Best Witch Hat Halloween Cookies Recipe
These Best Witch Hat Halloween Cookies combine classic peanut butter cookies with festive purple coloring and a chocolate kiss on top, making them a perfect treat for Halloween celebrations. The chewy, soft cookies are decorated with Halloween sprinkles or purple sanding sugar for a spooky and colorful touch.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 33 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
For the cookie dough:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Purple gel food coloring, as needed
For decorating:
- Halloween sprinkles or purple sanding sugar
- 33 chocolate kisses or Hugs candies, unwrapped
Instructions
- Prepare dry ingredients: Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt until evenly combined.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream softened unsalted butter and white sugar for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in the large egg until fully incorporated, then add smooth peanut butter and vanilla extract, mixing well.
- Combine dough and color: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until a uniform dough forms. Incorporate purple gel food coloring gradually until the dough reaches the desired shade, finishing by hand to remove streaks.
- Chill the dough: Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion dough into mounds and arrange on the prepared sheet tray, close but not touching. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight to ensure thick, well-shaped cookies.
- Preheat oven and prep trays: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line new sheet trays with parchment paper. Place Halloween sprinkles or purple sanding sugar in a small bowl.
- Shape and coat dough balls: Roll chilled dough mounds into smooth balls, then roll each in sprinkles or sugar to coat. Arrange balls on prepared trays, spacing 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies: Bake for 9–11 minutes until cookies are puffed and beginning to crack. Slight underbaking is recommended for a soft interior as cookies continue setting on cooling.
- Add chocolate hats: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. While warm, press a chocolate kiss or Hug into the center of each cookie until it sticks.
- Cool in freezer: Immediately transfer the tray to the freezer for 10 minutes to prevent chocolate from melting due to residual heat. After chilling, transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling while baking remaining dough.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential to prevent cookies from spreading and to ensure a thick, chewy texture.
- Slightly underbaking helps keep the cookie interior soft as they continue to set while cooling.
- The purple gel food coloring can be adjusted to reach your preferred intensity without affecting the dough texture.
- Freezing the cookies immediately after adding chocolate prevents the candy from melting and maintains the distinct witch hat shape.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for longer storage.
Keywords: Halloween cookies, peanut butter cookies, witch hat cookies, chocolate kiss cookies, festive cookies, holiday baking
Find it online: https://zarameals.com/best-witch-hat-halloween-cookies-recipe/
