Vampire Teeth Cookies

Yes. Thick dulce de leche is tacky enough to hold thin sliced almonds in place if you press them in while the spread is soft and then chill to set. For best results use a thick, spoonable dulce de leche (not a runny caramel) and press each almond at a slight outward angle so the weight sits against the filling rather than pulling out. Serious Eats and other recipe notes recommend light, low-weight fangs like almond slivers because they stick easily and look authentic.

Choose a firm but not rock-hard biscuit that will bite cleanly without shattering. Gingerbread, sturdy chocolate chip sandwich cookies, or firm shortbread all work well. Avoid heavily glazed or very crumbly cookies; if a biscuit is extremely crisp you can soften it slightly by sealing it overnight with a piece of bread in a container. Many recipes suggest chocolate or ginger spiced cookies because the flavours pair nicely with caramel.

Work one cookie at a time so the dulce de leche stays tacky. Press each almond firmly but gently into the filling, angle it outward, then chill the assembled cookie for at least 10 minutes to let the dulce de leche firm up. If your dulce de leche is too thick to press, warm it a few seconds so it’s spreadable, then cool briefly before adding fangs. Comment sections repeatedly flag assembling too many at once and letting the filling skin over as the main reason teeth fail.

White chocolate shards cut into small triangles or pumpkin seeds work best visually and are easy to stick into dulce de leche. Candy corn or small pieces of firm white fondant also give a convincing fang shape and avoid allergy risk. Several family and classroom-friendly versions use candy or seeds specifically to avoid nuts while keeping the look.

Store in a single layer in the fridge for up to 3 days for best texture; dulce de leche keeps them moist but refrigeration helps the filling stay firm and hold the fangs. For serving, let them sit 5–10 minutes at room temperature so the cookie isn’t too hard. Blog posts and recipe notes commonly advise against stacking finished cookies because the fangs can break or shift.

You can assemble them up to a day ahead and chill to set. For transport, pack them flat in a single layer with parchment between layers and keep chilled until serving. If you need longer storage, keep components separate: pack cookies and dulce de leche separately and assemble on site to avoid fangs loosening during travel. Many how-to guides suggest assembly right before an event when possible to avoid accidental damage in transit.