Halloween monster cookies are a super fun way to celebrate Halloween! A little creepy, a little cute, and A LOT delicious, they are so simple to make too! And no food coloring is used to make these pitch black Halloween cookies!
Chewy and slightly soft chocolate chip cookies, transformed into spooky, black Halloween Monster Cookies. Wickedly delicious and perfect for Halloween celebrations!
My double chocolate chip cookies are always a hit! A HUGE crowd favorite. Every time I make them for friends, family or an event, they are devoured in no time at all. The deep chocolate flavor, along with the melted chocolate chips in the cookies made me realize just how perfect these cookies would be for any Halloween party or trick or treating. But they needed a little makeover first…
The makeover included,
- Substituting some of the cocoa powder with black cocoa powder
- Using Halloween themed chocolates in the cookies (Ghoul M&Ms and candy eyes)
What you can expect from these Halloween monster cookies
These monster cookies are an adaptation of my double chocolate chip cookies. So the cookies have crunchy edges and chewy centers. That’s just the way I enjoy chocolate chip cookies. However, you can just as easily make them chewy on the edges and almost fudgy in the center. And I’ll show you how.
The cocoa powder in the cookies gives them a lovely bittersweet flavor. Plus, the black cocoa powder gives these Halloween cookies that quintessential Halloween look! 🙂
I still do add dark chocolate chips to the cookies, so that you still get nice gooey pockets of chocolate in the cookie. But instead of topping the cookies with more chocolate, I placed M&Ms on top (purple orange and green), as well as candy eyes.
Ingredients needed to make the cookies
Black cocoa – This is the key ingredient that makes the Halloween monster cookies black in color. You can also use regular cocoa powder along with black food coloring, but black cocoa is what I use here.
Cocoa powder – I still use a little cocoa powder in this recipe, but this is optional. The reason why I use both regular cocoa powder and black cocoa powder is that I simply love the flavor of the regular cocoa powder I use (callebaut cocoa powder).
Unsalted butter – I use melted unsalted butter. You can also use brown butter. You can use salted butter as well, but you will need to reduce or remove additional salt to balance the flavor.
Sugar – Just like my double chocolate chip cookie cookies, I use a combination of white and brown sugar in these Halloween cookies. White sugar helps make the cookie crisp, while brown sugar makes the cookie chewy. So 50:50 of each gives me the perfect balance that I like! But you’re welcome to adjust the ratio of the two sugars, but remember this will change the texture and appearance of the cookie too.
Flour – I use all purpose flour.
Eggs – I use large eggs for this Halloween cookie recipe.
Baking soda and baking powder – These are chemical leaveners that allow the cookies to expand. I prefer my cookies to be crisp on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle, and not too thick. So I mostly use baking soda. If you use mostly baking powder, the cookies won’t spread as much and you’ll get a softer cookie with a thicker center.
Flavoring – To enhance the flavor, I add salt and vanilla to the dough. You can also add some coffee extract (or instant coffee).
Chocolate chips and Halloween themed candy – It’s no Halloween monster cookie without Halloween themed candy! I still add chocolate chips to the cookie dough, but top the cookie with the Halloween candy.
For the chocolate chips, I used dark chocolate wafers, so that they are still dark in color and there’s a bittersweet flavor. You can also add half white chocolate chips if you like.
How to make Halloween monster cookies
These Halloween cookies are super easy to make! I prefer to use my stand mixer, but you can absolutely make this dough by hand too.
How to make the cookie dough
First, measure out all the ingredients and have them ready to go. This also means the butter needs to be melted and slightly cooled (but still warm).
In your mixer bowl (or large bowl), add the warm butter, salt and both sugars. Mix well to combine. Don’t worry if the sugar doesn’t completely dissolve in the butter and the mixture looks separated. DO NOT cream the butter and sugar together, as this will add air to the dough, making the cookies more cake-like.
Next, add the eggs and mix them with the butter and sugar. When the eggs are mixed in, the mixture will look emulsified and smooth. It should also start to thicken a little because the butter is cooling down.
