Halloween Skull Cookies with Vanilla Pumpkin Jam
Halloween Skull Cookies with Vanilla Pumpkin Jam is a medium French recipe that serves 12. 150 calories per serving. Recipe by JustInCooking on YouTube.
Prep: 3 hrs 28 min | Cook: 45 min | Total: 4 hrs 33 min
Cost: $7.70 total, $0.64 per serving
Ingredients
- 250 g All‑purpose flour (Sift before use)
- 100 g Almond powder (Unsweetened)
- 80 g Powdered sugar (Divided: 50 g in the dough, the rest for decoration)
- 1 c. à café Ground cinnamon
- 120 g Unsalted butter (At room temperature, slightly soft)
- 1 Egg (At room temperature)
- 500 g Pumpkin (or butternut squash) (Cut into small dice)
- 150 g Granulated sugar
- 60 ml Fresh orange juice
- 15 ml Lemon juice
- 1 Bourbon vanilla bean (Madagascar) (Seeds scraped, pod split and returned to the pot)
- 225 ml Water (Divided: 125 ml then 100 ml)
Instructions
Prepare the shortcrust dough
In the robot bowl, pour the flour, almond powder, powdered sugar and cinnamon. Mix for 30 s.
Time: PT1M
Incorporate the butter
Add the soft butter cut into small dice. Mix until a sandy texture is achieved.
Time: PT2M
Add the egg
Pour the egg and mix until the dough gathers around the robot's paddle and detaches from the bowl walls.
Time: PT2M
Dough rest
Form a ball, wrap it in cling film flattening it, then place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Time: PT2H
Prepare the pumpkin jam
In a saucepan, place the diced pumpkin, granulated sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla seeds and the split pod. Mix for 2 min.
Time: PT2M
Jam cooking – first phase
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium‑low and simmer for 30 min, stirring regularly until the pumpkin becomes translucent and tender.
Time: PT30M
Temperature: Moyen-doux
Macerate and smooth
Mash the dice with a potato masher, add 125 ml water, mix, remove the vanilla pod, then blend with the immersion blender to obtain a slightly smooth texture.
Time: PT4M
Jam cooking – second phase
Add the remaining 100 ml water, bring to a boil and cook an additional 3 min to finalize the consistency.
Time: PT3M
Temperature: Moyen
Cool the jam
Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover and let cool to room temperature (about 30 min).
Time: PT30M
Roll out the dough
On a lightly floured parchment sheet, roll the dough to 3‑4 mm thickness with the rolling pin.
Time: PT5M
Cut the discs
Use the 7.5 cm round cutter to cut circles, discard the excess and repeat until the dough is exhausted.
Time: PT5M
Chill the discs
Place the discs on a tray, put them in the freezer for 10 min to firm up.
Time: PT10M
Form the skulls
With the same cutter, cut two notches on each side, pierce two eyes with a piping tip and hollow out the nose and mouth using a wooden skewer.
Time: PT10M
Assemble the cookies
Stack a holed disc on a solid disc, repeat the cuts for each pair to obtain two identical cookies to assemble later.
Time: PT5M
Bake the cookies
Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Arrange the cookies two by two on a parchment‑lined tray and bake 10‑12 min until lightly golden.
Time: PT12M
Temperature: 170°C
Cool the cookies
Allow the cookies to cool completely on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack.
Time: PT10M
Dust with powdered sugar
Dust the holed cookies with powdered sugar using a sieve.
Time: PT2M
Fill and assemble
Place a small spoon of pumpkin jam in the centre of the solid cookie, then gently place the holed cookie on top, powdered sugar side up.
Time: PT10M
Final rest
Arrange the assembled cookies on a serving platter and let rest 15 min before serving.
Time: PT15M
Nutrition Facts
- Calories
- 150
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 25 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Dietary info: vegetarian, low-calorie, very-low-calorie, low-fat
Allergens: gluten, almonds, milk, egg
Ingredient Substitutions
- Instead of All‑purpose flour: Whole wheat flour
- Instead of Almond powder: Homemade almond flour
- Instead of Powdered sugar: Sifted powdered sugar
- Instead of Ground cinnamon: Autumn spice blend
- Instead of Unsalted butter: Vegetable margarine
- Instead of Egg: Flax egg (2 tbsp water + 1 tsp ground flax seeds)
- Instead of Pumpkin (or butternut squash): Butternut squash
- Instead of Granulated sugar: Cane sugar
- Instead of Fresh orange juice: Orange nectar
- Instead of Lemon juice: Apple cider vinegar (1 tsp)
- Instead of Bourbon vanilla bean (Madagascar): Vanilla extract (1 tsp)
Equipment Needed
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Mixing bowl
- 2 L saucepan
- Immersion blender
- Rolling pin
- Round cookie cutter (7.5 cm)
- Piping tip (small size) (optional)
- Wooden skewer (optional)
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Cooling rack
- Oven
- Freezer (optional)
Critical Steps — Do Not Skip
- Do not over‑work the dough after adding the egg.
- Chill the dough at least 2 hours before rolling out.
- Cook the jam until it thickens sufficiently (about 30 min).
- Make the skull cuts before baking to prevent the dough from softening.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before adding powdered sugar and jam.
Chef Tips from the Video
- Use very cold butter for a more flaky dough.
- Lightly dust with powdered sugar before baking for a matte effect.
- Scrape the vanilla seeds directly into the saucepan for maximum aroma.
Troubleshooting
The dough is too crumbly and doesn't hold together.
Add 1‑2 tbsp cold water and mix quickly until the dough comes together.
The jam remains too liquid.
Extend cooking by 5‑10 minutes while monitoring consistency.
The cookies are too flat after baking.
Reduce baking time by 2 minutes or lower the oven temperature slightly.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Freezer: Can be frozen for up to 1 month, well wrapped.
Room temperature: Avoid; humidity will alter the texture.
Make-Ahead Tips
- Pumpkin jam keeps for 5 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer.
- Shortcrust dough can be prepared the day before and kept chilled.
- Cookies can be baked ahead and assembled just before serving.
Last updated: August 21, 2026
