Description
Witch Hat Cookies are delightful chocolatey treats perfect for Halloween. These soft cocoa cookies are rolled in sugar, baked until just right, then topped with colorful frosting, a Hershey’s Kiss, and festive sprinkles to resemble witch hats. Easy to make and fun to decorate, they’re a spooky and sweet addition to your seasonal dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies
- 1 ½ cups (180g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (21g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (107g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (66g) granulated sugar, for rolling
For the Frosting
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring
- Hershey’s Kisses
- Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare dry ingredients: Preheat your oven to 350ºF. In a mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a separate bowl, use a mixer on low speed to cream together the softened unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and combined.
- Add egg and vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix again on low speed until incorporated.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients: Gently add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed or folding by hand just until everything is combined, taking care not to overmix.
- Shape and sugar coat dough balls: Use a small cookie scoop or tablespoon to form tablespoon-sized balls from the dough. Roll each ball between your hands to make it uniform, then roll in the ⅓ cup granulated sugar to coat.
- Arrange and bake cookies: Place the sugared dough balls 2-3 inches apart on a silicone-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes, or until the edges are set and the cookies appear slightly cracked.
- Cool cookies: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Bake one sheet at a time for best results.
- Make frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat the unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy and smooth. Divide the frosting into bowls and tint with gel food coloring as desired.
- Assemble witch hats: Transfer the colored frosting to a piping bag or sandwich bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe a dollop of frosting onto the center of each cooled cookie. Press a Hershey’s Kiss gently into the frosting so that it spreads slightly out the sides, forming the hat shape.
- Decorate: Add Halloween sprinkles onto the frosting around the Hershey’s Kiss for a festive look. Repeat for all cookies and let the frosting set before serving.
Notes
- Ensure butter is softened but not melted for proper creaming with sugars.
- Rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar gives the cookies a subtle crunchy texture and sparkle.
- Use gel food coloring for vibrant frosting without thinning the icing.
- For a more festive touch, try different colored Hershey’s Kisses or themed sprinkles.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days to maintain freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
