Cookbook Review: The Verdict on Karen Thi’s Spookie Cookies

To say Karen Thi makes cookies for a living would be a miscarriage of the truth. Karen Thi is a 3D artist whose medium of choice happens to be dough and icing. It’s important to note Thi’s skill before diving into her cookbook, Spookie Cookies. On its surface the book might look like a sweet, seasonal romp in the kitchen, but in reality is more a reference on the art of cookie making. Thi really had two goals here: creating delightful whimsy, and explaining the complex in a way that the average person can try, if not master, at home. To her credit, she balanced these tasks beautifully. 

Starting with the best of the book, Thi’s recipe for cinnamon roll cookie dough is decadent, delicious, and so fragrant it could lift you off your feet to float, scooby-doo style, to the kitchen as it bakes. She recommends a butter extract, which we subbed for maple extract and found it just as good. The stock-standard vanilla cookie recipe was the perfect texture, and fared flexibly with a substitution of all-purpose flour for rice flour to accommodate a gluten allergy.

Spookie Cookies by Karen Thi
$27.95 at Bookshop.org

The meat of this book comes in the first 45 pages. If you jump in on the gothic chandelier (page 175), it’ll be easy to think, “where’s the dough, what’s with all of these colors and consistencies? I want my mommy!” but fear not–in those first chapters, Thi uses simple, straightforward instructions on her icing recipe and dough. She doesn’t get caught in the weeds of sugar science, and she pulls you along with puns to make the lesson go down smoothly. 

A stand mixer is non-negotiable, as are piping bags and room in the freezer. Thi provides printable pdfs to cut out by hand. She also offers 3D printer files for cookie cutters, which if I were to do it all again, would be my first port of call rather than the hobby knife method. 

You’ll want plenty of time to work your way through the Karen Thi School of Cookies; Thi recommends over an hour of freezing and thawing for the dough before it’s rolled and cut, and she also recommends letting the baked cookies cool for at least 45 minutes before icing. Plan to bake the cookies the day before, then have a bit of a decorating party once everything is ready to assemble.

Though initially daunting, the instructions for making the icing and piping it on ended up being clear and attainable. By the second batch, we ended up putting together a bunch of simple circle cookies, and I was able to pipe on pumpkins with curly vines thanks to Thi’s teachings. 

Thi’s guide is for those who want to take their Halloween party to the realm of extravagant, over-the-top soirée. It’s anything but casual, but then, what place setting complete with 3D cauldron cookie ever is? With attention to detail and a moderate hand for art and crafts, baking your way through Spookie Cookies is a straightforward path to making some of the most impressive cookies of the season.