Have some fun with these Halloween vegan cookies, featuring a gooey chocolate cookie made colorful with candies and sprinkles. Don't forget to add some vegan googly eyes for fun!
Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Make the flax egg and set it aside.
Place the butter in a mixing bowl. Use either a handheld or stand mixer on medium speed and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat again until light and fluffy. Add the flax egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the flours, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Stir to combine.
Assess your batter. If the dough seems too crumbly, add 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 2) of plant-based milk and stir to combine. Don't add too much moisture because it can create flat cooks.
Add most of the chocolate chips and some of the candies, reserving some for after baking. (I find the candies fade in color when baking so I add them to the top of cookies after baking, pressing them into chocolate chips to help them stay put once the cookies cool).
Use a cookie scoop to drop cookie dough balls on a prepared cookie sheet, at least 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to sit on the cookie sheet for up to 5 minutes.
While the cookies are still hot, press in chocolate chips on top and use the melted chocolate to add candies and sprinkles to the top of each cookie. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. You can also use the melted chocolate to add googly eyes to each cookie.
Notes
Vegan Candy
There are several options for vegan candies to add to the baked cookies.
Skittles — I do not recommend mixing the skittles candies into the cookie dough batter before baking. That's because the skittles candies become very hard once baked. Attach them to cooled cookies using icing or melted chocolate
Vegan M&Ms — Several brands are offering dairy-free M&Ms, such as Unreal & Lily's. Sometimes the colors fade when baked, so I recommend pressing them into cookies right after they're removed from the oven. Pressing the candies into melty chocolate chips will help the candies stay put once the cookies cool.
Vegan Googly Eyes — See this vegan googly eyes recipe for a guide on making these decorations. Most store-bought candy eyes are made with gelatin, but it's pretty simple to make them yourself.
Measuring Flour
Use the sift, spoon, and level process to measure flour, to prevent adding too much flour to the batter. To do this, sift the flour (it settles and compresses as it sits) to lift it, then spoon it into a measuring cup until it’s higher than the cup’s edges. Then use a butter knife to level it.