try any of the options below:
Dark Chocolate Favorites
All of the recipes below use dark cocoa powder for a rich chocolate flavor, just like these Halloween shortbread cookie bites! Try any of them next time you crave a dark chocolate treat.
Try It and Share
I hope you try these Halloween Shortbread Cookie Bites and enjoy the recipe as much as we do. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.
Recipe
Halloween Shortbread Cookie Bites
Equipment
- 2 sheet pans
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Dough
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (12 tablespoons)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (188 grams)
- 2½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 6 tbsps powdered sugar
- ⅜ teaspoon kosher salt
Dark Chocolate Dough
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)
- 6 tbsps all-purpose flour (47 grams)
- 2 tbsps dark cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Optional
- ¼ cup nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
- Trace an 8" x 12" rectangle on a large piece of parchment paper. Flip the paper over so that you can see the outline but no pencil line will transfer to your dough.
- Cut the butter into pieces, each measuring one tablespoon.
- Add the ingredients for the pumpkin spice dough to the bowl of a food processor. Process until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Transfer the pumpkin spice dough to the parchment paper and break it into 4 pieces. Set this aside.
- Add the ingredients for the dark chocolate dough to the food processor. Process until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Transfer the dark chocolate dough to the parchment paper and break it into 4 pieces.
- Flatten each piece of dough into a small, flat pancake. Stack the pancakes, alternating each dough.
- Turn the stacks on their side and then press down on them to make a rough rectangle. Cover this with plastic wrap and then roll it out to closely match the pencil guide on the parchment. Trim the edges and then place the trimmings over the dough to increase the marbling effect. Roll again to the final 8" x 12" rectangle.
- If you'd like to add sprinkles to the dough, gently press them into the top of the dough before chilling.
- Leave the dough covered and transfer it right on the parchment paper to a sheet pan. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Take the dough from the refrigerator. Cut the dough into 1-inch squares suing a knife or pizza cutter. Use a ruler for the best precision or eyeball it for less uniform cookie bites.
- Transfer the squares to the two sheet pans, leaving a bit of space between each piece. Bake for 6 minutes and then rotate the pans from top to bottom racks. Bake for another 5-6 minutes until the cookies have puffed up slightly and the tops are dull and not shiny.
- Remove the pans from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely on the pans. Transfer to an airtight storage container.
Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts calculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.
Cassie Waltman says
These are so fun for snacking as soon as fall sets in!