Description
Surprisingly, it’s October again and that means it’s spooky season, and these vegan Halloween spooky cookies are the perfect treat to kick off with. Deliciously soft and chewy chocolate cookie base, chocolate ganache, and topped with a royal icing spiderweb! Did I mention that these taste like Oreo? Easy to make, only requires a few pantry-friendly ingredients, and is great for all ages to enjoy! It’s the perfect dessert for those who love chocolate and all things Halloween!
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 10 tablespoons (1 stick + 2 tablespoons/140g) – vegan butter, softened (NOT MELTED)
- 1 3/4 cup (300g) – all-purpose flour, see notes on how to properly measure flour.
- ¼ cup (25g) – black cocoa powder (sub for dutch-processed)
- ½ teaspoon – baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon – baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (100g) – white sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) – brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons (90ml) – non-dairy milk, must be lukewarm
- 1 teaspoon – vanilla extract
Ganache
- 1/3 cup – semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons – non-dairy milk
Royal Icing
- 1/3 cup (80g) – powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon – vanilla extract
- 2–3 teaspoons – non-dairy milk
Equipment:
- Food scale
- Measuring spoons
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Rubber spatula
- Medium cookie scoops
- Parchment paper or Silpat mat
- 2 large baking sheets
- Wire cooling rack
- Piping bag
Instructions
Cookies:
- First, set out your butter from the fridge to soften at room temperature. Depending on what brand you are using this could take from 30 minutes, up to an hour. Do not start this recipe with cold butter.
- While you wait, preheat the oven to 350° F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside until ready to use.
- Next, in a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, black cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, on high speed, cream the softened vegan butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together until fluffy.
- To the bowl, add in the lukewarm non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. The mixture will look like it won’t mix properly, but that’s fine.
- Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix them at low speed. You are looking for soft cookie dough consistency.
- Scoop the cookie dough in roughly 2 tablespoon scoops out onto a parchment-lined baking tray, aiming for around 14 cookies. I used a medium-sized cookie scoop.
- Roll them into a ball and gently flatten them into a thick disc.
- Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Allow the cookies to completely cool before decorating.
Ganache:
- In a heat-proof bowl, combine the chocolate chips and the non-dairy milk. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, and mix it. Heat it once more for 30 more minutes, and stir until all the chips have melted and you have a smooth and thick consistency. Set aside until ready to use.
Royal Icing:
- In a small bowl, add in the sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and non-dairy milk.
- Whisk until well combined. It will look like it won’t mix well at first, but that’s normal. Continue to whisk until it does. You should get a pretty thick consistency. If not add more powdered sugar.
- Fit a small piping tip into a piping bag, and pour the icing into it. Set aside until ready to use.
Assembly:
- Working with one cookie at a time, take about a tablespoon of the ganache and dollop it over the cookie. Gently smooth it over with an offset spatula or a butter knife. Repeat for the rest. Allow the chocolate to harden before moving on.
- Next, piping your royal icing into spider webs or whatever design you want over the chocolate. Repeat for the rest. Allow the icing to set before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error. My recipes are 100% tested in grams.
- However, if you’re measuring by cups, avoid scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour. This tends to pack the flour into the cup, resulting in too much flour and a very dense or gummy finished product. Instead, aerate your flour (fluff it with a fork or spoon) and then spoon it into your measuring cups, leveling it with your finger or the back of a butter knife. Keep in mind though, this method is not guaranteed to be accurate.
- Watch this video from King Arthur on how to properly measure your flour if you don’t have a food scale:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUSovVHpqsU
- Watch this video from King Arthur on how to properly measure your flour if you don’t have a food scale:
- Store in an airtight container. It can be left at room temp for a couple of days.
- They will also keep in the freezer, undecorated, for about a month.
Keywords: vegan, chocolate, cookies, vegan chocolate cookies, chocolate cookies, halloween, halloween cookies, vegan halloween cookies, halloween treats, vegan halloween treats, spooky cookies
