Chocolate Halloween Cookies

Chocolate Halloween Cookies have a slightly crispy exterior with a dense chocolaty center. Stuffed with white chocolate chips and topped with green, purple, and orange M&M candy, these cookies are both delicious and festive! Your little trick-or-treaters are going to love these!

Halloween is just around the corner, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that I’m sharing a cookie recipe that showcases one of my favourite chocolate treats to bake with – M&Ms! Admittedly, I’m not one to sit down in front of the television with a bag of M&Ms, but I do love to bake with them. John.e is the M&M lover in this house – so much so that I have to keep them in a section of my pantry that is off limits to him! I’m more of a Cadbury fan. And, I have actual cravings for Lindt! Today, however, I’m whipping up a batch of these Chocolate Halloween Cookies with my stash of Halloween-themed M&M candy.

These cookies are very different from most of the cookies I’ve shared with you at Lord Byron’s Kitchen. Most cookies are soft and moist, but these are not. The inside is very chocolaty, because of the addition of cocoa and white chocolate chips. And, even though the cookie melts in your mouth, the cookie is not super moist and it is certainly not soft.

The outside of these cookies are firm. So, when you bite into one, the cookie will make a snapping sound when the crispy exterior is broken. But, as you chew, the chocolate melts in your mouth and that crispy bite of cookie turns into a chocolaty, melty mess and it’s absolutely delicious! Okay, let’s get into it!

CANDIES, CANDIES, AND MORE CANDIES!

I know I use M&Ms quite often in many of my cookie and no-bake treats, but there are other candy-coated chocolates out there that you can use. Here in Canada, we have something called Smarties. I think in the United States, smarties are those flat, pressed-powder-like candy that comes in a cellophane-wrapped roll. They’re often found in large bags for Halloween treats. In Canada, smarties are candy-coated chocolate much like the popular M&M.

You might also consider using Cadbury Mini Eggs – they are my all-time favourite! They release bags at Halloween called Harvest Mix. They are red, yellow, and orange. with red and green candy-coated mini eggs, although unless you have stashed some of those away, it might be hard to find them now. Hershey’s also has bright red candy-coated chocolate.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare these Chocolate Halloween Cookies. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Brown Sugar – First of all, it has way more flavour than regular white sugar! And, in this recipe, brown sugar helps to keep the cookie moist and soft.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 

• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Cocoa Powder – Cocoa powder is an unsweetened chocolate product which adds deep chocolate flavour to desserts and beverages.  Use a good quality cocoa powder, not the kind we used to stir into milk as kids!
• Baking Soda – Commonly known as sodium bicarbonate, or just bicarb, it is a baking ingredient that helps with leavening or rising. 
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking, it helps to enhance and balance the sweetness. 
• White Chocolate Chips – I use chocolate chips a lot in my recipes, and I change up the type depending on how I feel.  Unless the recipe states otherwise, you can use milk, semi-sweet, or dark chips too.
• M&Ms

SPEAKING OF COCOA POWDER

Cocoa powder is an unsweetened chocolate product which adds deep chocolate flavour to desserts and beverages.  Use a good quality cocoa powder, not the kind we used to stir into milk as kids! I have two types of cocoa that I use when baking. In cookies like these Cadbury Chocolate Cookies, just a regular, inexpensive cocoa powder will do just fine. Even though I don’t care for Hershey’s chocolate, I do like to use Hershey’s cocoa powder for cookies.

If, however, I’m making a cake or a cookie recipe with very few ingredients, I want to use better quality cocoa powder. For me, Fry’s Premium Quality Cocoa has all that I’m looking for. It has a stronger chocolatey scent than other cocoa powders. When it comes to flavour, Fry’s wins out again. The only thing that Fry’s doesn’t offer is a deeper, chocolatey colour like you see in the photos. I find that Hershey’s does a better job in terms of colour.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE HALLOWEEN COOKIES

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set it aside. Next, in a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar until well combined. Then, add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat those into the butter and sugar mixture.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add these to the wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Next, stir in the white chocolate chips. Portion out one heaping tablespoon of the cookie dough. Roll into a ball and place onto the prepared baking sheet. With the palm of your hand, flatten the ball to just under half an inch thick. Top each cookie with 6-8 Halloween-themed candy-coated chocolates, like M&Ms.

Repeat until you have used up all of the cookie dough, leaving two inches of space between each cookie. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

STORING, PACKAGING, AND FREEZING

These cookies will stay fresh for about 3-5 days in a covered container and in a cool place. But, if you plan to freeze these cookies, use a food-safe container that can be frozen. You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. (I use these quite often when freezing baked goods.) I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that cookie freshness locked in!

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. They will come out of the freezer looking just like they did when you put them in there. Once you thaw them, they will taste just as fresh, and be just as soft, as the day you first baked them.

If you’re planning to share these cookies with your friends and neighbours, they make a lovely gift! Once they are completely cooled or thawed (if previously frozen), pile them into a food-safe container or a cellophane bag. Tie with a ribbon and you’re done!