Description
These Easy Halloween Cookies are festive, colorful, and perfect for celebrating the spooky season. Made with a buttery cookie base, they’re packed with Halloween-themed M&M’s and sprinkles, creating a fun treat that both kids and adults will love. The dough is chilled before baking to achieve the perfect texture and flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (280 g)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (170 g or 1 1/2 sticks)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (200 g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 g)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Add-ins
- 1 cup Halloween M&M’s (can substitute with separated blue and red M&M’s from regular ones)
- ¼ cup Halloween sprinkles with candy eyes
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat until combined, about 20 to 30 seconds.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Avoid over-mixing to keep the texture tender.
- Add M&M’s and Sprinkles: Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently fold in the Halloween M&M’s and sprinkles by hand.
- Chill Dough: Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight to firm up.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Scoop and Shape Cookies: Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop heaping tablespoons of chilled dough. Shape each scoop into a ball and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
- Add Decorations and Cool: While the cookies are still warm, press a few candy eyes and M&M’s on top for decoration. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
- Freeze the cookie dough, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 3 months to bake fresh cookies later.
- If Halloween M&M’s are not available, separate blue and red M&M’s from regular bags for a festive touch.
- For softer cookies, slightly underbake by a minute or two; for crispier cookies, bake a minute or two longer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 190 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
