Hey all you BOO-bers! You all ready for Halloween??? Really, who isn’t ready for a holiday focused completely around candy?
Can I make a confession? My kids get so much candy by the time Halloween actually comes, that usually I end up handing out their week’s worth of candy stash to the tail end of the trick or treaters. And they still have loads of candy even after that!
So here I am talking/complaining over how much candy my kids get during Halloween and now I am asking you to make cookies. Hmmm, something doesn’t add up there. I might have a problem. I may just be raising children that think that life is made up of all lollipops and candy canes.
No joke, Braelyn gets off the bus after school and once she sees our house, she bolts down the street in a dead sprint just to see what goodie I’ve baked that day. Here’s the kicker, if I haven’t actually baked something that day, she seriously gives this attitude like, “Well just what did you do all day then?” As if there is nothing more to life than baking cookies and cupcakes. Well, sometimes there isn’t.
Although most days I do my baking while Braelyn is at school…let’s just confess it’s waaaaaay easier that way…I do like to save some baking for when the kids can both help, especially around the holidays. There are times, few and far between, that the messy kitchen and high pitched squeals can be quite entertaining.
For Halloween I thought it would be fun to bake and decorate some sugar cookies with my girls. I already have a great Simply Sugar Cookies recipe, but I wanted something different. And by different, I really mean chocolate. I’ve never made or even seen a recipe before for a chocolate sugar cookie, but I figured it could be done. After playing around with some ingredients, these Halloween Chocolate Sugar Cookies were born.
One question? Why do people not make chocolate sugar cookies more often??? Like all the time?!
Let me tell you what these taste like. Imagine a brownie…as a cookie. There you go. That is exactly what these are.
They are soft, but sturdy. They won’t break when you decorate them, and they keep their shape as they cook. I didn’t even chill the dough because I’m lazy that way. And you can top these suckers with any frosting you like. If you’re in a bind, just use some good old store bought frosting…I’ll just close my eyes and pretend I didn’t see. Otherwise, use my vanilla frosting recipe and mix some fun colors in. You could even slap on some chocolate frosting to send your kids into a total chocolate coma. Your pick.
Let’s be honest, it doesn’t matter how you choose to decorate these cookies. The real fun is just being with your kids. The utterly delicious cookies that result is an added bonus.
What is your favorite treat to bake with kids?
- For Cookies:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur brand)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- For Vanilla Frosting:
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- dash of salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat and set aside.
- To make cookies, cream together sugar, butter, and egg until light and fluffy in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Add vanilla and milk and mix until smooth. Add salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, flour and xanthan gum. Mix until incorporated.
- Divide dough into two balls. Lay wax paper down on work surface and lightly flour. Place one ball of dough on top of flour. Dust top of dough with flour. Roll dough to about ⅛' in thickness. Cut out desired shapes and place on cookie sheet at least 1" apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until edges are browning and set. Cool on pan for 5 minutes until set. Remove with spatula and continue cooling completely on cooling racks. Roll scraps of dough together again and cut out more shapes. Continue process until all dough is gone.
- As cookies are cooling, begin making frosting. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until light and pale. Add salt, vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Beat until combined. Add milk and beat until smooth. Add another 1¾ cup of powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add more milk to thin or more sugar to thicken. Color with food coloring. Decorate cookies as desired.
These are very cute!! Pinned!
Thanks Tiffany!!!
Yes, let the candy begin, right? I feel like it starts at Halloween, and doesn’t let up till January, but I’m at peace with that. 🙂 Cookies look fun!
I know right?! So much candy! Pretty much my kids will be on a sugar high for the next three months.