Halloween Monster Cookies with Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
Nothing is better than a Reese's on Halloween, am I right?! These Halloween Monster Cookie Sandwiches taste just like America's favorite Halloween candy (it's true that they are the favorite! I looked it up!). With a creamy peanut butter frosting center and two chewy and fudgy dark chocolate cookies with festive M&M's, you're definitely going to want to make a batch of these for your spooky holiday!
Ingredients
For the Dark Chocolate Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ + 2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1¼ cup Halloween M&M's
For the Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream (room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
For the Dark Chocolate Cookies
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. On high speed, beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet. Beat on low speed until combined.
- Switch to high speed and beat in the milk. Stir in the M&M candies until incorporated, but do not overmix. Cookie dough will be thick and sticky.
- Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temp for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough and roll between hands to form perfect cookie dough balls. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes, or until the edges appear set and the centers appear soft. Allow to cool on cookie sheet. At this time, you can press in a few more M&M's to make the cookies look pretty and use a glass to swirl around cookies to make them perfectly round. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the peanut butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt. Beat on low to combine and then beat on high for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add more powdered sugar or cream, depending on the consistency you want.
Notes
- I tried this recipe as is at high altitude (5,800 feet) and the cookies came out perfectly. But, do not skip the refrigeration step if you are at high altitude because your cookies will come out flat and crispy!
- Extra frosting can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just thaw and re-whip when you are ready to use!
Helpful Tools