These Halloween Skull Cookies are cute, easy, and a unique Halloween cookie recipe. They’re skull-shaped Linzer cookies, filled with jam and topped off with an adorable M&M flower.
I gave the classic Linzer cookies a cute Halloween makeover by using a skull-shaped cookie cutter instead of the traditional round one. The red raspberry jam peeks through the eye cut-outs, adding just the right amount of eerie sparkle.
To make them extra fun (and kid-approved!), I topped each one with a simple homemade M&M flower for a sweet and playful touch.
Jump to:
What are skull cookies?
Skull cookies are festive biscuits made by shaping or decorating cookie dough to resemble skulls, making them especially popular during Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and Halloween celebrations. They can range from classic sugar cookies to vibrant, detailed designs inspired by traditional sugar skulls.
These skull cookies are a simpler take — made with an eggless, buttery cookie dough, rolled out and cut into skull shapes for a spooky twist. They’re unique, creative, and make an easy yet eye-catching Halloween cookie for kids.
How to make skull cookies?
This is just an overview. Scroll down for the full written recipe in the recipe card.
- Make the lizer cookie dough as instructed.
- Roll it to ⅛ to ¼ inch thickness and chill.
- Using a skull cookie cutter, cut skull shapes from the dough.
4. Punch out eyes and mouth for one-half of the cookies, which will be the top layer of the sandwich biscuits.
To cut out eyes, using a Wilton 2A round piping tip and punch two holes for the eyes.
To make the mouth, gently press one side of the round fluted cookie cutter onto the lower section of the face, ensuring you don't cut all the way through.
5. Bake the cookies and cool.
How to Make M&M Flowers
- Carefully cut M&M candies in half using a sharp knife.
- On a piece of parchment paper, pipe a small dot of melted chocolate.
- Arrange the M&M halves around the chocolate, cut side down, to form a flower shape.
- Repeat to make as many flowers as you need.
- Place the parchment in the fridge to let the chocolate harden and set the flowers.
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below, and we’ll send the link straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get more creative recipe ideas every Sunday!
Assemble Halloween Skull Cookies
- Spread a layer of raspberry jam on the flat side of a whole biscuit.
- Place a skull-shaped cut-out cookie on top and press gently to sandwich them together.
- Add a small dollop of melted chocolate to one side of the "face," then carefully place an M&M flower on top to decorate.
- Let the cookies set for at least 1 hour before serving, so everything holds together nicely.
More spooky food ideas
Halloween Skull Cookies
Ingredients
Linzer Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 pinches salt
Additional ingredients
- Raspberry jam as required
- 6 tablespoons chocolate chips divided
- 15 M&M candies
Instructions
Cookies
- In a medium bowl, combine the butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat until the mixture is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add all-purpose flour and salt and beat to combine.
- Shape the dough into a disc with your hands, then roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper until it’s about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Transfer the dough, still between the parchment sheets, to the refrigerator to firm up for at least 4 hours, or up to 2 days.
- Using a skull cookie cutter, cut skull shapes from the dough. 👉 For half of the cookies (the top layer of the sandwich skulls), we will punch out the eyes and mouth.
- Create the eyes by punching two holes using a round piping tip. For the mouth, gently press one side of a round fluted cookie cutter onto the lower part of the face, being careful not to cut all the way through (see photos for reference).
- Place all the cut cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about an inch apart, and chill for at least an hour or up to a day.
- Bake - Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake cookies for 20 to 24 minutes or until golden in color. Let cool completely.
M&M flowers
- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut each M&M in half. Place a small dollop of melted chocolate onto a sheet of parchment paper. Arrange the halved M&Ms in a circular pattern with the cut sides facing down, forming a flower shape.
- Transfer the parchment paper with the assembled flowers to the refrigerator and chill until the chocolate has fully set.👉 For a uniform look, consider using M&Ms of the same color for each flower.
Finish cookies
- Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam onto the flat side of a whole cookie. Gently press a cut-out cookie on top, aligning the edges to form a sandwich.
- Place a small dollop of melted chocolate on one side of the cookie face. Gently press an M&M flower onto the chocolate, ensuring it's centered. Allow the chocolate to set completely before serving, at least one hour.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Recipe tips
- Assemble on the day you plan to serve — the skull biscuits can soften from the jam if left assembled for more than a day.
- Use parchment paper when rolling out the dough — it helps prevent sticking better than flouring the counter.
- Choose a dark red jam, like raspberry, for that perfect “bloody” color that adds to the spooky vibe.
- Storage: Once assembled, keep the cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 days. For longer storage, keep the baked cookies (without jam) sealed for up to a week and add the jam just before serving for the best texture.
More Halloween Cookie Ideas
Looking for more fun and spooky Halloween-themed food ideas? These cute Halloween cookies are easy, creative, and perfect for adding some festive flair to your celebrations.
- Halloween bone cookies are easy and unique to make from scratch and are a fun baking project for kids to make.
- These candle cookies are made using buttery, crisp chocolate shortbreads and are shockingly easy to make.
- Spooky Halloween tree cookies are buttery, nutty, crisp, amazingly tender, and made using only a round cookie cutter.
- These Halloween finger cookies with almond nails are easy to make and a spooky Halloween cookie recipe.
- These chocolate thumbprint cookies are made with a simple sugar cookie dough, indented to resemble skulls and filled with red strawberry jam! It is a unique, fun, creative, spooky cookie idea for Halloween!
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Kitchen at Hoskins on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
These are SO cute!! I am totally loving the M&M flowers too! You are so creative! Yum yum yum!!