Black Cookies with black cocoa powder and Halloween sprinkle blends, deliciously soft and chewy cookies that are rich, buttery and spookily dark. They are very easy to make, and they go down a treat with all ages this Halloween.
Not to worry, these cookies aren't burn, their intense black colour comes from the fantastic black cocoa powder which makes everything looks absolutely amazing. I tried it already in quite a few goodies, from Black Brownies, to black cupcakes and black velvet cake.
There is something about this deep colour that makes it just right for any Halloween baked treats, and these cookies don't fail to deliver. Inspired by my soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies and mini egg cookies my black cookies are as scrumptious.
As with everything when it comes to baking, ingredient ratio is crucial to get the right texture. Too much butter, and the cookies will spread to much and flatten. Not enough butter, and they will not spread at all.
Follow my very simple steps to get some delicious cookies that are very easy to customise for every occasion.
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Ingredients needed
- dark brown sugar - you can also use muscovado sugar, it makes the cookies chewy and rich
- caster sugar - or granulated sugar, they add the sweetness
- butter - salted or unsalted, I actually prefer unsalted in cookies
- flour - plain regular flour would do
- bicarbonate of soda
- eggs - always at room temperature
- vanilla extract - you can use any other extract too
- black cocoa powder - it's the star of this recipe
- Halloween sprinkle blends - you can use any Halloween sprinkles you have, it doesn't have to be what I used
Variations
If you don't have black cocoa powder, you can use regular cocoa powder and add black food colouring to it. It might not be as intensely black depending on the brand used.
Paste food colouring is by far better than the liquid ones, so it might be worth looking for one.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- in a pan set over a low heat, melt the butter, then allow it to cool slightly
- add it to a large bowl together with the brown and caster sugar
- use a hand mixer to beat everything well
- add the eggs and beat again to get a smooth paste
- sift in the flour, black cocoa powder, bicarb of soda, add the vanilla extract, and use a spatula to mix everything well
- add the sprinkles and mix to incorporate
- use your hands to form balls the size of a gold ball, and arrange them on a large baking try lined with non-stick paper - you will have to bake the cookies in batches, as you need to leave plenty of room between the cookies
- bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes
- remove from the oven and leave to cool completely
NOTE! If you use edible eyes, arrange them on the cookies as soon as they are out of the oven and they are still soft, otherwise they will melt in the oven.
Expert tips
If you are new to baking cookies, don't worry, I've got you covered! They are really easy to make if you follow the exact steps. As previously mentioned, do leave plenty of room between cookies, as they will spread in the oven - I tend to only add 6 cookies per baking tray, I'd rather bake in several batches, but have nice cookies.
After 12 minutes, they cookies are ready - no need to leave them for any longer, even if they are still slightly soft, as they cool down, they flatten even further, and they harden.
Don't transfer them straight onto a cooling rack, as they are still soft, and they will break. Leave them to cool onto the baking tray, or, if you need the tray, carefully pick the baking sheet underneath, and leave the cookies to cool on a flat surface.
They can be transferred onto a cooking rack then they are hard enough not to bend. I added some of the sprinkles to the dough, but you can leave them all out and add them as the cookies come out of the oven, in case some sprinkles melt too much.
Recipe FAQs
Make sure you allow the cookies to cool down completely before storing them into an air-tight container. They cookies will stay fresh and chewy for several days.
Using too much flour will make the batter too hard and the cookies will stay lumpy rather than spread in the oven. Always sift the flour to make the cookies more airy.
There can be several reasons why the cookies flatten out too much. A very hot oven will make the butter and sugar melt too quickly. Also, too much sugar or too much butter can also be the issue.
Other Halloween treats
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Black Cookies
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 25 g black cocoa powder
- 175 g butter
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 125 g caster sugar
- 125 g dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Halloween sprinkle blends to decorate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit, 160 degrees fan oven).
- Add the butter to a pan set over a low heat, and melt.
- Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
- Add the butter to a large bowl together with the brown and caster sugar.
- Use a hand mixer to beat them well, then add the egg and egg yolk and beat again to a get a smooth paste.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and bicarb of soda, then the vanilla extract.
- Use a spatula to mix again to get a thick paste - if the dough looks too soft, set it aside for 5 minutes to harden, do not add any more flour.
- You can either add some of the sprinkles now, or after they are out of the oven, in case some sprinkles might melt.
- Use your hands to shape balls the size of a gold ball.
- Line a baking tray with non-stick paper, and arrange no more than 6 balls, depending on the size of the tray - the cookies will spread in the oven, so they need plenty of room between them.
- Bake for 12 minutes, then take them out of the oven, add some more sprinkles or edible eyes while they are still soft, by pressing gently so they can stick to the cookies.
- Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
- Allow them to cool down completely before storing into an air-tight container.
Notes
- If you'd like to see the ingredients listed in cups and ounces, please check the US Customary Link.
- Also, the amount of ingredients changes depending on the servings, so click on the number listed to change it to the number you prefer.
- As previously mentioned, do leave plenty of room between cookies, as they will spread in the oven - I tend to only add 6 cookies per baking tray, I'd rather bake in several batches, but have nice cookies.
- After 12 minutes, they cookies are ready - no need to leave them for any longer, even if they are still slightly soft, as they cool down, they flatten even further, and they harden.
- Don't transfer them straight onto a cooling rack, as they are still soft, and they will break. Leave them to cool onto the baking tray, or, if you need the tray, carefully pick the baking sheet underneath, and leave the cookies to cool on a flat surface.
- They can be transferred onto a cooking rack then they are hard enough not to bend. I added some of the sprinkles to the dough, but you can leave them all out and add them as the cookies come out of the oven, in case some sprinkles melt too much.
Nutrition
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