These easy Halloween monster cookies are a super fun way to celebrate Halloween! Delicious, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies turned into creepy yet cute Halloween treats! So fun to make, with no food coloring used. EASY - This recipe is very easy to make. Make it in a stand mixer or even by hand. Great recipe to bake with your kids for Halloween too. US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.There is a recommended overnight chilling time to allow the cookies to have better taste and texture.
226gunsalted butter2 sticks, melted and slightly cooled
150gdark brown sugar¾ cup (see recipe notes)
150ggranulated white sugar¾ cup (see recipe notes)
1tspsea salt use only ½ tsp if you prefer less salt
1tbspvanilla extract
2eggs
1tspbaking soda
¼tspbaking powder
280gAP flour2 ¼ cups (measured by spoon and level method)
50gblack cocoa powder½ cup (measured by spoon and level method)
20gdutch cocoa2 tbsp (see recipe notes)
200gdark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate from a bar. You can also use a mixture of white and dark chocolate
M&M ghoul mixor 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.
Notes
Note about the ingredients
Please use weight measurements for better results.Cocoa powderI 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.SugarIf you want a sweeter cookie, add 200 g / 1 cup of each of the brown and white sugar. Chocolate chipsFor the chocolate chips, I use dark chocolate wafers. I also love to chop up my favorite chocolate bars and add that instead too.