These Black Cat Cookies are a fun and easy Halloween treat made with cake mix and topped with rich black cocoa frosting. The simple ingredients and festive design make them an ideal choice for Halloween baking.
Cute Black Cat Cookies
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, even though it wasn’t a big deal growing up in New Zealand. Now, I’m making up for lost time by going all out with festive treats like these Black Cat Cookies. They’re not only adorable but also a fantastic recipe to make with kids—the candy faces are so simple to put together, making it a fun and easy activity for the whole family.
If you like cute character cookies, check out these Frankenstein Cookie Bars!
Ingredients
- Devil’s food cake mix: The base of the chocolate cookies.
- Eggs: Bind the cookie ingredients together for a chewy texture.
- Oil: Keeps the cookies soft and moist.
- Black food coloring (optional): Deepens the cookie color for a spookier look.
- Butter: Adds creaminess to the frosting.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Black cocoa: Gives the frosting its dark color and bold flavor.
- Vanilla: Enhances the frosting’s flavor.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness in the frosting.
- Milk: Helps achieve a smooth frosting consistency.
- Green or yellow M&Ms: Used for the cat’s eyes.
- Edible marker: Draws the pupils on the M&Ms.
- Large heart-shaped sprinkles: Forms the cat’s nose.
- Black licorice: Creates the cat’s whiskers.
- Hershey chocolate bars: Used for the cat’s ears.
Making the Halloween Cookies
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the Devil’s Food cake mix, eggs, and oil until well mixed. Add a few drops of black food coloring if you want a darker cookie. The dough will be thick.
- Shape the cookies: Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the lined baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Do not flatten the dough balls.
- Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are set. The centers may look slightly soft but will firm up as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Make the frosting: While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, black cocoa, vanilla, salt, and milk, beating until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. Adjust the consistency with more milk if needed.
- Frost the cookies: Once the cookies are completely cool, spread a generous amount of black cocoa frosting on top of each cookie.
- Decorate the cat faces: Start by drawing pupils on the M&Ms using the edible marker. Press two M&Ms onto each cookie for the eyes. Place a large heart-shaped sprinkle upside down for the nose. Cut small pieces of black licorice for the whiskers and press them into the frosting around the nose. Break the Hershey chocolate bars into pieces, then cut each piece into two squares. Cut each square diagonally into two triangles, and press the triangles into the top of the cookie to create the cat ears.
- Serve: Let the frosting set for a few minutes before serving.
Variations and substitutions
Homemade cookies: If you prefer a from-scratch approach, substitute the cake mix with your favorite homemade chocolate cookie recipe.
Black cocoa: If you don’t have black cocoa, use regular cocoa powder instead, though the frosting will be lighter in color. To darken it, you can add a bit of black food coloring.
Colored frosting: Instead of black cocoa frosting, try tinting vanilla frosting with different colors like orange, green, or purple for a more playful look.
Whiskers: If black licorice isn’t your favorite, you can substitute it with thin strips of fruit leather or even pretzel sticks for a crunchy alternative.
Noses: Swap out the large heart-shaped sprinkles for other small, colorful candies like M&Ms or even chocolate or peanut butter chips to create the cat’s nose.
Ears: Instead of Hershey’s chocolate bars, use any plain chocolate bar cut into triangles or chocolate chips to create the ears.
Tips for Success
- Cool completely: Make sure the cookies are completely cool before frosting. The frosting may melt and become too runny if the cookies are still warm.
- Smooth frosting: If your frosting is too thick, add a little extra milk to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency. Conversely, if it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar to thicken it.
- Sturdy decorations: For the decorations, press the M&Ms and other candy pieces firmly but gently into the frosting to ensure they stay in place.
- Draw pupils first: Draw the pupils on the M&Ms before pressing them onto the cookies. This makes it easier to position them correctly and avoids smudging.
- Use kitchen shears for licorice: Cutting black licorice with kitchen shears makes it easier to create clean, even whiskers.
- Gently warm chocolate: Warm the chocolate bars in the microwave for 8-12 seconds before cutting them into squares. This softens the chocolate slightly, making it easier to cut cleanly without breaking. Be careful not to microwave for too long, as the chocolate might melt.
- Perfect cookie size: Don’t make the cookies too large, as the candy features might look too small in proportion. I found that using 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie works best.
- Adjust for cake mix size: This recipe was tested with a 15.25-ounce box of Duncan Hines cake mix. If using a smaller 13.25-ounce box of Betty Crocker cake mix, reduce the oil to 1/3 cup to maintain the right consistency.
How to Store the Black Cats
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, for 3-4 days. Allow the frosting to set completely before stacking the cookies. Place a sheet of parchment between layers to stop the cookies from sticking together.
The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Flash-freeze the cookies on a baking sheet until solid before transferring them to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. If you plan on freezing the cookies, I recommend leaving the M&M eyes off until you thaw the cookies to serve. the cookies, I recommend leaving the M&M eyes off until you thaw the cookies to serve. The M&Ms will be cloudy, and the edible markers will likely run when thawed.
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Black Cat Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box of Devil’s Food cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil reduce to 1/3 cup if using a 13.25 ounce cake mix
- black food coloring optional
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup black cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
Decorations
- 40 green or yellow M&Ms
- black edible marker
- 20 large heart-shaped sprinkles
- black licorice
- Hershey chocolate bars
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the Devil’s Food cake mix, eggs, and oil until well combined. If desired, add black food coloring to deepen the color.
- Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Do not flatten the dough balls.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set. The centers may appear soft but will firm up as they cool. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- While the cookies cool, prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, black cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk, beating until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. Adjust the consistency with more milk if needed.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, spread a generous amount of black cocoa frosting on top of each one.
- Draw pupils on the M&Ms using the edible marker, then press two M&Ms onto each cookie for the eyes.
- Place a large heart-shaped sprinkle upside down under the eyes to create the nose.
- Use kitchen shears to cut small pieces of black licorice for the whiskers and press them into the frosting around the nose.
- Break the Hershey chocolate bars into pieces along the cuts, then cut each piece into two squares. Cut each square diagonally into two triangles, and press the triangles into the top of the cookie to create the ears.
- Allow the frosting to set for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 3-4 days.
- The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Flash-freeze the cookies on a baking sheet until solid before transferring them to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is estimated based on automated calculations and should be considered as an approximation. These estimates are provided as a courtesy. Please use your own brand’s nutritional values to verify accuracy.