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Haunted House Cookies

These spooky cookies are made with a buttery dough that cracks beautifully in the oven, resembling haunted house walls, with dark chocolate eyes adding a creepy touch. The cookies have a tender crumb with a slight crunch around the edges, finished with oozing chocolate centers for a fun, eerie effect. Perfect for Halloween, they combine simple ingredients into delightfully spooky treats.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 24
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 150
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract bourbon vanilla optional
  • 1 large egg or flaxseed substitute
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour can use gluten-free
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips for the eyes and oozing centers

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Electric mixer or whisk
  • Baking sheet and parchment paper
  • Cooling rack
  • Cookie scoop or tablespoon

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar using an electric mixer or whisk until the mixture is light, fluffy, and slightly pale, about 3-4 minutes. The sound should be a gentle whir, and the mixture should look smooth.
  3. Mix in the vanilla extract and egg, beating until fully incorporated. The dough will become more glossy and cohesive.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed or folding until just combined. The dough will start to come together and feel slightly stiff but soft.
  5. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, form small dough balls about the size of a walnut and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball slightly with your hand to encourage cracking during baking.
  6. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the cookies have cracked beautifully, resembling haunted house walls. The cookies will smell buttery and sweet with a hint of vanilla.
  7. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. They will firm up slightly as they cool and develop their characteristic cracks.
  8. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, press a few dark chocolate chunks into the centers of each cookie to create the spooky eyes and oozing centers.
  9. Let the chocolate set for a few minutes, then your haunted house cookies are ready to serve! Enjoy the crunchy edges, tender crumb, and playful dark chocolate accents.

Notes

For extra spooky effects, use melted white chocolate to draw on ghostly features or add more dark chocolate eyes for a more eerie look.