Halloween Monster Eye Cookies (Purple, Orange, & Green)
Halloween Monster Eye Cookies are spooky, fun, and ridiculously easy. Soft, chewy cookies topped with googly candy eyes for the perfect party treat.
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing Bowls
- Cooling rack
- Spatula
- Baking Sheet
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Purple gel food coloring
- Green gel food coloring
- Orange gel food coloring
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar for rolling
- Edible candy eyes assorted sizes
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1¼ cups sugar for 2–3 minutes, until light and creamy.
- Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth and combined.
- Make the cookie dough. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing.
- Color the dough. Divide the dough evenly among three bowls. Add purple gel food coloring to one, green to another, and orange to the third. Mix each until the color is evenly distributed. Add more gel coloring as needed to get vibrant Halloween colors.
- Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the remaining ⅓ cup sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Shape and coat. Scoop about 1½ tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll into balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar until evenly coated.
- Bake. Arrange the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.
- Add the monster eyes. Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, gently press edible candy eyes into the warm cookies. Use different sizes and numbers of eyes to give each monster a different look.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Notes
- Use softened butter. Avoid melted butter, as it can make the dough too soft and sticky to easily shape into balls.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Once you no longer see streaks of flour, stop mixing. Overmixing can result in tougher cookies.
- Use gel food coloring. Gel coloring creates vibrant purple, orange, and green colors without adding excess liquid to the cookie dough. Add a little at a time until you reach your desired shade.
- Don’t overbake. Remove the cookies from the oven when the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft and underdone. They will continue to set as they cool, keeping them soft and chewy.
- Keep an eye on the color. Remove the cookies while their colors are still bright and vibrant. Overbaking can cause the edges to brown and make the Halloween colors look dull.
- Add the candy eyes while the cookies are warm. Gently press the edible eyes into the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven so they stick securely as the cookies cool.
