Haloween Cookies

These are old-school chocolate drop cookies with enough room in the recipe to go fully unhinged with Halloween decorations. The dough itself stays simple: butter creamed with sugar, eggs and milk for richness, then cocoa and flour fold in to make a soft drop dough that bakes up cakey, not crisp.

Use Dutch-process cocoa if you want a darker, more brooding cookie that looks proper next to orange icing. Natural cocoa gives a redder, sharper chocolate note.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls and leave room to spread. The cookies bake quickly. Pull them when the edges look set and the centers still look a touch soft, around 8 to 10 minutes. They firm up as they cool, and overbaking turns these into hockey pucks.

Pro Tips

• Bring butter and eggs to room temperature for a smoother dough.
• Line baking sheets with parchment so cookies release cleanly for decorating.
• Cool completely on a rack before icing. Warm cookies melt the frosting.
• Bake at 350°F (175°C) for an even rise without scorching the chocolate.

Variations

• Tint a simple powdered sugar icing orange, purple, and black for a Halloween palette.
• Press candy eyes into the warm cookies straight out of the oven for instant monster faces.
• Roll the dough balls in orange sanding sugar before baking for a glittery shortcut.