Candle Cookies

chocolate cookies in the shape of candles placed in a grey tray.

These Candle Cookies are made using buttery, crisp chocolate shortbreads and are shockingly easy to make. They are fun, creative and impressive, and no special tools are needed!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword candle cookies, halloween cookies

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Resting time 4

Servings cookies

Calories 95kcal

Author Maria Doss

Equipment

Ingredients

Cookies

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
¼ cup + 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 stick
½ cup + 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons milk, or more if needed
18 sliced almonds, or as needed

Icing

1 cup confectioners sugar
3 to 5 teaspoons water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
red gel food color, as needed

Instructions

Cookies

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt in a small bowl.
Combine butter, confectioners sugar and vanilla extract in a larger bowl. Beat with an electric beater, until smooth and creamy, about one minute.
Add the combined flour mixture and milk, beat on medium speed, until it looks crumbly.
Check for right consistency - Roll about a tablespoon of measure dough in between the palms of your hands. You should be able to form a firm, smooth ball without any cracks. If you see any cracks, mix about a teaspoon more milk.
Using your hands, gently shape the dough to form a ball. Pinch about 2 tablespoons, measure dough, and roll into a very thick log.
Roll the log gently across a wire rack, applying very little pressure to elongate it to about 3 inches and create an appealing decorative pattern.
Tip: I like to go in different directions to make a pretty pattern.
Insert one sliced almond on one end of the log. Repeat process to shape the remaining candle cookies. Place shaped candle cookies in a parchment-lined baking pan, spacing about an inch apart. Place pan in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight to help the cookies firm up.
Tip: I strategically place the cookies so that the almonds are in the middle of the baking pan. This prevents them from overly browning during the baking process.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, before baking cookies. Place pan in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or it feels slightly firm to the touch and the cookies look darker in color. Cool completely.

Decorate

Make icing - Stir together confectioners sugar, water and vanilla extract in a medium bowl to get a very thick but dripping consistency. Adjust water as needed. Mix in some red food coloring to get a deep red color. Transfer icing into a quart size zip lock bag or small piping bag.
Tip: The icing consistency should be thick enough to drip down slowly, without being runny. Too thick? Mix in some water! Too thin? Stir in more confectioners sugar.
To decorate, place cookies in a upright position and then drizzle some icing around the sliced almond and let it drizzle down the candle. Let stand for a few hours for the icing to harden before serving.
Tip: To stand candle cookies upright, fill a baking pan with raw rice, lentils, coffee beans, or raw sugar, and then gently insert the cookies into it.

Notes

Use gel food coloring and not liquid.

Use different color icing as needed.

Cookie dough should be firm yet be able to be rolled into a log without any cracks.

The icing consistency should be thick enough to drip down slowly, without being runny.

Nutrition