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Made from a simple sablé dough, my Halloween-inspired slice and bake candy corn cookies look just like the real thing!
Why Make These Candy Corn Cookies?
I know, I know, candy corn is one of those “love it or hate it” Halloween treats. I’ve met quite a few people who can’t stand these striped seasonal sweets, but I’m a big fan. (Especially of the Brach’s candy corn pumpkins!) I love candy corn so much, in fact, that I’ve developed my own homemade candy corn recipe, as well as a second, pastel version for Easter celebrations.
These cookies just look like candy corn, though, so they’re safe for even the hardcore haters. Made with a basic sablé dough (a mixture of butter, flour, and confectioner’s sugar) and tinted with gel food coloring , this recipe captures the playful spirit of the spooky season, without the need for actual candy corn.
These candy corn cookies come together in about two hours (and a lot of that is passive time while you wait for the dough to chill and freeze), with no fancy cutters required—instead, you’ll simply slice the dough into triangular shapes using a sharp chef’s knife. The orange and yellow stripes make an eye-catching addition to any Halloween party, making these cookies a must-bake for frightening fall festivities.
Although I developed this recipe with Halloween in mind, these simple candy corn cookies work just as nicely for Thanksgiving or other autumn happenings. Plus, you can easily change up the color combination to make Easter candy corn (pink, yellow, and purple) or Christmas candy corn (red, white, and green), too.
Ingredients for Making Candy Corn Cookies
To make this candy corn cookie recipe, start by gathering the following ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour – Along with butter, all purpose (plain) flour forms the base of the sablé dough.
- Kosher Salt – A small amount of kosher salt cuts the sweetness of the confectioner’s sugar. You can substitute fine sea salt.
- Unsalted Butter – Keep the butter cold and cubed. You’ll use your hands to rub it together with the flour (sablé literally means ‘sand,’ and a sandy texture is what we’re going for here), giving these cookies their buttery, crumbly texture.
- Confectioner’s Sugar – A.k.a. icing sugar, adds sweetness while blending smoothly into the dough.
- Egg Yolk – You’ll need the yolk of one large egg. The white isn’t necessary for this recipe. Save the egg white to make meringues or macarons, or eat in an omelette for breakfast.
- Flavorings – I used a combination of vanilla bean paste, plus marshmallow flavoring for that distinctive ‘candy corn’ taste. If you don’t care for marshmallow, you can substitute another flavoring or extract of your choice, or increase the vanilla bean paste by 1/2 teaspoon.
- Gel Food Coloring – You’ll need orange gel food coloring and yellow gel food coloring to create the classic candy corn stripes. Chefmaster is my go-to brand, but any gel food coloring will work. Do not use water-based colors; these aren’t potent enough.
Creating Candy Corn Shaped Cookies
For this recipe, I’ve created the signature traingular ‘candy corn’ shape with a sharp chef’s knife, rather than a cutter. I prefer this approach because it allows you to make the cookies any size you’d like, and without the need for fancy tools.
To create the candy corn shape, tint the sablé dough with gel food coloring, then roll each color into a rope and chill until firm enough to roll. Once chilled, push the colors together to form one long strip, then roll between sheets of parchment:
Once you’re happy with the stripes, use a sharp chef’s knife to slice each strip into triangles:
After slicing and before baking, freeze the candy corn rectangles for about 30 minutes. This makes it easy to break the slices apart, and prevents the cookies from spreading as they bake.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
It’s best to use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the dough. I don’t recommend using a plasic bench scraper. (I tested this approach, but found that I couldn’t achieve clean-looking edges.) A sharp metal bench scraper might work in lieu of a knife, but do a quick test before cutting all of the cookies.
Don’t skip the chilling and freezing steps in this recipe. Sablé dough is finicky—if it’s too warm, the dough will be sticky and messy and your candy corn shapes will tear and bend. If it’s too cold (which will happen if you’ve chilled the ropes of dough overnight) you’ll need to allow the dough to come up to room temperature for a few minutes so it’s soft enough to roll.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
You can wrap the ropes of colored dough clingfilm/plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Allow to come up to room temperature for a few minutes prior to rolling.
You can freeze sliced, unbaked candy corn cookies for up to 24 hours prior to baking.
Store leftover candy corn cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. Candy corn cookies can also be layered between sheets of parchment and frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.
Other autumn cookie recipes you might enjoy:
Parsnip Cookies
Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Print
Candy Corn Cookies
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 15 4-inch cookies 1x
Description
Made from a simple sablé dough, these slice and bake style candy corn cookies look just like the real thing!
Ingredients
145 grams all purpose flour (1 1/8 cups)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
113 grams unsalted butter, cold and cubed (1/2 cup / 1 stick)
45 grams confectioner’s sugar (1/3 cup)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon marshmallow flavoring (optional)
Orange gel food coloring
Yellow gel food coloring
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and kosher salt.
Add the cubed butter to the bowl. Use your hands to rub the mixture together until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the confectioner’s sugar, egg yolk, vanilla bean paste, and marshmallow flavoring. Use a bench scraper to combine, then knead with your hands until a soft dough forms. (Dough will be very sticky.)
Divide the dough into three equal portions. Add yellow food coloring to one portion, and orange food coloring to another. Leave the third portion uncolored.
Roll each color into a rope, about 10 inches long. Wrap each rope in a separate sheet of clingfilm/plastic wrap and refrigerate, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Unwrap chilled ropes and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, or until just slightly malleable. Push the tubes together to form one long strip. Slice the strip in half.
Use a rolling pin to roll each half between sheets of parchment. Roll to about 1/8 – 1/4-inch thickness.
With a sharp chef’s knife, trim away the top and bottom edges. Cut each strip into triangles, each about 2 inches wide and 3 1/2 inches tall.
Lifting carefully by the edges of the parchment, place entire rectangle on a small tray and freeze 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° F / 175° C. Line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone baking mat. (I used two quarter-sheet trays).
Remove dough from freezer. Break the triangles apart. (Once frozen, they will snap apart very easily). Place on prepared tray, allowing space for the cookies to spread as they bake.
Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the white parts begin to brown slightly around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store candy corn cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chilling/Freezing Time: 1 1/2 hours, divided
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven