Chocolate Cinnamon Skeleton Cookies (Printable)

Spooky chocolate cinnamon cookies shaped like skeletons with sweet icing, ideal for Halloween gatherings.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
06 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
07 - 1 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

→ Royal Icing

10 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 1 large egg white or 2 tablespoons meringue powder
12 - 2-3 tablespoons water

# How-To Steps:

01 - Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
02 - Beat butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
03 - Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing just until 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.
05 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
06 - Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut out skeleton or gingerbread man shapes with cookie cutter.
07 - Place cutouts on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until set. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely before decorating.
08 - Beat egg white or meringue powder with powdered sugar and water until smooth and pipeable. Adjust consistency with additional water if needed.
09 - Transfer icing to piping bag fitted with fine tip. Pipe skeleton designs onto cooled cookies. Allow icing to dry completely before storing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The chocolate-cinnamon combination creates this rich, warming flavor that feels like autumn in your mouth
  • These cookies somehow manage to be both spooky and adorable at the same time
  • The dough is incredibly forgiving and rolls out beautifully without sticking or tearing
  • Everyone gets to be an artist when it comes time to decorate the skeletons
02 -
  • The chilling step is absolutely critical—warm dough will spread and your skeletons will look like blob ghosts instead
  • Royal icing dries faster than you expect, so work efficiently and keep unused icing covered
  • If your dough feels too firm after chilling, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients make all the difference in cookie texture—if your butter is cold, cut it into cubes and let it sit for 20 minutes
  • Work with one dough disk at a time while keeping the other in the refrigerator so it does not become too soft to handle
  • Rotate your baking sheets halfway through baking if your oven has hot spots
  • The cookies are done when the edges are set and the tops look slightly matte—underbaked is better than overbaked for texture
  • Let the decorated cookies dry at least 4 hours or overnight before stacking them

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