Description
These Dark Chocolate Halloween Cookies are rich, fudgy, and packed with dark cocoa and chocolate chips, perfectly complemented by festive orange M&Ms for a spooky seasonal treat. Soft in the center with slightly firm edges, these cookies are sure to be a hit at any Halloween celebration.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark cocoa powder (such as Hershey’s Special Dark®)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
Add-ins
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cups orange-colored M&Ms® (or other orange candy-coated chocolates)
Instructions
- Preheat & Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent sticking.
- Cream the Butter and Sugars: In a mixing bowl, cream together the room temperature butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, ensuring a smooth base for your cookie dough.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugars, mixing well until fully incorporated to create a homogeneous wet mixture.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, dark cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and instant espresso powder if using, to evenly distribute the leavening agents and cocoa.
- Mix Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until a thick, consistent dough forms. Gently stir in the dark chocolate chips for bursts of rich chocolate flavor.
- Add M&Ms: Fold in about half of the orange M&Ms carefully into the dough to maintain their shape and color, reserving the rest to decorate the cookie tops.
- Shape Cookies: Using a 2-tablespoon ice cream scoop or spoon, portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Press a few reserved M&Ms onto the top of each cookie for a decorative Halloween touch.
- Bake: Place the trays in the preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are firm but the centers remain soft and slightly underbaked for chewy texture.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes to set before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, ensuring they firm up nicely without losing moisture.
Notes
- For added depth of flavor, the instant espresso powder is optional but recommended as it enhances the chocolate taste.
- Ensure the butter is at room temperature to achieve the best creaming results.
- You can substitute orange-colored candies with other festive candy-coated chocolates if preferred.
- Do not overbake to maintain a soft, chewy center characteristic of these cookies.
- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
