Description
These Halloween Chocolate Cookies are rich, soft, and perfectly cocoa-flavored sugar cookies, rolled out, cut into festive shapes, baked, and decorated with vibrant royal or easy cookie icing. Ideal for Halloween celebrations, these cookies combine classic chocolatey goodness with fun, colorful designs to delight all ages.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 cup (62g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (or Dutch process cocoa powder), plus more as needed for rolling and work surface
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Decoration (Optional)
- Royal Icing or Easy Cookie Icing
- Gel food coloring for tinting icings (optional: orange, black, green)
Instructions
- Make the cookie dough: Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, beating on high speed for about 1 minute until combined. Scrape the bowl as needed. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. If the dough feels too soft and sticky, add an extra tablespoon of flour.
- Roll the dough: Divide the dough into two equal portions. Dust two large pieces of parchment paper or silicone mats with cocoa powder or flour. Place each dough half on the prepared surfaces and roll out evenly to about 1/4-inch thickness, dusting the rolling pin with cocoa powder or flour to prevent sticking.
- Chill the dough: Lightly dust one rolled dough with cocoa powder or flour and place a piece of parchment paper on top. Stack the other rolled dough on top. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours, or up to 2 days, to firm up the dough for easier cutting.
- Preheat oven and shape cookies: Set oven to 350°F (177°C) and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Remove the top dough sheet from the fridge and cut into Halloween shapes using cookie cutters. Re-roll scraps quickly on a lightly dusted surface and continue cutting shapes. If dough softens, refrigerate unused dough for 10 minutes before cutting again. Repeat for the second half of dough.
- Bake and cool: Arrange cookies about 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 11-12 minutes until edges are set. Rotate baking sheets halfway if needed. Let cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare icing: Make royal or easy cookie icing as preferred. Divide icing into separate bowls and tint with gel food coloring, starting with a few drops and adjusting to desired hues. Use Wilton #4 piping tips for outlining and flooding.
- Decorate the cookies: Fill piping bags with colored icing and pipe borders followed by filling centers with a thin layer to dry quickly. Add sprinkles or layered designs as desired, using royal icing for fine details or multiple layers. Allow about 2 hours for royal icing or 24 hours for easy glaze icing to dry.
- Let icing set and store: Let cookies dry uncovered at room temperature, or speed up drying by refrigerating. Enjoy immediately or store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days. Plain or decorated cookies also freeze well up to 3 months.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze decorated or plain cookies up to 3 months after icing fully sets. Layer between parchment sheets in airtight containers. Cookie dough can also be frozen before rolling by shaping into disks, wrapping well, and thawing in the refrigerator before rolling and chilling.
- Special Tools: Glass mixing bowl, whisk, electric mixer (hand or stand), rolling pin or adjustable rolling pin, baking sheets, parchment paper or silicone mats, cookie cutters, cooling rack, Wilton piping tips #4 and #2, piping bags, couplers, squeeze bottles, toothpicks or needle scribers, eyeball candies, and gel food coloring (orange, super black, mint green).
- Icing Tips: Royal icing is best for fine details and layering; easy cookie icing is quicker but takes longer to dry. Adjust icing thickness by beating in additional confectioners’ sugar for piping precision.
- Work quickly when rolling and cutting the dough to prevent softening; refrigerate scraps as needed to maintain firmness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 3-4 inch)
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 45mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
