Description
Witch Hat Cookies are festive chocolate cookies perfect for Halloween. They feature a rich cocoa base rolled in sugar for a slight crunch, topped with fluffy vanilla frosting and a Hershey’s Kiss to create a charming witch hat shape, finished with colorful Halloween sprinkles.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies
- 1 ½ cups (180g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (21g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (107g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar, for rolling
For the Frosting
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring
- Hershey’s Kisses
- Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat and mix dry ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350ºF. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a separate bowl, use a mixer on low speed to cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add egg and vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing on low speed until just incorporated.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Gently add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl, mixing on low speed or folding by hand just until the dough comes together. Avoid overmixing.
- Form and roll dough balls: Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop out tablespoon-sized dough balls. Roll each dough portion between your hands to form smooth balls, then roll them in the ⅓ cup granulated sugar to coat evenly.
- Arrange and bake cookies: Place the sugar-coated dough balls onto a silicone lined baking sheet, spacing them 2-3 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 11 minutes.
- Cool cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to set, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. Bake one baking sheet at a time.
- Prepare the frosting: In a clean bowl, beat together the room temperature unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed until light and fluffy. Divide the frosting into bowls and tint with gel food coloring as desired for a festive look.
- Decorate the cookies: Spoon the colored frosting into a piping bag or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe a dollop of frosting onto the center of each cooled cookie. Press a Hershey’s Kiss gently into the frosting so it slightly spreads out.
- Add sprinkles and finish: Decorate the frosted cookies with Halloween sprinkles around the base of the Hershey’s Kiss. Repeat for all cookies until assembled and decorated.
Notes
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
- Ensure the butter is softened to room temperature for smooth mixing and fluffy frosting.
- If you don’t have gel food coloring, use liquid food coloring sparingly to avoid thinning the frosting.
- Chill the dough before baking if you want thicker cookies that hold their shape better.
- Use a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking and promote even baking.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
