These Hoot Owl Cookies are so much fun! They can be baked anytime, but they make great Halloween cookies. I found the recipe in a little Pillsbury Halloween book I picked up at the cash register when my kids were little, and twenty years later, I’m finally making them. Here we go!
Hoot Owl Cookies are a Halloween hit with their cute owl design and big candy eyes. Owls have that perfect spooky vibe for Halloween, making these cookies a unique and tasty treat. They mix chewy bases with crispy toppings for a fun blend of flavors and textures. Plus, making them is a blast for the whole family!
Psst… If you love animal-themed cookies like I do, you’ll want to try these Cinnamon Polar Bears and these Polar Bear Cookies, too!
Ingredients
- Brown sugar
- Butter, softened
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsweetened chocolate, melted
- Baking soda
- Candy-coated chocolates (M&Ms), large chocolate, vanilla, or butterscotch chips or candy eyeballs (two for each cookie)
- Whole cashews – They must be whole cashews, not pieces, to look like owl beaks.
How to Make Hoot Owl Cookies
Step 1: Mix brown sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; beat well.
Step 2: Measure out 1 cup of the cookie dough and place in small bowl. Blend with melted chocolate and baking soda.
Step 3: Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface. Press half the light dough to form a 4×10-inch rectangle on the plastic wrap. (I find it easiest if gently stretch the dough out to about 10 inches in my hands and then lay it on the plastic wrap to pat it out to a 4-inch width.)
Shape half of the chocolate dough into a roll 10 inches long and place it in the middle of the light dough rectangle. Mold the sides of the light dough around the chocolate dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining dough. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll and cut the chilled dough into ⅛-inch slices (for 36 owl cookies) or ¼-inch slices (for 18 owl cookies).
Note: I cut ¼-inch slices and used this bench scraper to cut the cookie dough cleanly and easily.
Place two slices, sides touching to resemble owl faces, on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Pinch the outside corner of each slice to form ears. Place candy-coated chocolate or large chocolate chip in the center of each slice for eyes. Press a whole cashew between slices for a beak.
Step 5: Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. The thicker you cut the cookies, the longer they’ll take to bake.
I cut ¼-inch slices, and the cookies took about 11-12 minutes to bake. They will be fragile immediately after baking, so leave them on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks.
Recipe Tips!
- To make 36 hoot owl cookies, cut ⅛-inch slices. To make 18 owl cookies, cut ¼-inch slices.
- When referencing nutrition info, remember that I calculated it with 18 cookies.
- Use a bench scraper to cut the cookie dough cleanly and easily. You can also use a knife, but knives tend to push down and misshape the dough.
- The cookies will be fragile immediately after baking, so leave them on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks.
- Alternatives for eyes: large chocolate, vanilla or butterscotch chips or candy eyeballs
More Halloween Recipes
Hoot Owl Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ oz unsweetened chocolate melted
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 36 candy coated chocolates
- 18 whole cashews
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat well. Place 1 cup of dough in small bowl, blend with melted chocolate and baking soda.
- On 8×12-inch sheet of plastic wrap, press half of light dough to form 4×10-inch strip. Shape half of chocolate dough into roll 10 inches long; place on light dough strip.Mold sides of light dough around chocolate dough; wrap in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut dough into ⅛-¼-inch slices; place 2 slices, sides touching on ungreased cookie sheet to resemble owl faces. Pinch outside corner of each slice to form ears. Place chocolate chip or candy in center of each slice for eyes; press whole cashew between slices for beak.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool. 3 1/2 – 4 dozen
Notes
-
- To make 36 hoot owl cookies, cut ⅛-inch slices. To make 18 owl cookies, cut ¼-inch slices.
-
- When referencing nutrition info, remember that I calculated it with 18 cookies.
-
- Use a bench scraper to cut the cookie dough cleanly and easily. You can also use a knife, but knives tend to push down and misshape the dough.
-
- When referencing nutrition info, remember that I calculated it with 18 cookies.
-
- Alternatives for eyes: large chocolate, vanilla or butterscotch chips or candy eyeballs
Leave a Reply