This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These black cocoa Halloween monster cookies are soft, chewy, and almost jet black, loaded with peanut butter chips, Halloween sprinkles, and candy eyes that stare right back at you!! This Halloween monster cookie recipe is one bowl, needs zero chilling, and goes from mixing bowl to party platter in under 30 minutes.
The secret is black cocoa powder. It gives the cookies that deep, dramatic color and a flavor that tastes just like an Oreo cookie wafer. If you love a jet black Halloween dessert as much as I do, my black velvet Halloween monster cupcakes are their perfect party partner.
I first made these for a Halloween party with leftover black cocoa and a bag of Halloween sprinkles from the year before, and they were gone before I even put my coat down. Quick heads up: these aren’t the classic oatmeal, peanut butter, and M&M monster cookies. If that’s what you’re craving, grab my Crumbl monster cookie recipe. These are black Halloween cookies made with black cocoa, a dark chocolate cookie dressed up like a little monster.
Quick Look: Black Cocoa Halloween Monster Cookies
- 🍪 What it is: Soft, chewy chocolate cookies made almost black with black cocoa.
- ⭐ Why it works: Black cocoa gives Oreo-like flavor and color without food dye.
- 💛 Why you’ll love it: One bowl, no chilling, and peanut butter chips in every bite.
- ⚠️ What to watch for: Regular cocoa turns them brown and changes the flavor.
- ❄️ Make ahead: Freeze baked cookies up to 3 months, then warm briefly.
Why You’ll Love These Halloween Monster Cookies
- One bowl, no chilling. Mix, scoop, and bake.
- Spooky but not intimidating. The easiest chocolate Halloween cookies around, with no piping bags or royal icing, just sprinkles and candy eyes.
- Oreo-like flavor. Black cocoa tastes like the cookie part of an Oreo, so a tall glass of milk is a must.
- Peanut butter chips. They take a simple chocolate cookie to a whole other level, kind of like those famous Levain chocolate peanut butter cookies.
Table of Contents
- Quick Look: Black Cocoa Halloween Monster Cookies
- Why You’ll Love These Halloween Monster Cookies
- What Is Black Cocoa Powder?
- Key Ingredients
- Substitutions and Additions
- How to Make Black Cocoa Halloween Monster Cookies
- Expert Tips
- Black Cocoa Halloween Monster Cookies FAQs
- More Easy Halloween Desserts
- Black Cocoa Halloween Monster Cookies Recipe
What Is Black Cocoa Powder?
Black cocoa is cocoa powder that’s been heavily Dutch-processed (alkalized), which turns it almost black and gives it that mellow, classic Oreo cookie flavor. It’s what makes these Halloween monster cookies look so dramatic without a drop of food coloring.
Because black cocoa is alkalized, it doesn’t react with baking soda the way natural cocoa does. The brown sugar in this dough brings the acidity the baking soda needs, so don’t swap it for all white sugar.
You can find black cocoa powder online or from King Arthur Baking. Once you have a bag, use it in my midnight black cocoa brownies, these chocolate chip black cocoa cookies, and my black cocoa cinnamon rolls.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find full amounts in the recipe card below. These are the ones worth knowing about:
- Black cocoa powder: The star of the show. It gives the deep black color and Oreo flavor. See the section above for why it matters.
- Brown sugar: Keeps the cookies chewy and activates the baking soda, since black cocoa has no acidity of its own.
- Room temperature egg: A cold egg can seize the creamed butter, so let it sit out for 20 minutes.
- Peanut butter chips: Some go in the dough and a few go on top right out of the oven for that bakery look.
- Halloween nonpareil sprinkles and candy eyes: Purple, green, and orange nonpareils pop against the black dough. I pile the same candy eyes on my Halloween sugar cookie bars.
Substitutions and Additions
- No peanut butter chips? Use semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate chips, or even Reese’s Pieces. If you love peanuts with Halloween candy, try my candy corn cookies with brown butter and salted peanuts.
- Peanut-free party: Swap the peanut butter chips for white chocolate chips so they’re safe for school and office parties.
- Regular cocoa powder: It works, but the cookies will bake up dark brown and taste less like Oreos. Add black gel food coloring with the egg if you want that black look.
- Halloween Oreos: Fold in a handful of chopped Halloween Oreos with the chips for extra crunch.
