Chocolate Halloween Cookies

Frighteningly fun, these monster-size Chocolate Halloween Cookies are all treat and no trick. Rich and chewy, the Dutch chocolate cookies are chockful of M&M’s and Halloween sprinkles for a scary good party snack.

Numbers don’t lie. As much as I’d like to shave the factual edge off my age, my weight and the tally of M&M’s I just ate in a single sitting, there’s no hiding from the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I do a pretty good job of concealing the obvious with hair dye, Spanx and secret stashes of candy, but out of sight isn’t necessarily out of mind. I’m conscious of every new gray, every extra pound and every bag of chocolate calling my name from the depths of my closet. Those numbers torment me on a daily basis, but they do not define me. No, the number that makes me… well, me is 31: the spookiest date in all of October. That’s right: Halloween.

Each year, I go all out for All Hallow’s Eve. I’m talking spooky decorations, intricate pumpkin carvings and handmade costumes–not made by my hands, mind you, but by my mother’s. That’s right, I’m a middle-aged woman who guilts her mom (who hates to sew) into sewing her daughter a costume. Don’t judge me unless you’re dressing up like a Supreme Court Justice for Halloween. I prefer the judging to be saved for the costume party I’ll be attending at the Hawthorne Hotel. A haunted venue in the wickedly cool town of Salem, Massachusetts.

Until I dust my broom off to fly north for the holiday, I’m keeping my spooky spirits up by baking Halloween cookies. Black as a bewitching night, my monster-sized cookies are made with Dutch chocolate and a few drops of food coloring. Then the soft, chewy treats are stuffed full of Halloween M&Ms, topped with sprinkles and a pair of candy eyeballs. So if you happen to be looking for Halloween Cookie ideas, look no further: these cookies are eerie-isistible!

Before sharing the recipe for these easy Halloween Cookies, here are a few tips to help you out:

Ingredient Tips

Always use the spoon and level method to measure flour. Scooping flour is a no-no. That technique overpacks flour into the measuring cup which will result in dry, dense cookies.

Since black cocoa powder is not only pricey but also difficult to find, this recipe uses Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder (aka Dutch process cocoa). If you have black cocoa powder on hand, use it interchangeably for Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder and eliminate the black food coloring.

Halloween rainbow sprinkles provide a great color contrast for these black cookies. Avoid nonpareil sprinkles because their color dyes tend to bleed while baking.

Preparation Tips

Chilling dough for a minimum of 1 hour is a must to prevent cookies from spreading, therefore, do not skip this step! I prepare mine in the evening then refrigerate overnight, but dough can be chilled up to 2 days before baking.

If you’re baking cookies for a Halloween party and need more than a dozen, this recipe doubles nicely.

How to Store Halloween Cookies

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.

I hope you enjoy this super fun cookie recipe. Please leave a comment and review below once you try it yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe!

Finally, if you like homemade Halloween desserts then you’ll love these Halloween Donuts. Dipped in holiday-colored glazes and decorated with sprinkles, these fluffy baked donuts are a great way to trick or treat yourself.

Chocolate Halloween Cookies

Heather Wolf

Frighteningly fun, these monster-size Chocolate Halloween Cookies are all treat and no trick. Rich and chewy, these Dutch chocolate cookies are chockful of M&M's and Halloween sprinkles for a scary good party snack.

5 from 13 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 11 minutes mins

Chill 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 26 minutes mins

Course Cookies and Bars

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup all-purpose flour unbleached
• 2/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt fine
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar packed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract pure
• 2 tsp black gel food coloring optional
• 3/4 cup Halloween M&M's plus more for topping
• 1/4 cup Halloween sprinkles divided
• 24 candy eyeballs

Instructions

 

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In a separate bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 4 minutes.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Reduce mixer speed to low then add dry ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time, until just incorporated. Take care to avoid overmixing.
• Add black food coloring and mix on low until color is evenly distributed.
• Using a spoon, stir 3/4 cup of M&M's into the batter.
• Using a large cookie scoop, scoop batter into 12 rounded balls.
• Gently roll the top of the balls into the sprinkles then place cookies onto your parchment-lined baking sheet allowing 2 inches of space between each.
• Cover and chill cookie balls in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove cover from cookie balls then bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until cookies are set. When in doubt, err on the side of slightly underbaked.
• Remove cookies from the oven then immediately press candy eyeballs and extra M&M's onto the tops of each.
• Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Cover and store cookies at room temperature up to 5 days.

Keyword cookies, halloween