Get ready to spook up your Halloween with these monstrously delicious Monster Cookies! These soft, chewy cookies are packed with butter, cream cheese, and a hint of vanilla, all blended into a festive orange hue thanks to gel food coloring.
Who wouldn't at least take a "peek" at these fun cookies when they are staring back at you?!! 🤪
Jump to:
- What makes this recipe irresistible
- What you’ll need: ingredients
- Creative variations to try
- Step-by-step guide: instructions
- Watch and learn: recipe video
- Essential equipment for this recipe
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ's)
- Deb's tips for the perfect dish
- How to store leftovers
- More recipes you'll love
- Halloween Monster Cookies
What makes this recipe irresistible
Loaded with mini chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and crunchy bits from Oreo minis and Chips Ahoy, each bite is a fun surprise!
Rolled in Halloween sprinkles and topped with creepy candy eyes, these cookies are the perfect treat for any ghoulish gathering or trick-or-treat celebration!
What you’ll need: ingredients
Please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact measurements.
- butter
- cream cheese
- a large egg
- pure vanilla extract
- white cake mix
- Orange gel food coloring
- mini chocolate chips
- white chocolate chips
- snack-size packages Oreo minis
- snack-size packages mini–Chips Ahoy
- Halloween candy sprinkles
- Candy eye sprinkles
Creative variations to try
One of the easiest ways to change up this recipe is by simply changing the color of the dough. Pick your favorite color! Better yet, divide the dough in half, and use two different gel food colorings.
Other variations include swapping out the vanilla extract for almond extract, using different cookies to fold into the dough. Changing up the sprinkles, or omitting them all together.
Use your imagination, and get creative… you’ll be the one eating them, after all!
Step-by-step guide: instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. For complete directions, scroll down to the bottom.
- Preheat the oven and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the butter, cream cheese, egg, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl and mix for 2-3 minutes at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the cake mix, and beat well.
- Add orange gel food coloring gradually to achieve a bright orange color.
- Mix in the mini chocolate and white chocolate chips.
- Roughly chop the Oreo & chocolate chip cookies and add to the cake mix. Using a spatula, fold into batter.
- Chill in the refrigerator.
- Using a cookie scoop, shape the dough into balls. Then roll each ball in the sprinkles.
- Place the cookie balls on the lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and randomly place the candy eyeball sprinkles to the top of the cookies while they’re still warm.
Watch and learn: recipe video
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Essential equipment for this recipe
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- Stand mixer
- Cookie scoop
- baking sheet and parchment paper.
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Frequently asked questions (FAQ's)
No, don't put the eyeballs on the cookies until after they are baked. If you put them on before, they will melt.
Yes, you can! Simply make the dough as instructed, and place it in an airtight container or a freezer bag before rolling it into balls. The unbaked cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. When you’re ready to make the cookies, move the frozen dough to the refrigerator to thaw for 24 hours.
This is important because an electric mixer will pulverize the cookies, causing them to become crumbs that will change the color of the batter. Folding the cookies in by hand not only keeps the cookies chunky, but it also keeps the color of the dough from becoming an orange/black mess.
Deb's tips for the perfect dish
Be sure to chill the batter at least 30 minutes before baking or the cookies will spread.
- Use your favorite color for the Halloween Monster cookies. Blue, purple, green - all would be super fun and spooky!
How to store leftovers
Refrigerate - Baked cookies should be stored at room temperature. Place in an airtight container on single layer for up to 5 days. Do not refrigerate, because the candy eyes will run and look really creepy!
More recipes you'll love
What color are you going to make your Halloween Monster Cookies? Aren't they super fun! The kids will love them for their Halloween party! I'd love to hear what you think below, please comment below!
Halloween Monster Cookies
Equipment
- 1 electric mixer (stand or hand mixer)
- baking sheet
- Parchment Paper
- cookie scoop
Ingredients
- ½ c. butter room temperature
- 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 15.25 oz. box white cake mix
- Orange gel food coloring
- 1 c. mini chocolate chips
- ½ c. white chocolate chips
- 2 snack-size packages Oreo minis
- 2 snack-size packages mini–Chips Ahoy
- Halloween candy sprinkles
- Candy eye sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees F, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, cream cheese, egg, and vanilla extract for 2-3 minutes at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add cake mix, and beat well, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Add orange gel food coloring. Mix well, again scraping down the sides to help avoid streaks. (I started with about 1 tsp. food coloring, and gradually added more to achieve this bright orange color.)
- Mix in the mini chocolate and white chocolate chips.
- Roughly chop the contents of the Oreo-mini packages and the mini–Chip’s Ahoy packages, and add to the cake mix. FOLD into batter by hand until evenly combined.
- Allow the batter to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, shape the dough into balls, then roll each ball into the candy sprinkles.
- Place the cookie balls onto a lined cookie sheet, leaving 1 ½- 2 inches between them.
- Bake at 350-degrees F. for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, and randomly place the candy eyeball sprinkles to the top of the cookies while they’re still warm.
- Serve and enjoy!
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