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:

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.

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.

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.