How cute are these cookies for Halloween?! I had an idea of the type of cookies I wanted to make – thick and cake-like with plenty of pumpkin. And then when I got started, I knew I had to make them Halloween colors – black and orange! Well, they are as close to black as cookies can get without being either burnt or looking, well, yuck.
These cookies are a must make this Halloween, and if you have any kids, they will love them! My little boy went crazy over these cookies, and they were perfect for him to eat because they are super soft and pillow-like.
They also taste best, in my opinion, straight out of the fridge. After they cool off, I like to put them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. Whenever we are craving these cookies (Hint: always) we can just grab one out and eat it.
I put two kinds of baking chips in these cookies. First, milk chocolate chips, which you can use or substitute for semi-sweet, dark, etc. The second baking chips are called pumpkin spice baking chips. Have you heard of them? They are absolutely the best! I saw them in the baking aisle and was a little unsure at first.
After one small handful, I knew I would need to buy a few more bags. They are fantastically well-flavored, and of course, have a very rich pumpkin taste to them.
If you are unsure about these baking chips and don’t want to use them, you could replace them with orange M&M’s to keep with the Halloween cookie theme. And if you don’t care about them looking Halloween-ish, you can substitute more regular chocolate chips or another small chocolate candy. You could even try some nuts instead – I think chopped walnuts would be the best in these cookies.
The other fun twist to these cookies is how they get their dark-brown color. Most chocolate cookies use cocoa powder, but these use brownie mix instead!
They don’t really taste like brownies, but they have a richer and sweeter chocolate-y taste. It also means you don’t need as many ingredients – no need for sugar, and the recipe only calls for a little bit of flour.
Besides that, you only have the pumpkin, 2 large eggs, a little bit of water, some pumpkin pie spice, and the chocolate + pumpkin baking chips.
Pumpkin pie spice is just a mixture of four different spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. If you can’t find pumpkin pie spice or don’t have it, you can make your own by combining 4 tablespoons of the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and then 3 tablespoons of allspice. (Recipe for pumpkin pie spice here). Definitely don’t leave out the pumpkin pie spice because it really amps up the pumpkin flavor in these cookies and makes the pumpkin have a stronger flavor once these are baked.
The one catch to this recipe is the chilling. You absolutely must chill these cookies at least 8 hours and preferably overnight or they will spread when you bake them and become nearly impossible to remove from the baking tray. You also have to make sure to use the right size brownie mix. Check the ounces on the box and make sure you get one that is 19.8 ounces otherwise these cookies will likely spread and not work. And a final tip, if the cookies are still a little too wet after all of the ingredients are mixed together and the dough has been chilled, add in a few more tablespoons of flour until you get to a cookie consistency. Everyone tends to measure their flour a little bit differently, so if the dough is to wet, that may be you. If you do need to add more flour, do it a tablespoon at a time and make sure to thoroughly mix it before adding more. Oh, and one last thing!! Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper to keep these from sticking and being hard to remove once they are baked.
Those are all my tips to make these cookies an absolute success! I know they will be a hit at your Halloween parties!
Chocolate Pumpkin Halloween Cookies
- 1 (19.8 ounces) brownie mix – very important to get the right size
- 4 tablespoons flour
- ¼ cup canned pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup pumpkin baking chips
- In a large bowl, beat together the brownie mix, flour, pumpkin, water, eggs, and pumpkin pie spice until completely combined.
- Stir in both baking chips. If the dough is very wet, add in a few additional tablespoons of flour by mixing one tablespoon in at a time and completely incorporating it into the dough.
- Transfer the dough to an airtight container and chill for at least 8 hours and preferably overnight. (This is essential.)
- Once the dough is completely chilled, line a tray with parchment paper and scoop the dough with a cookie scoop onto the tray about 2 inches apart from each other.
- Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to “cook” for another 2 minutes while on the tray.
- Remove and transfer to a wire cooling rack.