White Chocolate Peanut Butter Ghost Cookies
A Nostalgic Halloween Treat
White chocolate peanut butter ghost cookies give me all the nostalgic Halloween vibes!
As a girl, this was one of my favorite treats come October. A Nutter Butter cookie, dipped in almond bark, and decorated with chocolate chips to look like ghosts. My mom would make them for Halloween parties at school or with friends. They were so clever, and used one of my favorite childhood cookies. Plus, anything made for a special occasion sparked my interest when I was young! I loved anything festive, and my family ensured every holiday was celebrated to the fullest, putting out decorations and making special treats just like this one.
This is my homemade (more rustic) version of those cookies. While it takes more time to bake your own cookies than grabbing a pre-made cookie out of a box, I think it’s worth it. A homemade cookie can warm the heart! Plus, of all cookies to make these ones are quick to whip up! Everything is thrown into a bowl, mixed together, and put into the oven in no time.
The Recipe Details
The best part about making peanut butter cookies is the ease of making the dough. There’s no mixing ingredients in separate bowls, melting butter, or rolling out dough. The most complex thing you’ll need to do for this one is separate the yolks from a couple eggs (if you’ve never done this before, check out YouTube! There are some great videos on how to do it).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, add the dry ingredients, giving them a quick mix so everything is evenly distributed. Once mixed, throw in the rest of the ingredients, besides the chocolates, and mix until a dough is formed. Using your hands, take about a tablespoon of dough (around the size of a ping pong ball) and roll it between your hands, placing them on your cookie sheet one by one. Take a table fork and use the prongs to create a crosshatch design on the top of each cookie, smashing them flat.
Here’s where the ghostly part comes in - I shaped my cookies into a teardrop shape by pinching one side of the cookie while rounding the opposite side. It’s a subtle change, but I think it looks really cute. Plus gives each cookie it’s own unique shape and ghost personality!
Once baked, dip the tops of the cookies in the melted white chocolate and coconut oil and decorate with the semi-sweet chocolate chips to complete the ghost face. These cookies could easily be made into other designs if you’re not into the ghost design! Leave the cookies circular and decorate with melted chocolate into a spider web design or only dip half the cookie for a classy non-Halloween option. However you decorate, let me know what you think of these white chocolate and peanut butter ghost cookies! Happy Halloween!
An easy, festive treat for your next Halloween get together, full of nostalgic peanut butter flavors.
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp fine grain salt
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl with an electric handheld mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Mix on low until the ingredients are evenly distributed, about 30 seconds.
Add the butter, peanut butter, and egg yolks. Mix on low speed until a dough begins to form. You may need to stop the mixer and use your hands to bring it together near the end.
Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball and arrange on the prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. This recipe will make about 18 cookies.
Using the end of a fork, press into the top of each ball of dough, pressing them flatter and adding a cross-hatch design. Once flattened slightly, press one side of the cookie into a point, giving the cookie a ghost-like shape.
Bake the tray of cookies for 12-14 minutes and let cool on the tray for 3 minutes. They will be very soft when you take them out of the oven, but will firm up as the rest.
After cooling on the tray, transfer to a cooling rack and let cool at least 20 minutes until they are closer to room temperature.
While the cookies cool, melt the white chocolate chips in a bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring well in between each interval. Once the white chocolate has melted, add the coconut oil and stir until melted and completely incorporated.
Dip the top side of the cooled cookie into the white chocolate mixture, letting any excess chocolate drip from the pointed end of the cookie. Place the cooke bake on the cooling rack to let the chocolate set. While the white chocolate is still soft, place three semi-sweet chocolate chips on the rounded side of the cookie, in the shape of two eyes and a mouth.
Let the chocolate firm up completely, about 30-60 minutes at room temperature or 15 in the fridge and enjoy!
These cookies will stay fresh in an air-tight container in the fridge for 7-10 days.
