These Cauldron Cookies are a fun and festive treat, perfect for Halloween. With a simple cake mix cookie cup, buttercream filling, and spooky decorations, they’re an easy way to add some spooky fun to your dessert table.
Cute Cauldron Cookie Cups
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—I love Halloween and cake mix cookies! Check out my Black Cat Cookies and Frankenstein Cookie Bars for more proof! There’s just something about the combination of spooky fun and easy baking that gets me every time. They’re super easy to put together and baked in mini muffin pans for the perfect size treat. Plus, who doesn’t love a cookie cup filled with buttercream?
The best part is how customizable they are. I filled mine with a simple homemade buttercream and decorated them to look like bubbling cauldrons. If you’re making these with kids, they’ll have a blast creating their own special potions. I stuck with a traditional green “potion,” but you can mix up the colors to match your Halloween theme or even let each little baker choose their own.
Ingredients
- Devil’s Food cake mix: The base for the cookie cups, providing a rich, chocolatey flavor.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together, creating structure and softness.
- Canola or vegetable oil: Adds moisture for a tender, chewy cookie cup.
- Black food coloring (optional): Deepens the color of the cookie for a cauldron-like appearance.
- Butter: Forms the creamy base for the buttercream filling.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens the buttercream with a smooth, velvety texture.
- Vanilla: Adds a hint of flavor to balance the buttercream sweetness.
- Salt: Enhances flavors and cuts through the sweetness.
- Milk: Adjusts the buttercream to the perfect piping consistency.
- Green food coloring: Creates the classic “potion” color for the frosting.
- Round green sprinkles: Add texture and enhance the bubbling cauldron effect.
- Halloween sprinkles: Add a festive, spooky touch. I used skull and bones sprinkles.
- Candy eyeballs: Give the cauldrons a playful, eerie decoration.
- Pretzel sticks: Mimic stir sticks for the cauldrons.
Making the Cookies and Frosting
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease three 12-count mini muffin pans.
- Mix the dough: In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, and black food coloring (if using) until well combined.
- Shape and bake: Scoop about 1/2 tablespoon of dough into the prepared mini muffin pans and flatten the cookie dough with your fingers so the cookies do not dome. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are set.
- Indent and cool: Immediately after removing from the oven, use a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to press an indentation into the center of each warm cookie cup. Set the cookie cups aside to cool completely in the pans before transferring them to a wire rack.
- Make the buttercream: While the cookie cups are cooling, prepare the buttercream. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until smooth. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the buttercream reaches a piping consistency. Mix in the green food coloring until you get your desired shade of green.
- Assemble the cauldrons: Once the cookie cups are completely cooled, pipe the green buttercream into each cookie cup, filling it to resemble a bubbling potion.
- Decorate: Sprinkle the top with round green sprinkles to enhance the bubbling effect. Add candy eyes and Halloween sprinkles for a spooky touch. Break the pretzel sticks in half and insert one into each cup to resemble a wooden stir stick.
- Serve: These Cauldron Cookies are ready to be served at your Halloween party or enjoyed as a festive treat! Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Variations and substitutions
Brownie base: Swap out the cake mix cookie cups for mini brownies as the base. You can use either homemade brownies or store-bought mini brownies to make this variation even easier.
Cream cheese frosting: For a tangy twist, use cream cheese frosting instead of buttercream. It pairs wonderfully with the rich chocolate base.
Store-bought frosting: Use a can of vanilla or white frosting for a quicker option. Just tint it to your desired color with food coloring to match your Halloween theme.
White chocolate ganache: For a richer filling, try using a white chocolate ganache. Simply melt white chocolate with a bit of cream and stir in green food coloring before filling the cups. This adds a smooth, decadent touch to your cauldrons.
Tips for Success
- Measure the dough: Use a 1/2 tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop the dough to ensure all the cookie cups bake evenly. Flatten the dough with your fingers for the best shape.
- Indent while warm: Be sure to press the indentations while the cookies are still warm. This helps create the perfect well for your filling.
- Cool completely before filling: Allow the cookie cups to cool fully before adding the buttercream. This prevents the filling from melting and keeps the decorations in place.
- Adjust frosting consistency: If your buttercream is too thick to pipe, add milk a teaspoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken it.
- Customize colors and decorations: Feel free to get creative with the colors of your “potion” and decorations. This is a great opportunity for kids to add their own spooky twist, so let them have fun with the sprinkles and eyeballs.
How to Store the Cookie Cups
Store the cookie cups in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
The undecorated cookie cups can be frozen for up to three months. Allow the cookies to cool completely before transferring them to a freezer-safe container or bag. Thaw at room temperature before decorating. I do not recommend freezing the cookies after the sprinkles have been added, as the sprinkles will likely bleed once thawed.
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Cauldron Cookie Cups
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box Devil's Food cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- black food coloring optional
Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
- green food coloring
Decorations
- Round green sprinkles
- Halloween sprinkles
- Candy eyeballs
- Pretzel sticks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degree F and lightly grease three 12-count mini muffin pans.
- In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, eggs, canola oil, and black food coloring (if using) until well combined.
- Scoop about 1/2 tablespoon of dough and place in the mini muffin pans. Flatten the dough with your fingers.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are set. Remove from the oven and immediately press an indentation into each warm cookie using the back of a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon. Set aside to cool completely.
- While the cookie cups cool, make the buttercream. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, beating until smooth. Add milk a little at a time until the buttercream is smooth and pipeable. Mix in green food coloring until the desired shade is reached.
- Pipe the buttercream into the cooled cookie cups, filling each to resemble a bubbling potion.
- Decorate with green sprinkles, candy eyeballs, and Halloween sprinkles. Break pretzel sticks in half and insert one into each cookie cup as a stir stick.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Store in the cookie cups in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- The undecorated cookie cups can be frozen for up to three months
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.