Candy Corn Cookies
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My Halloween-inspired slice and bake candy corn cookies look just like the real thing! 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 (mostly 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.
Key Ingredients
- Butter, Flour, Sugar – Pâte sablé is a traditional French pastry dough, typically made with butter, confectioner’s sugar, flour, almond flour, and eggs. I love sablé (French for “sandy,” referring to the sandy texture the ingredients form when you rub them together with your fingertips) for tart and tartlet shells, but it’s also one of my favorites for slice-and-bake cookies. This version doesn’t contain almond flour, just all purpose flour (plain flour, in the UK), confectioner’s sugar, and unsalted butter. Keep the butter cold and cubed (you’ll use your hands to rub it together with the flour to make the signature “sand” and give these cookies their buttery, crumbly texture) and do not replace the confectioner’s sugar with caster or granulated; confectioner’s sugar not only adds sweetness, but the powdery texture blends smoothly into the other ingredients.
- Egg Yolk – The yolk of one large egg acts as a binder, holding the dough together as you roll, slice, and bake. The egg white isn’t necessary, but save it to make meringues or macarons, or use it as an egg wash for biscotti.
- Flavorings – I used a combination of vanilla bean paste, plus marshmallow flavoring for that distinctive ‘candy corn’ taste. If you don’t like marshmallow, substitute another flavoring, 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 and you’ll end up adding most of the bottle to get the vibrant shades shown here.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a sharp knife. I made the signature triangular ‘candy corn’ shapes with a sharp chef’s knife, rather than a cutter. I prefer this approach because you can make any size cookies you’d like, without fancy tools. I don’t recommend a plastic bench scraper—I tested this approach, but 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.
- Roll between parchment. Sablé dough is sticky, so don’t skip this step. 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.
- Freeze before baking. 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. 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 soften at room temperature for a few minutes before rolling.
Candy Corn Cookies
- Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield12-15 4-inch cookies 1x
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 3 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.
With a rolling pin, roll each half between sheets of parchment, to approximately 1/8 to 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 5 days.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chilling/Freezing Time: 1 1/2 hours, divided
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
To make ahead: You can wrap the ropes of colored dough in clingfilm/plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to two days. Allow dough to come up to room temperature for a few minutes prior to rolling. You can also freeze the sliced, unbaked candy corn cookies for up to 24 hours prior to baking.
To freeze: Layer baked and cooled candy corn cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper. Freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature.
Other Autumn Recipes You Might Enjoy
Parsnip Cookies
Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cookies
Halloween Chocolate Bark
Ghost Marshmallows
Homemade Pumpkin Spice
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!
