Description
These Best Witch Hat Halloween Cookies are a festive and fun treat perfect for Halloween celebrations. Featuring a soft, peanut butter-flavored cookie dough tinted with purple gel food coloring and adorned with Halloween sprinkles and iconic chocolate kisses, these cookies are as delightful to look at as they are to eat. The recipe uses a classic creaming method combined with chilling to achieve thick, tender cookies that hold their shape well during baking.
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 the Baking Equipment and Dry Ingredients: Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Make the Wet Cookie Dough Base: Using an electric hand mixer or paddle attachment on a stand mixer, cream the softened unsalted butter and white sugar for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in the large egg until fully incorporated, then add the smooth peanut butter and vanilla extract, mixing well and scraping down the bowl sides as needed.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients and Add Coloring: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture and stir until a uniform dough forms. Gradually add purple gel food coloring and mix thoroughly by hand to ensure an even purple color with no streaks.
- Portion, Chill, and Prepare for Baking: Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough into mounds and arrange them on the parchment-lined sheet tray, spaced close but not touching. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight to prevent spreading and achieve a thick texture.
- Coat, Bake, and Decorate the Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line sheet trays with parchment paper. Place Halloween sprinkles or purple sanding sugar into a bowl. Roll each chilled dough mound into a smooth ball, coat fully in the sprinkles or sanding sugar, and arrange them 2 inches apart on the trays. Bake the cookies for 9–11 minutes until puffed and beginning to crack, aiming to slightly underbake for a soft interior.
- Add Chocolate Kisses and Cool: After baking, allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 5 minutes. While warm, gently press one unwrapped chocolate kiss or Hug candy into the center of each cookie so it sticks. Immediately transfer the tray to the freezer for 10 minutes to prevent the chocolate from melting. After chilling, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is crucial to ensure the cookies bake up thick and don’t spread too much.
- Using purple gel food coloring allows control over the dough color intensity.
- Slightly underbaking results in a soft, tender interior as the cookies continue to set while cooling.
- Freezing the cookies briefly after adding chocolate kisses prevents the chocolate from melting on warm cookies.
- You can substitute Halloween sprinkles with any decorative sanding sugar for variety.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Halloween cookies, witch hat cookies, peanut butter cookies, festive cookies, chocolate kiss cookies, Halloween treats
