Description
These Best Witch Hat Halloween Cookies are delightful festive treats perfect for Halloween celebrations. Featuring a soft, purple peanut butter cookie base coated with colorful sprinkles and topped with a classic chocolate kiss, these cookies are both charming and delicious. The dough is chilled to ensure thick, perfectly baked cookies that are soft inside with a slight crack on top.
Ingredients
Scale
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
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. In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt until well combined. Set aside for later.
- Make the Wet Cookie Dough Base: In a separate large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and white sugar together using an electric mixer for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated. Then add the smooth peanut butter and vanilla extract, mixing thoroughly and scraping down the bowl 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, mixing well to achieve the desired shade. Finish mixing by hand to ensure even color distribution with no streaks.
- Portion, Chill, and Prepare for Baking: Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough into mounds and place them close together on a parchment-lined sheet tray without touching. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight to prevent spreading and produce thick cookies.
- Coat, Bake, and Decorate the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line new sheet trays with parchment paper. Pour Halloween sprinkles or purple sanding sugar into a small bowl. Roll each chilled dough mound into a ball and coat completely in the sprinkles or sugar. Arrange the coated balls on the prepared trays spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until the cookies puff up and start to crack. Slightly underbaking is ideal for a soft interior.
- Add Chocolate Kisses and Cool: Remove cookies from the oven and let cool on the sheet tray for 5 minutes. While still warm, press a chocolate kiss or Hug candy into the center of each cookie until it sticks. Immediately transfer the tray to the freezer for 10 minutes to prevent chocolate from melting due to residual heat. After chilling, move cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential to prevent spreading and ensure thick, soft cookies.
- Adjust the amount of purple gel food coloring to achieve your preferred shade of purple.
- Slightly underbake the cookies for a soft, chewy center as they will continue to set while cooling.
- Using Halloween-themed sprinkles adds festive visual appeal, but sanding sugar or any colored sugar works well too.
- Freezing the cookies briefly after adding the chocolate kisses prevents the chocolate from melting and losing its shape.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes active, 2 hours inactive chilling
- Cook Time: 10 minutes per batch
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Halloween cookies, witch hat cookies, peanut butter cookies, chocolate kiss cookies, purple cookies, festive Halloween treats