Stir in the vanilla and coffee extract (if using).
Butter, sugar, and egg mixture After adding the dry ingredients and chocolate
Black cocoa is essential for these halloween monster cookies, but if you can’t find it, you can use black food coloring instead. Add the black food coloring (if using), together with the vanilla.
Sift the cocoa powders, flour, baking soda, and baking powder together to remove any lumps.
Add this into the dough in batches, mixing on low speed to combine. Make sure not to over-mix! I prefer to under-mix the flour, so that I can manually mix the rest of the flour with the add-ins.
When the dry ingredients are mixed about 75%, add the chocolate chips to the dough. Mix on low until just combined (I personally prefer to mix this by hand, to prevent over-mixing). Fold the dough a few times with a spatula to make sure the bottom of the dough is mixed through as well, and there are no dry flour streaks.
Cover and let the dough rest for about 20 – 30 minutes. This will allow all the wet and dry ingredients to distribute better.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to divide the batter into equal portions (about 18 – 20 portions). Place the cookie dough portions on the sheet pan (without any spacing).
To make them look more like festive halloween cookies, minus the monster eyes, stud each of the cookies with halloween themed candy (I used M&Ms). Cover the cookie portions and let them sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours.
Baking the cookies
Make sure to preheat the oven before you bake the halloween monster cookies.
To bake the cookies, I prefer to use two half sheet pans, so that I can bake one tray while the other cools.
Line the half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Place 4 – 6 chilled cookie portions on a parchment paper, spaced well apart. If you’re not sure how much the cookie will spread, then bake 4 cookies first to check the size. You can adjust the spacing after the first batch.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 12 – 14 minutes. Rotate the pan once halfway through the baking time if needed.
12 minutes will give you a softer, fudgier cookie, while the 14 – 15 minute cookie will give you crisper edges, and a soft and chewy center. I prefer to bake my cookies for 13 – 14 minutes.
As soon as the cookies comes out of the oven, press a few candy eyes (monster eyes) into the warm cookies, to turn them into Halloween monster cookies. Gently press them into the cookie so that they stay securely in the cookie. You can also place the candy eyes on melted chocolate too.
Let the cookies sit in the tray for about 6 – 7 minutes, and then transfer them onto a cooling wire rack.
They can be enjoyed once the cookies are at room temperature, or slightly warm.
How to store the cookies for later
Unbaked cookie dough
Place the chilled cookie dough portions in a gallon-sized ziploc bag or an air-tight container, and store in the freezer. When you’re ready to enjoy them, remove portions of cookie dough from the freezer and bake for 14 – 17 minutes at 350°F.
Baked cookies
These Halloween monster cookies can be stored at room temperature for about 3 – 5 days. You can use both parchment paper or plastic wrap to separate the cookie layers. Tortillas can also be used to separate the cookie layers. The tortillas will keep the cookies soft and prevent them from drying out.
Place some tortillas on the bottom of an air-tight container (if using). Place one layer of chocolate chip cookies on top, followed by a tortilla or parchment paper, and then another cookie layer. Repeat with all the cookies (using 2 – 3 tortillas or parchment paper).
If you use tortillas, replace the tortillas every 2 days or so (when the tortillas look like they are drying out). These Halloween cookies can be kept up to 3 – 5 days at room temperature.
Let them thaw out, OR warm the cookies slightly in the oven before enjoying the cookies again.
