Easy Halloween Cookies
If you want to get in the Halloween spirit with some baking, I have a recipe for you! Find some spooky sprinkles and festive M&M’s to make these super easy Halloween cookies. They use my chocolate chip cookie dough base with some fun holiday mix-ins. You and the kids will love making them!
Time to get in the Halloween spirit with these super easy cookies! All you need are some basic cookie ingredients plus some M&M’s and sprinkles. These cookies are fun to make with the kids, but are also a good treat to bring into work or to a costume party this October (decorated pumpkin cookies are a good option too!)
Why this recipe works
This is my go-to cookie dough base for my chocolate chip cookies so I know it will turn out good! Chilling the dough makes super chewy cookies that everyone will love. The mix-ins are easy to swap in and out for the holidays. Just take a look at my Easter cookies and Fourth of July cookies as well.
Ingredient notes
- Eggs: The combination of egg and egg yolk binds the dough while making the cookies chewy.
- Unsalted butter: Melted butter is absorbed by the flour and then the dough is chilled to make extra chewy cookies.
- Cornstarch: This secret ingredients makes cookies extra soft. It’s optional, but recommended.
- Sprinkles: Jimmies (rod-shaped) sprinkles are best for cookies because they keep their shape and won’t melt while baking.
- M&M’s are mixed in the dough for extra color and crunch. If you have extra, use them in my Halloween candy cookie bars!
Recipe variations
The fun with these cookies is that you can use your favorite sprinkles and candy-coated chocolates to make them festive! For sprinkles, you could use holiday-colored jimmies or confetti sprinkles, but bat, ghost or pumpkin-shaped sprinkles would be cute too!
Halloween M&M’s work best for color, but you could also use Reese’s Pieces. Since this is my chocolate chip cookie recipe, chocolate chips can be substituted for the M&M’s too. Be sure to save leftover candy and make these turkey cupcakes for Thanksgiving!
How to make Halloween cookies
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Make cookie dough: Beat melted butter, brown sugar and sugar until light in color, about 4 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla, then mix until combined. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in M&M’s and sprinkles by hand.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Bake cookies: Scoop dough in balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert tips
Chilling the cookie dough is the most important step. Wait the full two hours or chill the dough overnight. Cold cookie dough is key to chewy cookies that don’t spread. Do not put cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet as this will make the cookies quickly spread too.
Choose the right sprinkles. Jimmies or confetti sprinkles are not as likely to melt or bleed their color into the dough. If you’re adding candy eyes, wait to add them until the cookies come out of the oven. It’s best to press them on when the cookies are still warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the dough may be frozen for up to 3 months.
The dough was likely too warm. This can happen if you’re rolling the dough into balls for too long. The heat of your hand will make the dough too warm. Another culprit is if you put the cookies on a hot cookie sheet, which can easily happen for the second batch.
Yes, this is a versatile recipe. You can leave out the mix-ins or swap them for something else like chocolate chips or nuts.
I found them in the baking aisle at Target, but they are also available online or on Amazon.
Related recipes
Here are a few more fun and spooky treats for you to make this October.
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Get the Recipe: Easy Halloween Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 g or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (200 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Halloween M&M’s, if you can’t find them in-store, pick out blue and red m&ms from regular m&ms
- ¼ cup Halloween sprinkles with candy eyes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat on medium speed the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until combined, 20 to 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the dough. Careful not to over beat. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the M&M’s and sprinkles by hand.
- Cover cookie dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop a heaping tablespoons of the chilled cookie dough. Shape it into a ball, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat placing each ball of cookie dough about 2-inches apart.
- Bake for about 12 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown. When the cookies are still warm, add a couple candy eyes and m&m’s on top for presentation. Cool cookies on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve and enjoy.
