Easy Cauldron Cookies
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These Halloween Cauldron Cookies start with chocolate cake mix cookie cups filled with green buttercream and decorated to look like bubbling witch’s brew. They’re an easy, bite-sized Halloween cookie for parties, dessert tables, or decorating with kids.
Easy Halloween Cauldron Cookie Cups
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love Halloween and cake mix cookies. I’ve used cake mix for everything from my Black Cat Cookies to Dirt and Worm Cookies, and these Cauldron Cookies might be one of my favorite Halloween versions. They’re baked in a mini muffin pan, then I press the centers while they’re still warm to make room for plenty of buttercream.
I filled mine with the same simple homemade green buttercream I use for my Pot of Gold Cookies, then added sprinkles, candy eyeballs, and pretzel sticks to make them look like bubbling cauldrons. I went with a traditional green witch’s brew, but you can change the frosting color or let the kids choose their own decorations so every cauldron has a different potion.
Watch the video tutorial below to see how to make Cauldron Cookies, including how much dough to add to each mini muffin cup, how to shape the warm cookies, and how to pipe and decorate the green buttercream so it looks like bubbling witch’s brew.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie Cups
- Devil’s food cake mix – Forms the chocolate cookie cup base. I used one 15.25-ounce box of Duncan Hines. Other brands may use smaller box sizes, which can affect the texture of the cookie dough.
- Eggs – Bind the cookie dough and give the cups structure.
- Vegetable or canola oil – Adds moisture and gives the cookies a soft texture.
- Black food coloring, optional – Darkens the chocolate cookies so they look more like cauldrons.
Green Buttercream
- Unsalted butter – Forms the base of the homemade buttercream.
- Powdered sugar – Sweetens and thickens the frosting.
- Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the buttercream.
- Salt – Balances the sweetness.
- Milk – Thins the frosting until it is easy to pipe.
- Green food coloring – Gives the buttercream its witch’s brew color.
Decorations
- Round green sprinkles – Make the frosting look like a bubbling potion.
- Halloween sprinkles – Add color and detail. I used skull and bone sprinkles.
- Candy eyeballs – Add to the witch’s brew look.
- Pretzel sticks – Serve as small stir sticks for the cauldrons.
How to Make Cauldron Cookies
- Prep – Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease three 12-count mini muffin pans. Keep a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon nearby because you will need to shape the cookies while they are still warm.
- Mix the cookie dough – Stir together the devil’s food cake mix, eggs, and canola oil until the ingredients are fully combined and a thick dough forms. Mix in black food coloring if you want the chocolate cookie cups to have a darker cauldron color.
- Portion and flatten the dough – Add 1/2 tablespoon of dough to each mini muffin cup. Use your fingers to flatten the dough across the bottom of each cavity so the cookies bake evenly.
- Bake the cookie cups – Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set. Avoid overbaking because the cookie cups will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Shape the warm cookies – Immediately press the back of a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon into the center of each warm cookie. This forms the indentation that will hold the green buttercream and gives the cookies their cauldron shape.
- Cool completely – Leave the cookie cups in the pans until they are completely cool. They will still be soft when they first come out of the oven and may break if you remove them too soon.
- Make the buttercream – Beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, then add the vanilla and salt. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and continue beating until the frosting is smooth. Add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed to reach a consistency that is easy to pipe.
- Color the frosting – Add green food coloring a little at a time until the buttercream reaches your desired witch’s brew color. You can stick with green or change the color to match your Halloween decorations.
- Fill the cookie cups – Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag and pipe it into the cooled cookie cups. Be sure the cookies are completely cool so the buttercream does not soften or melt.
- Decorate the cauldrons – Add round green sprinkles, Halloween sprinkles, and candy eyeballs to make the frosting look like a bubbling potion. Break the pretzel sticks in half and place one in each cookie cup as a small stir stick.
Variations and substitutions
- Use mini brownies instead – You can skip the cookie cups and use mini brownies as the cauldron base instead. Homemade or store-bought will both work, then you can add the green frosting and decorate them just like the cookies.
- Try cream cheese frosting – Swap the buttercream for the cream cheese frosting I use on my Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies if you want a slightly tangier filling. Tint it green or use another color for the potion.
- Use canned frosting – A can of vanilla or white frosting works well when you want to save a step. Add food coloring until it reaches your desired shade, then pipe it into the cooled cookie cups.
- Fill them with white chocolate ganache – Green-tinted white chocolate ganache is another option for the cauldron filling. Let it cool and thicken before adding it to the cookie cups so it does not run over the sides.
- Change the potion color – I went with the traditional green witch’s brew, but purple, orange, or bright pink would also work. You can also switch up the sprinkles and candy decorations to match the frosting.
Tips for Success
- Measure the dough – Use a 1/2-tablespoon measuring spoon so all the cookie cups are the same size and bake evenly. Flatten the dough with your fingers before baking.
- Indent while warm – Press the center of each cookie with a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon as soon as it comes out of the oven. The cookies become harder to shape as they cool.
- Cool completely before filling – Let the cookie cups cool fully before adding the buttercream. Warm cookies can cause the frosting to soften or melt.
- Adjust the frosting consistency – If the buttercream is too thick to pipe, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time. If it becomes too thin, mix in a little more powdered sugar.
- Customize the decorations – Change the frosting color, sprinkles, and candy decorations to create different potions. This is also an easy part of the recipe for kids to help with.
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More Easy Halloween Cookies
If you had fun decorating these Cauldron Cookies, here are a few more Halloween cookies to try:
Did you make these Cauldron Cookies? Let me know how they turned out and what color you used for your potion in the comments below.
Halloween Cauldron Cookie Cups Recipe
These easy Cauldron Cookies start with chocolate cake mix cookie cups filled with homemade green buttercream and decorated to look like bubbling witch’s brew. Add sprinkles, candy eyeballs, and pretzel stir sticks for a bite-sized Halloween cookie that is fun for kids to help decorate.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie Cups
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box Devil's Food cake mix I used Duncan Hines
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- black food coloring optional
Green Buttercream
- 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 as needed
- Halloween sprinkles as needed
- Candy eyeballs as needed
- Pretzel sticks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°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 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set. Immediately press the back of a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon into the center of each warm cookie to form an indentation.
- Let the cookie cups cool completely in the pans before carefully removing them.
- To make the buttercream, beat the softened butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, beating until smooth.
- Add 1 tablespoon of milk, followed by more milk 1 teaspoon at a time as needed, until the buttercream is smooth and easy to pipe. Mix in green food coloring until it reaches your desired shade.
- 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.
Notes
- This recipe was tested with a 15.25-ounce box of Duncan Hines Devil’s Food cake mix. If using a smaller 13.25-ounce box, reduce the oil to 1/3 cup.
- Press the indentations into the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven. They become harder to shape as they cool.
- Store the decorated Cauldron Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- The undecorated cookie cups can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before adding the buttercream and decorations.
- The buttercream can be made the night before and refrigerated. Let it soften slightly, then give it a good stir before piping.
Nutrition
Calories: 168kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 1gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 140mgPotassium: 47mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 174IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg
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.
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Can you make the icing the night before and keep refrigerated?
Yes, just give the frosting a good stir before using.
I would cut down on the oil next time. Left a weird taste in the mouth but other than that it was a really good recipe 🙂