Oreo Halloween cookies with ground Oreos in the dough, crushed Oreos on top, M&M's, chocolate chips, and candy eyeballs. An easy Halloween cookie with candy packed into every single bite.
I make these every October with my kids. They sort the M&M's by color while I scoop the dough. The candy eyeballs go on crooked and nobody cares.
Why These Oreo Halloween Cookies Work
The ground Oreos are the secret. I run ten whole Oreos through the food processor until they are basically dust, then mix them right into the dough. It is like cocoa powder, but it is Oreo. The cookie ends up tasting like an Oreo with the texture of a sugar cookie.
Ten more Oreos go on top, smashed into big chunky pieces and pressed into the dough before it bakes. The ground ones disappear into the dough, but the ones on top stay crisp and you get those little bites of Oreo cookie when you chew.
The Ghoul's Mix M&M's do the color work. Purple, orange, and green, as Halloween as it gets. You can use regular M&M's if that is what is in the pantry, I just like the spooky colors. I always press a few extra on top before the cookies go in so they actually show.
The candy eyeballs go on after the cookies come out of the oven. I learned that the hard way, the first time I put them on before baking and they melted into little puddles. Press them into the still-warm cookies and the heat softens the chocolate underneath just enough that the eyes grab hold.
A number 40 cookie scoop keeps everything even, roughly a tablespoon and a half per cookie. I have tried eyeballing it and I always end up with one giant cookie and a bunch of tiny ones, so I stick with the scoop.
I bake one sheet at a time at 375, ten to eleven minutes. The edges go golden and the middles still look a little soft, and that is right, they finish up on the sheet while they cool.
What's in These Cookies
- Oreos. You need twenty total, ten ground for the dough and ten crushed for the tops.
- Ghoul's Mix M&M's in the purple, orange, and green. Regular M&M's are fine, but the Halloween mix is what makes them feel seasonal.
- Candy eyeballs for the faces. Add them after baking so they do not melt.
- Salted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and an egg. A classic sugar cookie base, and the brown sugar keeps them from drying out.
- Semisweet chocolate chips, because Oreo plus chocolate chip is never a bad thing.
- Flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Spoon and level the flour so the cookies do not turn out heavy.
How to Make Oreo Halloween Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment, then set them aside.
- Grind ten Oreos into fine crumbs in the food processor. Crush the other ten into chunky pieces and save them for the tops.
- Beat the softened butter until it is smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat until combined, about three to four minutes. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture slowly, just until it is moistened. Overmixing makes tough cookies.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, M&M's, and ground Oreos with a spoon.
- Scoop the dough with a number 40 scoop, about one and a half tablespoons each, and place the dough balls two inches apart on the sheets.
- Press the crushed Oreos and a few extra M&M's onto the tops.
- Bake one sheet at a time for ten to eleven minutes, until the edges are golden.
- Press candy eyeballs into the cookies the moment they come out of the oven, and add more M&M's if you like.
- Let them cool on the sheet for five minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
Quick Tips
- Ground Oreos go in the dough, crushed Oreos go on top.
- Candy eyeballs go on after baking or they will melt.
- One sheet at a time gives you even cookies.
- Use Ghoul's Mix M&M's for the purple, orange, and green.
- Let them sit on the sheet for five minutes, they finish setting up there.
Make Ahead and Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. The candy eyeballs hold their shape as long as the container stays closed.
If you want to get ahead, scoop the dough, press the toppings on, and refrigerate the dough balls for up to two days. Bake them straight from the fridge and just add a minute to the time.
More Halloween Recipes
For more Halloween desserts, try my M&M Halloween sugar cookies and my Halloween Oreo balls with mini Oreo legs and candy eyes.
📖 Recipe
Oreo Halloween Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour - spooned & leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted butter - softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar - packed
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup Ghoul's Mix M&M's
- 20 Oreos - 10 Oreos ground finely and 10 Oreos crushed and placed on top of the cookies
- Candy Eyeballs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Finely grind 10 Oreos using a food processor.
- Beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy. Add in the granulated sugar and the brown sugar and beat until combined. This will take roughly 3-4 minutes.
- Beat in the egg until incorporated and stir in the vanilla extract until mixed.
- In a separate bowl, combine the spooned & leveled all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Slowly mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and blend the ingredients together until everything is moistened.
- Using a spoon, gently stir in the chocolate chips, M&M's, and the ground Oreos.
- Using a #40 (.78 ounce) cookie scoop (or using by scooping 1.5 tablespoons of dough) scoop the cookies and place them onto the cookie sheets two inches apart to prepare them for baking.
- Take the remaining Oreos and crush them into large pieces and gently press them on top of the cookie dough.
- Gently press some M&M's on top of the cookie dough.
- Bake the cookies one cookie sheet at a time for 10-11 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and decorate the baked cookies with candy eyeballs and add extra M&M's if desired.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Ground ten Oreos into fine crumbs for the dough, and crush the other ten into chunky pieces for the tops.
- Press the candy eyeballs into the cookies right after they come out of the oven. They melt if you add them before baking.
- Bake one sheet at a time so the cookies cook evenly.
- To make ahead, scoop the dough, press the toppings on, and refrigerate the dough balls for up to two days. Bake straight from the fridge and add a minute to the time.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
- Adding extra Oreo pieces and M&M's after baking makes the cookies extra cute.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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These are cute and perfect treats to make for the kids this Halloween.
I love it! Thank you!
I made these for a treat, and my kids loved them! So were so fun and simple to make as well! Thanks for the share!