Ghost Cookies (Marshmallow & White Chocolate Sugar Cookies)
Every Halloween needs one cookie that looks like it took all afternoon but really comes together from a roll of sugar-cookie dough, a bag of marshmallows, and a bowl of melted white chocolate. That's the ghost cookie: a tender sugar cookie as the base, a marshmallow perched on top, and a blanket of white chocolate poured over it so it drapes down like a sheet with a wavy hem. Two details make the whole illusion work — set the marshmallow slightly back from the cookie's edge so the chocolate has room to pool into a skirt, and keep the white chocolate just warm enough to flow (not so hot that it seizes or slides straight off). Decorating tip: for the classic floating-ghost shape, dip the marshmallow-topped cookie upside down into the white chocolate, let the excess drip for a few seconds, then flip it right-side up onto parchment — the drips become the ghost's trailing hem. Pipe two eyes and an oval mouth with a toothpick or piping bag of melted dark chocolate while the white chocolate is still slightly tacky, so the face sets into the coating instead of smudging off. Food safety: the raw sugar-cookie dough contains egg, so skip the dough-tasting and bake the bases all the way through. For a fully eggless, no-bake-safe version, start with store-bought sugar cookies or graham crackers — the marshmallow-and-chocolate topping is already egg-free and oven-free, which makes it the perfect station for little hands to help. If you love a decorated bake, try our Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream or the nutty Brown Butter Pecan Pie Cookies.
Dessert · Halloween, Cookies, Kid-Friendly, Holiday • 1 hr 10 min
Nutrition (per serving)210Calories·9gFat·30gCarbs·2gProtein
Per serving. Values are approximate and calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
Ingredients
- For the sugar cookie bases:
- 2¼ cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks / 170g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- For the ghost topping:
- 18 large marshmallows
- 2 cups (about 12 ounces / 340g) white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil or vegetable shortening
- ¼ cup (45g) dark chocolate chips or melting wafers, for the faces
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Steps
- Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with a hand mixer (or stand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture just until a soft dough forms and no dry streaks remain. Pat the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes (this keeps the cookies from spreading while they bake).
- Heat the oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough ¼ inch thick. Cut out 2½-inch rounds with a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, rerolling the scraps once. Arrange the rounds 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the edges are just golden and the centers look set. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt the white chocolate: Combine the white chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (the bowl shouldn't touch the water), stirring often until smooth and fluid. Or microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each, until just melted. Take care not to overheat — white chocolate seizes if it gets too hot or if any water sneaks in.
- Set one marshmallow on top of each cooled cookie, sitting it slightly back from the front edge. Working with one at a time, spoon or dip the white chocolate over the marshmallow so it coats the top and drapes down the sides like a sheet. Use the back of a small spoon to pull the wet chocolate downward into a wavy hem, then place the cookie on parchment to set. If dipping, dip the marshmallow-topped cookie upside down, let the excess drip, then flip it right-side up.
- Melt the dark chocolate the same way, then scrape it into a small piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped. While the white chocolate is still slightly tacky, pipe two small eyes and an oval mouth onto each ghost. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until the chocolate is fully set.
Tips & Variations
Make Ahead
The sugar-cookie dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 1 month (thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling). The baked, undecorated cookie bases can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container. Assemble and decorate the ghosts the day you plan to serve them, since the chocolate is prettiest when it's freshly set.
Storage
Store the decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, with a sheet of parchment between layers. Don't refrigerate them — condensation will make the white chocolate look dull and sweaty.
Substitutions
For a completely eggless, no-bake version, swap the homemade sugar cookies for store-bought sugar cookies or graham crackers and skip steps 1 through 4. Use vegan marshmallows and dairy-free white chocolate for a vegan cookie, and a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for the bases. Candy eyes can stand in for the piped chocolate faces, or stir a drop of orange or purple food coloring into a little extra white chocolate to make a colored ghost or hat. Short on time? A pouch of refrigerated sugar-cookie dough cuts the prep down to just melting and dipping.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 cookie
Reviews
Reviews coming soon! In the meantime, let us know what you think of this recipe.
