Home ยป Recipes ยป Course ยป Dessert

Creepy Cute Monster Halloween Cookies Recipe

Get ready to bake up a spookylicious batch of creepy and cute monster Halloween cookies with this easy and delicious recipe! This easy Halloween cookie recipe is made with just a few ingredients so you can spend your time on the fun part – decorating. No tricks, just Halloween treats!

NOTE: This recipe has been retested and updated, so the pictures will look a little different from the final product. After many rounds of testing, I found that the original recipe cookies spread out too much and were too soft. The consistency of the new recipe is much better, and the colors will have more of a tie-dye effect instead of a fully-pigmented cookie.

If you like these Halloween monster cookies, you might also like these Oreo truffle ghosts, Oreo rice krispie treats, Halloween charcuterie board, copycat Crumbl sugar cookies and mini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Up close Halloween cookies.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

What You’ll Love About Halloween Cookies

  • Festive and fun
  • Bright, fun colors
  • Easy to decorate
  • Lots of options to customize
  • Made with just 3 simple ingredients
  • Perfect for a Halloween party
Plate of Halloween monster cookies.

Ingredients

  • White cake mix – Use your favorite white cake mix. You can also use other cake mix flavors – see the tips below for more ideas.
  • Eggs – Use your favorite variety of eggs.
  • Oil – Use vegetable oil without much flavor like canola oil or avocado oil.
  • Food coloring – Use gel for vibrant and intense colors instead of liquid food coloring. Gel coloring provides more concentrated colors, so you won’t need to add as much, which can help maintain the cookie dough’s consistency.
  • Candy eyeballs – I’ve linked some candy eyeball options, but you can use any type. You could also use Halloween sprinkles or even decorate them with chocolate chips, candy corn, or small pieces of Halloween candy.
Ingredients to make monster Halloween cookies.

How to Make Halloween Monster Cookies

This is an overview on how to make easy Halloween cookies, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.

Mix wet ingredients. Whisk together eggs and vegetable oil. If you’re using any additional flavorings like vanilla extract (see other ideas below), add those in now.
Mix cookie dough. Add cake mix into egg mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
Cake mix and wet ingredients for monster Halloween cookies.
Color dough. Divide batter and add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl and mix in.
Halloween cookie dough with food coloring.
Shape cookies. Scoop cookie dough onto baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie to account for spreading.
TIP: When scooping the cookie dough onto the baking sheet, lightly grease the spoon or your hands with cooking spray to prevent the dough from sticking. This will make it easier to form the dough balls.
Halloween monster cookies on a sheet pan.
Bake cookies. Bake in oven until cookies are just starting to brown at the edges.
Decorate cookies. Press candy eyes into cookies right away and allow to cool. Decorating Halloween cookies is fun for the kids!
Monster cookies with eyeballs for Halloween.

Tips for Best Halloween Cookies

To prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking, consider chilling the cookie dough for about 30 minutes before scooping and baking. Chilled dough holds its shape better, resulting in thicker and more defined cookies.

2. Experiment with colors

You can create a spooky assortment of cookies by using different food coloring combinations. For example, mix red and yellow food coloring for a deep orange color, or mix blue and green for an eerie green food coloring. Get creative and have fun with it!

3. Add flavors

If you want to add a little extra flavor to the cookies, consider incorporating flavor extracts such as vanilla, almond, or lemon. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust to your taste preference.

4. Try different cake mix flavors

While the recipe calls for a white cake mix, you can experiment with different flavors like chocolate, red velvet, or funfetti for more variety in your Halloween cookies.

Plate of Halloween cookies.

Storage Instructions

To keep the cookies fresh and preserve their softness, store them in airtight containers once they have completely cooled.

Closeup of Halloween dessert cookies.

Want More?

Follow Emily on Instagram or TikTok for family dinner recipe videos and tips for feeding kids.

Halloween monster cookies with eyeballs.

More Sweets

If you like this Halloween cookie recipe, you might also like some of these other sweet recipes:

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Up close Halloween cookies.

Creepy Cute Monster Halloween Cookies Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

Description

Bake up a spookylicious batch of creepy and cute monster Halloween cookies with this easy and delicious recipe that’s so fun to make.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 14.25 oz box white cake mix
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • food coloring
  • candy eyeballs


Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper if using. If you use a cookie sheet, you shouldn’t need parchment paper.
  2. Whisk the egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract together. If you’re using any additional flavorings, add those in now.
  3. Add the cake mix and pinch of salt and whisk until fully combined. This will be a drier dough, similar to sugar cookie dough that you roll out. You may need to use your hands to squeeze the dough together.ย 
  4. Divide the batter into three bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to each. Stir to combine. NOTE: This recipe has been updated, so the colors don’t blend in quite as well as the pictures and have more of a tie-dye look than fully pigmented, but the consistency of the cookie is much better.ย 
  5. Scoop 1 tablespoon-sized dough balls onto the baking sheet ensuring there is enough space between each cookie ball.
  6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown.
  7. Press the candy eyeballs into the warm cookies and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.


Notes

  • Use Gel Food Coloring: For vibrant and intense colors, consider using gel food coloring instead of liquid food coloring. Gel coloring provides more concentrated colors, so you won’t need to add as much, which can help maintain the cookie dough’s consistency.
  • Experiment with Colors: You can create a spooky assortment of cookies by using different food coloring combinations. For example, mix red and yellow food coloring for a deep orange color, or mix blue and green for an eerie green color. Get creative and have fun with it!
  • Add Flavor Extracts: If you want to add a little extra flavor to the cookies, consider incorporating flavor extracts such as vanilla, almond, or lemon. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust to your taste preference.
  • Try Different Cake Mix Flavors: While the recipe calls for a white cake mix, you can experiment with different flavors like chocolate, red velvet, or funfetti for more variety in your Halloween cookies.
  • Prevent Stickiness: When scooping the cookie dough onto the baking sheet, lightly grease the spoon or your hands with cooking spray to prevent the dough from sticking. This will make it easier to form the dough balls.
  • Use Parchment Paper: If you’re concerned about cookies sticking to the baking sheet, use parchment paper instead of just greasing the sheet. Parchment paper ensures easy removal and minimizes cleanup.
  • Play with Candy Eyeballs: While the recipe suggests using candy eyeballs, you can also get creative with other Halloween-themed decorations like candy pumpkins, spiders, or ghosts. Mix and match to create a diverse set of spooky cookies.
  • Store in Airtight Containers: To keep the cookies fresh and preserve their softness, store them in airtight containers once they have completely cooled.

This post may contain affiliate links. They do not add any charge to you, but I will make a very small commission from them. I only link to products I use and recommend. Thank you for your support!

If you like this recipe, try these, too!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star