My Halloween chocolate chip cookies are the perfect sweet treat for scary movie nights! These soft, chewy jet-black cookies are packed with milk chocolate chips and orange M&Ms. They're super easy to make and great for sharing with friends and family!
I've been in full seasonal baking mode lately, and I think these Halloween chocolate chip cookies might be one of my favourite creations so far! They have all the delicious texture and flavour of a classic choc chip cookie but with a spooky twist. I dyed the dough jet black and then covered the tops with milk chocolate chips and bright orange M&M's for the perfect Halloween vibe.
I wanted something fun and festive that didn't require tons of effort, so these turned out perfect. They look super striking on a plate, but they're honestly so easy to make. My fiancé got his hands on them before they even cooled down, and they were gone almost immediately, which is always a good sign! I can't wait for you to make them for yourself!
Here's everything you'll need
Ready to get baking? Grab your ingredients:
- Butter: Melted butter will give these cookies a firm, chewy texture, which is personally my favourite! Don't swap butter for margarine as the flavour and texture won't be as good.
- Sugar: I always use a mix of white and brown sugar in my cookies. My go-to sugars are caster sugar and soft light brown sugar for the perfect balance.
- Egg: Just one, which is our main binder in the recipe.
- Vanilla extract: For flavour. You can swap this out for another flavour extract if you prefer, such as orange or almond.
- Black gel food colouring: To get a striking black colour, you'll need to use gel food colouring. Liquid colours are not strong enough to dye a batch of cookie dough this big! If you prefer not to use food colouring, swap 2 tablespoons of flour for black cocoa powder instead.
- Self-raising flour: This gives our cookies a very slight lift without needing to add raising agents separately. If you've only got plain flour, you can add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to the recipe.
- Chocolate chips: Milk chocolate chips are my favourite but dark chocolate chips are fine to use too.
- Orange Smarties or M&Ms: For a pop of Halloween colour. We'll add these on top of the cookies after baking as they tend to crack in the oven.
Kitchen tools
- Baking tray: Or two! These cookies spread quite a bit as they bake so you'll need to leave space between them on the tray. I usually bake 4-5 per tray.
- Baking paper: To prevent sticking.
- Bowls: A large one for making the dough and a smaller heatproof one for melting the butter.
- Utensils: A wooden spoon for mixing and a couple of teaspoons for measuring.
- Food scale: For accuracy when baking. This is also handy for when you're portioning out your dough.
How to make Halloween chocolate chip cookies
Step 1: Melt 150g of butter in a small bowl or saucepan then pour it into a large bowl along with 130g caster sugar and 100g of soft light brown sugar. Mix well.
Step 2: Add 1 medium egg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1+½ teaspoons of gel black food colouring to the bowl. Mix well to make a smooth, shiny mixture.
Step 3: Add 250g of self-raising flour to the bowl. Mix well to create a thick, sticky dough.
Step 4: Pour 100g of milk chocolate chips into the bowl with the cookie dough. Stir them in gently, making sure they are evenly distributed throughout.
Step 5: Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place them onto a lined baking tray (or smaller plates if you're short on freezer space) and freeze for 1 hour.
Step 6: While the cookies are freezing, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan ovens).
Step 7: After the hour has passed, place your cookie balls onto your lined tray with 2-3 inches of space in between to allow for spreading. Bake them for 14-15 minutes, until they're firm to the touch around the edges (they should be soft in the middle).
Step 8: While the cookies are still warm, gently press orange M&Ms and chocolate chips on top. You'll need 60g of M&Ms and a large handful of chocolate chips.
Step 9: Leave the cookies on the tray until they're completely cool then enjoy!
Chewy cookie tips
- Use a mixture of caster and soft light brown sugar. They complement one another very well to create a melt-in-your-mouth, soft, chewy texture.
- Black gel food colouring can be swapped for black cocoa powder. Remove 2 tablespoons of flour from the recipe and replace it with 2 tablespoons of black cocoa powder.
- Don't skip freezing the dough, or the cookies will spread too much and burn in the oven.
- Use a scale to ensure all your balls of cookie dough are exactly the same size. Cookie size affects baking time so it's best to be as accurate as you can.
- For a fun Halloween twist, use candy eyes instead of or as well as the M&Ms.
FAQs
These will stay fresh for about 5 days if you store them in an airtight container. They can be stored at room temperature but I personally like to store mine in the fridge to make them extra chewy.
Yes, you can prepare the dough in advance. Shape it into balls, cover the tray with clingfilm and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking straight from the fridge.
Yes, you can freeze these cookies in airtight containers for up to 3 months, using pieces of baking paper to stop them from sticking together. Alternatively, you can freeze them on a lined baking tray until they're solid then transfer them to a freezer bag. Defrost them at room temperature for an hour or two and do not refreeze.
More Halloween cookies
I hope you like my Halloween chocolate chip cookies! If you make them at home, let me know what you think by leaving a rating and comment below. Enjoy!
Halloween Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 150 g Butter, melted
- 130 g Caster sugar
- 100 g Brown sugar
- 1 Medium Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1+½ Teaspoons Black gel food colouring
- 250 g Self-raising flour
- 100 g Milk chocolate chips (plus extra for topping)
- 60 g Orange M&Ms or Smarties
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, caster sugar and brown sugar. Then stir in the egg, the vanilla extract and the black food colouring.
- Mix the flour in with your spoon then mix well to make a thick, sticky dough.
- Pour the milk chocolate chips into the bowl and gently stir them in.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
- Place the balls onto a lined tray and freeze for 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350℉ (or 160°C/320°F for fan and convection ovens).
- Spread the balls 2-3 inches apart on the tray to allow space for spreading. I usually bake 4-5 per tray at a time.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes, until firm to the touch around the edges. The centres may look underbaked at first but they will continue to firm up as they cool down.
- While the cookies are still hot fresh out of the oven, gently press Orange Smarties and extra chocolate chips on top.
- Leave the cookies on the tray until completely cool then enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you prefer, you can swap 2 tablespoons of the flour for black cocoa powder instead of using black food colouring.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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