Halloween Black Cocoa Sandwich Cookies

These festive Halloween sandwich cookies have the same fudgy black cocoa base as my Halloween Sprinkle Cookies. They’re rich, chocolatey, and sandwiched with an easy buttercream frosting. Of course, there’s lots of sprinkles and orange frosting for extra Halloween vibes.

Halloween Black Cocoa Sandwich Cookies

Last year, I published one of my favorite Halloween recipes: Halloween Black Cocoa Sprinkle Cookies. They’re fudgy, sweet, and covered in fun sprinkles, so it was a no-brainer to use that same easy dough when I set out to create these festive sandwich cookies. Black cocoa cookies are sandwiched together with an easy orange buttercream frosting. These cookies are sweet, chocolatey, and totally fun. Roll the dough balls in your favorite sprinkles pre-bake, or leave the cookies plain and roll the sandwiched cookies in sprinkles (to add a Halloween touch to the frosting edge). However you make these cookies, I know you’ll have fun making – and eating! – them 🎃

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

• Fun, festive, and kid-friendly for the Halloween season
• Chewy, fudgy cookie texture
• Black cookie color from black cocoa powder
• Sweet buttercream pairs perfectly with the rich chocolate cookies

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Chocolate chips are melted and mixed into the dough for extra chocolate flavor. I use dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips and find semi-sweet works best.
• Plant-based butter adds flavor and moisture. I use the Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks with Olive Oil. Regular butter will also work.
• Sugar adds sweetness, of course! I use white granulated sugar for these cookies, but you can use coconut sugar, raw sugar, or an unrefined cane sugar (just note that the gram measurements will vary).
• Vanilla extract adds flavor.
• Eggs bind the ingredients and help create the perfect chewy chocolate cookie. I haven’t tested this recipe with any egg alternatives.
• All-purpose flour makes up the bulk of the cookie dough. I like to use an unbleached variety, but any all-purpose flour will work.
• Black cocoa powder brings that dark, festive black color to these cookies. I don’t recommend any other kind of cocoa powder as only a black cocoa will result in the dark cookie color.
• Baking soda leavens the cookies and aids in proper spread.
• Salt enhances flavor.
• Sprinkles add an extra festive touch. I don’t recommend using any candy-like sprinkles as they may melt in the oven. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these ahead of time? Definitely! The dough can be made and chilled a day in advance, and the cookies can be baked up to one day in advance. If you’d like to add the frosting the day before, I recommend baking and frosting the cookies the same day (just one day before serving), and then storing the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator; allow to thaw at room temperature before serving.

Do I have to use black cocoa powder? Yes, only black cocoa powder will give these cookies that dark, festive color we’re looking for.

What kind of plant-based butter did you use? I used Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks with Olive Oil. 

Will regular butter work? Yes! Regular butter will work in both the cookies and the frosting. You’ll use the same amount that’s written in the recipe.

Can I make smaller cookies? Of course! Feel free to roll the dough balls as small as you’d like, adjusting the bake time to accommodate the smaller cookies (bake them for less time).

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Yield: 16 Sandwich Cookies

Halloween Black Cocoa Sandwich Cookies

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Fudgy Black Cocoa Sandwich Cookies with an easy buttercream frosting and festive sprinkles. The perfect cookies for Halloween!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 4 hours

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup (78g) plant-based butter (or regular butter)
• 3/4 cup (150g) white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (130g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (40g) black cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Frosting

• 1/4 cup plant-based butter (or regular butter), softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (you can add more to taste)
• ~1 1/4 cups (150g) powdered sugar
• Orange food coloring

Instructions

Bake the Cookies

1. In small, microwavable bowl, add the chocolate chips and butter. Microwave in 15-30 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until chocolate is melted and smooth; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in the melted chocolate.
3. Sift in the flour, black cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a large spoon to gently mix in the dry ingredients. Your dough will resemble brownie batter.
4. Cover and chill the dough for 3 hours (or overnight). This allows the dough to stiffen enough to be rolled into balls AND deepens the color of the dough for a darker, more black color.
5. Preheat your oven to 350°F for 10 minutes and prepare a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper. Add your Halloween sprinkles to a small bowl, if you plan to roll the dough balls in sprinkles.
6. Scoop 1 Tbsp size dough balls, 11 per baking sheet. Roll all of the dough balls smooth (I wash my hands after this step). Roll each ball in the sprinkles (if desired) and place on the baking sheet - avoid adding sprinkles to the bottoms of the dough balls. NOTE: for smaller cookies, roll smaller dough balls and bake for less time.
7. Bake cookies at 350°F for 7-8 minutes. The cookies should begin to spread and may crack slightly. For fudgy cookies like the ones pictured, be careful not to over-bake. They will look puffy right out of the oven but settle once they're cool.
8. Immediately after pulling the cookies out of the oven, use the back of a spoon to carefully re-shape any lopsided cookies, if needed. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
9. Repeat steps 5 through 8 until all cookies are baked. Allow the cookies to cool completely.

Sandwich the Cookies

1. To make the frosting, add the softened butter and vanilla extract to a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat. If the frosting seems too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar; if it seems too thick, you can thin it with plant-based (or regular) milk.
2. Add your favorite orange food coloring and beat until your frosting reaches your desired orange color. I used gel food coloring for my frosting.
3. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a big circular tip (I used Wilton 1A). Carefully pipe frosting onto the bottom of a cookie and then sandwich a second cookie on top. Repeat until all cookie sandwiches are made. NOTE: if you'd like sprinkles on the frosting edge, gently roll the edges of the sandwiched cookies in sprinkles as you make each one.
4. Once the frosting has "crusted" over you can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also store these cookies in the refrigerator. I like to thaw my refrigerated cookies at room temperature before enjoying.

Notes

1. Butter: I used Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks with Olive Oil.
2. Eggs: the eggs do not need to be room temperature for this recipe. I used mine straight from the fridge.
3. Sprinkles: use your favorite Halloween sprinkles for these cookies. Avoid any candy-like sprinkles (eyeballs, chunky sprinkles, etc) for the dough balls as they may melt in the oven.
4. Refrigeration: chilling the dough is mandatory for these cookies. The dough needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours to be properly rolled, but 3 hours is better as the black cocoa powder darkens as it sits. Feel free to refrigerate overnight as well.

Did you make these cookies? I would love to see!

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