Halloween Cookies
These Halloween Cookies are fun, delicious, easy and require no chilling time of the dough. Soft chocolatey cookies studded with colored chocolate chips, candy eyeballs and nuts. These are a HIT with kids and adults, and the best way to celebrate Spooky season! Video below!
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder Dutch Processed
- 1 cup Flour all purpose
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup butter unsalted, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Add-ins
- 1 cup chocolate chips M&Ms Halloween themed
- 1/2 cup nuts
- 1/3 cup candy eyeballs
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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In a small bowl, add the dry ingredients first and mix them well. Cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and salt.
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In another larger bowl, add the butter and sugar and start beating using an electric mixer or kitchen machine.
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You'll need to beat them for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
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At that point add the egg and vanilla and continue beating until well mixed.
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Then finally, add in the cocoa powder and flour bowl which is premixed.
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Mix on low speed, or switch to a spatula and blend the batter until it forms a soft homogenous texture. Add in the add-ins--more or less to your taste.
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Take an ice cream scoop 2 inch size and scoop out 12 scoops of the batter into a parchment lined baking sheet.
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You can optionally take each scoop of cookie dough and roll it between your hands for a smooth round shape.
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bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are still soft.
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Let the cookies cool on their cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing them.
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Serve right away and enjoy.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Halloween Cookies TIPS
- Use room temperature butter and eggs for best results.
- Mixing in the dry ingredients in a separate bowl makes blending them in the batter a much easier process later on.
- Don't rush the process of creaming the butter, you'll need to beat it for about 3 minutes on high speed until light in color and fluffy in texture. This makes for softer cookies.
- Dutch processed cocoa powder if what we use with any chocolate cake or cookie as it offers a clean chocolate taste.
- Don't over mix your cookie batter when adding the flour mix into the butter bowl.
- Add in as many or as little of the add-ins as you prefer.
- An ice cream scoop is a great way to ensure even cookies and hence even baking.
- We love rolling the cookies after scooping for a smooth round shape.
- Feel free to add extra chocolate chips once the cookies are rolled and just before baking.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes (more if you're making them into larger cookies, and less if you're shaping them into smaller cookies). The edges will be set while the centers will still be soft, DO NOT over-bake them.
- Once our of the oven, allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray, untouched for about 5-7 minutes before removing them.
- Storage info, variations, and more cookie tips below.
How to Store Halloween Cookies?
These soft cookies remain soft and can be stored at room temperature in an airtight sealed container for up to 5 days. Make sure to have the cookies completely cool before storing them.
Can I freeze these cookies?
There are two ways to freeze this, either freeze balls of scooped out cookie dough on the baking sheet and then bake as needed (adding 3-4 minutes of extra baking time). Alternatively, you can freeze the baked cookies and let them come to room temperature before serving. You can rewarm them for 2 minutes in the oven.
Variations and Mix-ins
For the spooky theme we used the Halloween colored M&Ms, however you can use any regular M&Ms. You can also add milk or dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter cups or dried fruit.
Can these be made into Halloween Cookie Bars?
You can make this recipe into bars by following the recipe exactly as is. Use an 8 inch square pan, and line that with parchment paper. At that point you're going to spread the batter evenly in the square pan, pressing down to make sure it's evenly spread. Add extra chocolate chips on the tops if you'd like and bake it for 25 minutes until the edges have set.
How to keep the halloween cookies soft?
This works with any cookie recipe and it's the same concept as keeping brown sugar soft in the container. Add a piece of toast bread or tortilla at the bottom of the container where you're storing the cookies.