Description
Nutter Butter Ghost Cookies are a fun and festive treat featuring colorful, swirled dough in green and purple hues. These soft, buttery cookies combine classic flavors of vanilla and sugar with a playful ghostly twist. Perfect for Halloween or any spooky celebration, they are made with basic pantry ingredients and gel food coloring to create a visually striking cookie log that’s sliced and baked to perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Coloring
- Gel food coloring (green and purple, recommended)
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter together with the granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step creates a smooth base for the dough and incorporates air for a tender cookie texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract, mixing thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined and smooth.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt to ensure even distribution of the leavening agent and salt for balanced flavor.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually incorporate the flour mixture into the butter mixture, mixing until a uniform cookie dough forms. Be sure not to overmix to keep the dough tender.
- Divide Dough: Split the dough into two equal portions to prepare for coloring.
- Add Food Coloring: Add green gel food coloring to one portion and purple gel food coloring to the other. Knead each dough portion gently until the colors are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Chill Dough: Wrap each colored dough portion tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This firms up the dough for easier handling and shaping.
- Prepare to Assemble: Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and unwrap.
- Layer and Roll Dough: Place the green dough on top of the purple dough and gently roll them together to create a marbled effect.
- Shape Log: Trim the edges of the layered dough to create clean, straight lines, then carefully roll the layered dough into a tight log shape, creating a spiral pattern inside.
- Chill Log: Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another hour to firm up for clean slicing.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- Slice Cookies: Remove the dough log from the refrigerator, unwrap, and slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick rounds. Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes, or until they are set and just beginning to firm at the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use gel food coloring instead of liquid to avoid altering the dough consistency.
- Chilling the dough is essential for easy handling and to prevent spreading during baking.
- Trim edges carefully to maintain clean, professional-looking cookie logs and slices.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For more vibrant colors, add food coloring gradually and knead well.
