Halloween Cocoa Cookies

Desserts

Spooky season is here! When I used to live in New York, I’d see countless decorated brownstones, cobweb-studded cafes, and even people wearing costumes in the week leading up to Halloween. Now upstate, I’m living the real Halloween fantasy with ancient trees, piles of golden leaves, and the inevitable early morning fog. I love it!

While I’ve traditionally saved cookie recipes for the holiday season, I’m making an exception here to help get everyone in the mood. This Halloween, Dave and I have our own little pumpkin to take care of: My daughter! Sure, she’s a bit too young to take part in the Halloween activities this year. But that won’t stop us from getting into the spirit. This cookie recipe is perfect to get your little ones involved from measuring ingredients to dividing the dough to – my favorite part – decorating. What sets this cocoa cookie recipe apart from others is cornstarch. Cornstarch is not an ingredient I typically use in cookies, but here it gives a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Let me know what your favorite Halloween snacks are. Maybe this year you give our cookies instead of candy!

Course: Dessert

Cook time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

Cookies

10 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
3 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Icing

2-3 tsp oat milk or other dairy alternative
1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Directions

Cookies

Preheat oven to 325F.
Add softened butter and sugar to one large mixing bowl. Mix on high until smooth, 1-2 minutes. (This will take longer if your butter is cold.)
Add egg and vanilla until just combined.
In a separate large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
On a pre-sprayed baking sheet, spoon dough into neat little circles, about 1 tablespoon each.
Bake at 325F for about 25-30 minutes until the edges are crisp. Remove from oven.
Cool on countertop until completely room temperature. This step is key because we don’t want our icing to slip off.

Icing

Mix milk or dairy alternative, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar until combined.
Transfer into a Ziplock bag, and cut a small piece of the corner. Decorate to your heart’s desire.