- Make them stuffed: For a gooey Oreo center, use the wrapping method from my Halloween Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies.
How to Make Black Cocoa Halloween Monster Cookies
- Cream the softened butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth.
- Add the flour, black cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Fold in the Halloween sprinkles and peanut butter chips.
- Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop so every cookie is the same size and bakes evenly.
- Space the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 8 to 9 minutes. They’ll look soft in the center, and that’s what you want.
- Press candy eyes and a few extra peanut butter chips into the hot cookies, then let them cool on the pan for 15 minutes before moving them.
Expert Tips
- Pull them at 8 to 9 minutes. They’ll look soft in the center, but they finish setting as they cool on the pan.
- Let them rest on the baking sheet. A full 15 minutes on the pan keeps them from breaking when you move them.
- Decorate while they’re hot. Candy eyes and chips stick best right out of the oven.
- Use a cookie scoop. Same size dough balls means every cookie bakes evenly.
- Don’t overmix after adding flour. Stop as soon as the flour disappears for the chewiest texture.
Black Cocoa Halloween Monster Cookies FAQs
No. Classic monster cookies are made with oats, peanut butter, and M&M’s. Black cocoa Halloween monster cookies are a soft, chewy chocolate cookie made with black cocoa powder and decorated with candy eyes, peanut butter chips, and Halloween sprinkles so they look like little monsters.
Yes. Black cocoa is the same style of heavily Dutch-processed cocoa that gives Oreo wafers their dark color and flavor, so black cocoa Halloween monster cookies taste like soft, chewy Oreo Halloween monster cookies with peanut butter chips.
Yes, but black cocoa Halloween monster cookies made with regular cocoa powder bake up dark brown instead of black and taste less like Oreos. Use a good Dutch-process cocoa and add black gel food coloring with the egg for a similar look.
Store black cocoa Halloween monster cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Add a slice of bread to the container to keep the cookies soft longer.
Yes. Freeze baked black cocoa Halloween monster cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter for about an hour or in the fridge overnight, then microwave for a few seconds to make them soft and gooey again. That makes black cocoa Halloween cookies an easy make-ahead treat for Halloween parties.
Need more spooky treats for the party table? My Halloween Oreo brownies, Crumbl dirt cake cookies, and this whole list of Halloween dessert recipes have you covered.
More Easy Halloween Desserts
If you tried these black cocoa Halloween monster cookies, leave a ⭐ star rating and a comment below, I read every single one. And tag me @chahinez_tbt on Instagram so I can see your spooky little monsters!
Black Cocoa Halloween Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter unsalted, softened
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled or weighed
- 2/3 cup Black cocoa powder spooned and leveled or weighed
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 cup Halloween sprinkles
- 34 Halloween eye candies about 2 per cookie
- 3/4 cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add the flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until the flour disappears.1 cup all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup Black cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp Salt, 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- Fold in the Halloween sprinkles and peanut butter chips.1/4 cup Halloween sprinkles, 3/4 cup peanut butter chips
- Scoop 2 tablespoon dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes.
- Right out of the oven, press candy eyes and a few extra peanut butter chips into the tops. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then move them to a wire rack.34 Halloween eye candies
Notes
- Pull the cookies at 8 to 9 minutes even if the centers look soft. They set as they cool on the pan.
- Black cocoa is what makes these black. Regular cocoa works but bakes up brown, so add black gel coloring if you swap.
- Store airtight with a slice of bread for up to 5 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
- Peanut-free: use white chocolate chips instead of peanut butter chips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These cookies are so good! I love the black cocoa flavor.
It really is tasty! Glad you liked it!
Can you make these with regular cocoa powder and just add black food coloring? I haven’t used black cocoa powder before and it’s pretty expensive from what I’ve seen online.
Yes you can, it won’t taste identical to mine because the black cocoa does add a flavor, but the recipe will still work for you.
Made these for family on Halloween and it was a hit! Peanut butter chips and chocolate are the perfect combo. Added some spooky bone candies instead of eyeballs. I doubled the recipe, so now we have some to freeze! Will make a great addition to lunches this week 🙂
Hey! Thanks for this great recipe!! Do you think we could bake this as a cookie bar? If so, what size tin would you recommend? 8×8? TYSM!!
Yes it can! And yes an 8×8 would be perfect 🙂