Description
These Chocolate Monster Halloween Cookies are rich, cocoa-flavored sandwich cookies filled with vibrant, colorful buttercream and topped with fun sprinkles and candy monster eyes—perfect for spooky celebrations and festive treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 260 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 60 g (½ cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup (150 g) white sugar
- 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 large egg, cold
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cold milk
Buttercream Filling
- 1½ cups (195 g) powdered sugar
- 80 g (â…” stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Purple and orange food coloring
- Sprinkles and candy monster eyes for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two baking trays with parchment paper to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Prepare cookie dough mixture: In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, baking powder, and white sugar. Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
- Add wet ingredients: Add the cold egg, vanilla extract, and half of the cold milk to the food processor. Process until the dough forms large clumps. If necessary, add the remaining milk gradually to bring the dough together.
- Knead and chill the dough: Lightly knead the dough on a clean surface until it holds together well. Roll it out between two sheets of baking paper to about 4-5 mm thickness. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Cut and arrange cookies: Using a 2-inch circle cutter, cut out cookies and place them about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking trays. Re-roll any leftover dough and repeat cutting.
- Bake the cookies: Bake the cookies for 6 minutes, then rotate the trays to ensure even baking and bake for another 6 minutes. Once baked, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the buttercream filling: Clean the food processor and blend together powdered sugar, softened butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pale in color.
- Color the buttercream: Divide the buttercream into two bowls and tint one with purple food coloring and the other with orange food coloring, mixing each thoroughly.
- Assemble the cookies: Spoon a teaspoon of colored buttercream onto the center of half the cookies, then sandwich them with the remaining cookies. Decorate the tops with candy monster eyes and sprinkles.
- Serve or chill: Refrigerate the assembled cookies if you want the buttercream to firm up, or serve them immediately for a delightfully soft texture.
Notes
- Ensure the butter used for the dough is cold to achieve a crumbly, tender cookie texture.
- Chilling the dough before cutting helps maintain cookie shape during baking.
- Rotate baking trays halfway to promote even cooking and prevent burning.
- Use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavor and darker color.
- Store cookies in an airtight container; they can be refrigerated to keep the buttercream fresh longer.
