If you’re new around here, you should know I don’t do spooky food for Halloween! I think it’s ridiculous and entirely unappetizing. Instead, I’ve come up with a nostalgic treat that’s kid and adult-friendly. Besides, who doesn’t love cookies?!
These Halloween candy cookies look and sound wrong, but trust, they are so right! The extreme contrast of sweet, salty, sour, and soft cookie dough actually provides balance in a weird way and it just works. They are very customizable too. The sweet and savory version I concocted has salty ruffled chips mixed with vegan-friendly chocolate peanut butter cups, but you could easily chop up your favorite candy bar or use a chocolate-covered caramel like the brand Cocomels. The candy version can contain whatever sweet treats you prefer. I was looking up and down for fuzzy peaches and cherry blasters, but alas they were nowhere to be found in the Halloween candy sections. Maynard’s candy does not contain gelatin, which makes them vegan-friendly. Of course, there are lots of other brands of vegan gummies on the market now too, so take your pick!
Act like a kid again and have fun making this batch of whimsical cookies with your kids or your friends for Halloween. And for the love of God, please forgo making a jack-o-lantern puking up guacamole. Eek!
halloween candy cookies
Ingredients
cookie dough
- 2 ¾ C all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 C salted vegan butter, partially softened
- ½ C granulated sugar
- ½ C light brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ C unsweetened non-dairy milk
chip and chocolate cookies
- 1 C vegan chocolate covered caramels or chopped chocolate bars, peanut butter cups etc.
- 2 C plain ruffled chips, crushed
sweet and sour candy cookies
- 2 C (300g) vegan gummy candies (such as fuzzy peaches, sour kids, swedish fish, gummy bears etc.)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
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Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or by hand with a spatlua cream vegan butter until smooth and fluffy. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and continue to beat together until well combined and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and nondairy milk. Beat until well combined.
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Gradually add in the dry ingredients while beating on low. Once the dough has mostly come togehter, switch to a rubber spatula and stir in mix-ins of your choice.
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Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion cookies onto parchment lined baking sheets spaced apart by at least 1 inch. If desired, place extra toppings on top of the cookie if you want them to be more visible. Bake on the middle rack for 14 to 16 minutes minutes, or until light golden on the bottom and edges.
Recipe Notes
the amounts listed for the candy mix-ins are for a whole batch or 2 dozen cookies. Feel free to split the dough up and half the amounts for the candy if you want to make half candy and half chips and chocolate.
2 thoughts on “halloween candy cookies”
A great base cookie recipe. Loved it with leftover gummy candies and made a second cookie with an assortment of things I had (chocolate chips, pumpkin marshmellows and biscoff cookies). Would make again using whatever I had as fillings.
I know this is an older post, but my gummies melted in the oven!! The chocolate chip and ruffles cookies were amazing, the cookie base – amazing. Will make that again. But the gummies just dissolved- I used the same brands, followed recipe exactly. Not sure what happened.