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Halloween Monster Cookies
Ingredients:
- 226 g unsalted butter 2 sticks, melted and slightly cooled
- 150 g dark brown sugar ¾ cup (see recipe notes)
- 150 g granulated white sugar ¾ cup (see recipe notes)
- 1 tsp sea salt use only ½ tsp if you prefer less salt
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 280 g AP flour 2 ¼ cups (measured by spoon and level method)
- 50 g black cocoa powder ½ cup (measured by spoon and level method)
- 20 g dutch cocoa 2 tbsp (see recipe notes)
- 200 g dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate from a bar. You can also use a mixture of white and dark chocolate
- M&M ghoul mix or similar
- Monster eye candy
Instructions:
Making the cookie dough
- Pour the warm butter into the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl for a hand-held mixer, or to mix manually).226 g unsalted butter
- Add both sugars and salt. Mix on medium speed ONLY until the butter and sugar mix together. It’s OK if the mixture is separated. DO NOT over-mix, because if you cream the mixture or add too much air, the cookie will have a more cakey texture.150 g dark brown sugar, 150 g granulated white sugar, 1 tsp sea salt
- Add the vanilla and eggs, and mix until just mixed through. The batter should be smooth and emulsified at this point.1 tbsp vanilla extract, 2 eggs
- In a separate bowl – sift the flour, both cocoa powders, baking soda, and baking powder together. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, while the mixer is on the lowest speed. This is to prevent the flour from flying everywhere and making a mess, and also to prevent the dough from being over-mixed. The flour doesn’t have to be completely mixed in before adding more.1 tsp baking soda, 280 g AP flour, 50 g black cocoa powder, 20 g dutch cocoa, ¼ tsp baking powder
- When most of the flour is mixed in, add the chocolate chips / chunks, and mix on low speed until the chocolate chunks / chips are mixed through. I prefer to do this step by hand with a spatula.200 g dark chocolate chips
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, and mix the dough just a few times by hand. This is to ensure the bottom of the bowl is mixed well with the rest of the dough. Let the mixture rest for at least 20 -30 minutes, covered.
- Using a 3 tbsp cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough on a parchment paper-lined half sheet pan. Stud the cookie mounds with the M&Ms. You can add about 6 – 8 M&Ms, so that they spread out as the cookies spread while they bake.M&M ghoul mix
- Cover the sheet pan with plastic wrap and let the cookie dough chill overnight (or at least 1 hour). They can also be frozen at this point.
Baking the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Place 4 – 6 cookie dough portions on one half sheet pan, evenly spaced apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes. I like to bake the cookies for 14 minutes for a chewier texture, and 12 – 13 minutes for a softer result. The bake time should be extended by about 1 – 2 minutes if you're baking the cookies from frozen. Rotate the pan once half way through the baking time.
- Remove the cookies from the oven, and carefully stud the cookies with candy monster eyes. Gently press them in to the warm cookie to make sure they are secure and don’t fall off.Monster eye candy
- Let the cookies cool down on the pan for about 6 – 10 minutes. Then carefully place the cookies on a cooling wire rack to let them cool down further.
- The cookies can be eaten warm or at room temperature.
To store the cookies
- Unbaked cookie dough – Place the chilled cookie dough portions in a gallon-sized ziploc bag or an air-tight container, and store in the freezer. When you're ready to enjoy them, remove portions of cookie dough from the freezer and bake for 14 – 17 minutes at 350°F.
- Baked cookies – Place one layer of chocolate chip cookies on the bottom of an air-tight container, followed by parchment paper or 2 – 3 tortillas, and then another cookie layer. Repeat with all the cookies (using parchment paper or tortillas). Replace the tortillas every 2 days or so (when the tortillas look like they are drying out). Baked cookies can be kept up to 3 – 5 days at room temperature.
- To freeze baked cookies, layer them in an air-tight container using parchment paper. Let them thaw out, OR slightly warm the cookies in the oven before enjoying them.
Tips & Tricks
Note about the ingredients
Please use weight measurements for better results. Cocoa powder I use both black cocoa powder and dutch cocoa powder. You can also use all black cocoa powder – replace the 20g of regular cocoa powder with black cocoa powder. If you don’t have black cocoa powder, use all dutch cocoa powder (70 g). And then use black food coloring to get the desired black color. Sugar If you want a sweeter cookie, add 200 g / 1 cup of each of the brown and white sugar. Chocolate chips For the chocolate chips, I use dark chocolate wafers. I also love to chop up my favorite chocolate bars and add that instead too.
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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