Love at First Bite: Ooey-Gooey Halloween Cookie

Despite the scorching heat here in southern Florida, spooky season is right around the corner, and these Halloween cookies have been designated the pick of the patch.

Now, I have been baking chocolate spider cookies and staging my small apartment with plastic pumpkins since mid-August. I even adopted a black kitten named Binx in September to get in the Fall spirit.

Needless to say, I am ready for Halloween, and these "eerie"-sistible Midnight Monster cookies, inspired by matthewinthekitchen on TikTok, have only made me that much more excited for the Holiday. 

Stuffed with your choice of candy, these desserts have a darker twist to go "batty" for. So, whether you are cooking with your "boo" or having a "ghoul's" night in, these Halloween cookies are less of a trick and more of a treat.

Midnight Monster Cookie

• Prep Time:2 hrs 30 mins
• Cook Time:20 mins
• Total Time:2 hrs 50 mins
• Servings:10
• Medium

Ingredients

• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional black food coloring
• 1 cup M&M's
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 8-10 pieces optional Halloween candy

• Step 1

  Start by melting 2 sticks of unsalted butter in a small pan over low heat.

  

• Step 2

  While butter is melting, add 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together.

  

• Step 3

  Allow butter to cool for 2 minutes before adding it to sugar. Then, whisk together until well-combined.

  

• Step 4

  Add 2 large eggs to butter-sugar mix. Then, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and optional black food coloring. Whisk together.

  

• Step 5

  In a separate small bowl, measure and pour 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour. Then, add 1.5 teaspoons of corn starch, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to the flour. Mix dry ingredients together.

  

• Step 6

  Pour dry ingredients into butter-sugar mix. Stir until a dough forms, and add extra black food coloring if desired.

  

• Step 7

  Mix in 1 cup of M&M's and 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to cookie dough.

  

• Step 8

  Next, take one large spoonful of cookie dough and place on a prepared cookie sheet. Add optional Halloween candy to center before adding another spoonful of cookie dough on top.
  
  Note: For this recipe, we placed one unwrapped Reese's peanut butter cup upside down to the center. We did this for 6 of the 10 cookies. For the last four, we used 2 broken Kit Kat bars.

  

• Step 9

  Make sure sides are covered before patting cookie into a circular shape. Add additional M&M's to the top before continuing.

  

• Step 10

  Allow cookie dough to chill in fridge for at least 2 hours. Then, bake at 350ºF for about 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

  

And there you have it! Whether you switch the candy in the middle out for Kit Kats, Dove chocolates, or Rolos, these "fang"-tastic treats are sure to be a hit at your next Halloween bash.

However, if you want to take it to the next level, include themed colors in your cookies such as orange, purple, and green. This can happen by purchasing Halloween candy or sorting out your M&M's. Nevertheless, this will give your desserts an extra dash of spook!