No tricks involved, these Halloween sprinkle cookies are the perfect treat for the spooky season. I make them with my daughter every year—they have a delicious flavor, are fun to make with kids, and feel festive!
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teapoon salt
In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. And the egg, vanilla, and food gel (if using) and mix to combine.
½ cup butter, ½ cup EACH: brown sugar and granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon orange food gel, 2 teaspoons vanilla
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
Pour the nonpareils (sprinkles) into a small bowl. Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) to scoop the dough then roll it into a ball with your hands. Roll the balls in the sprinkles to coat (see notes) and then place them on a cookie sheet - do not flatten. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
½ cup Halloween nonpareils (sprinkles)
Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes per batch, until they have puffed up. When you take them from the oven, give the baking sheet a little tap on the counter to help them fall and create the crackle look when they cool. Let them cool for 5 minutes then move them to a cooling rack.
Notes
Sprinkles: The sprinkles in the pictures are orange and black nonpareils. They add quite a bit of crunch to the cookies. If that's not your thing, you can dip the tops in the sprinkles for a Halloween effect with less crunch. You can also use different kinds of sprinkles if you'd like. Food Dye: I use Wilton Orange Food Gel. It adds a slight orange tint to the cookies, but because of the cocoa powder, it's more like an orangy brown color. If you don't want to use the dye, you can omit it.