Nightmare Before Christmas Cookies – Sally Stiches

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a classic Halloween/Christmas movie. These Nightmare Before Christmas cookies are in theme of Sally Stiches. A colorful sugar cookie that is rolled and shaped and baked into a Mickey Mouse head with icing stitches on top.

These Christmas sugar cookies are one that are a bit different than a classic holiday cookie recipe. Now you could have went with Jack Skellington cookies, but we feel those are more Halloween themed, where these offer a hint of Christmas.

Sally cookies are colorful, and a fun nightmare treat to serve up for the unconventional sugar cookie dough. Now we did use a colored icing to create the stich marks on the cookies. You could easily do a royal icing as well if you would want, just use some black gel food coloring to give it a black theme.

This Sally’s Cookie Recipe Is…

• A great Halloween Cookies Recipe or Christmas Recipe
• Sally Nightmare treat
• Mickey Mouse Shaped Cookie
• Colorful Tie Dye Cookie

Ingredients You Will Need

Butter – Softened butter is needed for this cookie recipe, as it will create the right texture to the cookie.

Sugar – The granulated sugar is going to give you a sweetness that isn’t overpowering.

Vanilla Extract – Flavor your cookies with vanilla. Or add a splash of almond extract to elevate the flavor even more.

Flour – Make sure to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. This will ensure you don’t add too much dry ingredients to the wet.

Egg – Reach for a large room temperature egg.

Salt – A must for making these cookies. It enhances the overall flavor of the cookies.

Food coloring – We used a mix of food coloring. Yellow, blue, green, and red food coloring.

Black Icing – we used the black icing to pipe on the cookies.

Equipment Needed

• Cookie Sheet
• Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutter – or other shape of choice
• Rolling Pin
• Mixer
• Cooling Rack

How to Make

Full steps on how to make Nightmare Before Christmas cookies see the post at the bottom of the post. This is a quick walk through on how it is made.

Step One: Cream Butter and Sugar

In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, you will cream your butter and sugar together. This will take 2-3 minutes on medium speed. You will find the color will lighten up and become sugar creamy.

Step Two: Add Egg and Vanilla

Next you will work in the egg and vanilla. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

Step Three: Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl you will add all your dry ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.

Step Four: Incorporate Dry

Add in the dry ingredients, working till the dough is formed. Then you will separate the cookie dough, into three sections.

Step Five: Color Cookie Dough and Refrigerate

With each dough you will color it. We did one part yellow, red and then a teal color.

Cover each dough and refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight.

Step Six: Assemble Cookies and Bake

Take different colors and place the dough in random spots on a floured surface. Then roll the cookie dough, allowing the colors to touch.

Use a cookie cutter of choice, (we did circles and Mickey Mouse shaped) and place on a baking sheet.

Bake as directed.

Expert Tip: Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat. This will help prevent the cookies from sticking.

Step Seven: Cool and Decorate

Allow the cookies to cool completely then use the black icing to pipe on little stiches where the colors meet on the cookies.

Recipe Notes:

Here are some fun ways to change up the Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas cookie recipe.

• You can color frosting with black food coloring and use a piping bag if you want. We just bought a pre-done black icing.
• Make sure the cookies are fully cooled, before you pipe on the small lines for the stitches.
• You can use different colors of cookie dough, you can use any of your usual colors. We just used the classic colors.
• We used a paddle attachment to mixing up the cookie dough.
• Cover the cookie dough in plastic wrap when you refrigerate the cookie dough. To prevent it from drying out.
• We used a separate bowl for each color of dough, that way you ensure the cookie colors stay separated.

Storing

Room Temperature: Store your sugar cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. These cookies are best served fresh, but they will store for a bit.

Freezing Cookies: Now you can also freeze the cookies. Just place in a freezer friendly container and freeze for up to three months.

Practical notes

How long will cookies stay fresh?

Sugar cookies tend to last for up to 5 days. You will find that these cookies are best eaten within the first couple of days, as they will dry out pretty quickly.

Is this a Christmas cookie or Halloween cookie?

So this cookie can be used for either. Feel free to use these cookies for either.

Ingredients

Makes 24 servings

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Teal, yellow, and red food coloring
• 1 tube black decorating icing

Equipment

• Cookie Sheet
• Rolling Pin
• Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutter

Method

1. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer cream your butter and granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes. You want the color to lighten up and will become ultra creamy.
2. Add in the egg and vanilla. Make sure to scrape down the sides.
3. In a medium bowl add all your dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Slowly incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients. Mix until it is combined.
5. Separate the dough into 3 different bowls. Then color one bowl red, teal, and then one yellow. Cover each bowl and refrigerate an hour.
6. Once the dough is chilled preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then add parchment paper to the cookie sheets.
7. Place the colored cookie dough on a floured surface. Do balls of different colors of dough, this will create a tie-dye look.
8. Roll the cookie dough out, and then use the cookie cutter to make the cookies, and place on the baking sheet.
9. Bake as directed and then allow the cookies to cool.
10. Once the cookies are cooled use the black icing and add stiches where the colors of cookie dough meet on the cookies.

Kitchen notes

Color of Cookie Dough –

You can color your cookie dough any way you want. Refrigerate Dough – Make sure that you refrigerate the cookie dough to set it up. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature until you are ready to eat them. They will last for around a week.