Halloween Monster Cookies
Halloween Monster Cookies are soft, sweet cream cheese cake mix cookies decorated with bright colors and silly candy eyes. An easy and fun Halloween treat!
Servings: 24
Equipment
- 3 Small Mixing Bowls (for coloring dough)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Full-Fat Brick-Style Cream Cheese softened
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 1 large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 15.25-ounce box White Cake Mix dry
- ½ cup Powdered Sugar for rolling
Decorations
- Gel Food Coloring as desired (orange, green, purple, etc.)
- Candy Eyes assorted sizes, as desired
Instructions
Prepare the Cookie Dough
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, butter, egg, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth and combined.
- Add the dry cake mix and stir until a thick, sticky dough forms.
Divide and Color Dough
- Divide the dough evenly into three portions. Add a few drops of gel food coloring to each portion and gently mix until you reach your desired colors. Add more coloring as needed.
Shape and Decorate
- Using a generously rounded 2-Tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough into approximately 24 balls (about 1.17 ounces or 33 grams each).
- Roll each dough ball in powdered sugar until lightly coated. Place on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Gently flatten each dough ball into a thick disk. Press the candy eyes firmly but gently into the dough, arranging them to make funny monster faces.
Bake and Cool
- Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for 10–12 minutes, until the edges and centers are just set. The cookies will still be slightly puffy and should not brown much on top.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Cake Mix: Use a 15.25-ounce box of white cake mix for the brightest colors. Yellow cake mix can also be used, but may affect the food coloring.
Cream Cheese: Use softened, full-fat brick-style cream cheese, not spreadable cream cheese from a tub.
Food Coloring: Concentrated gel coloring works best. The colors don't have to be perfectly uniform. A little marbling looks fun!
Candy Eyes: Larger candy eyes held their shape better during baking. Very small eyes may soften slightly.
Powdered Sugar: Some of the coating may disappear as the cookies bake. It still adds sweetness and flavor.
Storage: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 180mg | Sugar: 11g
