Chocolate Halloween Marshmallow Cookies

These Chocolate Halloween Marshmallow Cookies are so adorable, delicious, and PERFECT for a Halloween party this year! The base of these cookies is a rich, chewy, chocolate cookie made with black cocoa powder. The black cocoa powder adds such a deeper, richer flavor and takes this recipe to the next level. I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! While you’re here, feel free to check out some more of my Halloween recipes to enjoy with friends & family this year :)

How To Make Chocolate Halloween Marshmallow Cookies

The base of this recipe starts with the rich, chocolate cookies made with black cocoa powder (you can substitute the black cocoa powder for regular unsweetened cocoa powder). Like most cookie recipes, this recipe starts by creaming together the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes, adding the egg and vanilla, then the dry ingredients and a splash of milk. The dough comes together super nicely and will leave you with an easily scoopable, pliable, soft dough.

It’s super important that you let the cookies cool COMPLETELY before decorating, or else the decorating process will be one big, not-so-fun mess. Here’s what to do once your cookies have cooled;

• Melt each color of candy melts in separate bowls, thinning with coconut or vegetable oil if needed. Transfer to piping bags.
• Attach a jumbo marshmallow to each cookie with melted candy. Once stable, coat each marshmallow:
  • White = Ghosts
  • Orange = Pumpkins
  • Green = Frankenstein
• Pipe on black candy melt details: ghost faces, Jack-O’-Lantern carvings, and Frankenstein’s features. Let set before serving.

Recipe Variations

• Chocolate flavor swap: Use regular cocoa powder instead of black cocoa for a lighter flavor. I personally LOVE black cocoa and the deeper, richer flavor it brings, but this is totally up to you! :)
• Different designs: Try mummies, bats, or black cats by adjusting the candy melt colors.
• Add crunch: Sprinkle crushed Oreos or graham cracker crumbs on top of the wet candy melts for texture.
• Flavor twist: Add 1/2 tsp peppermint extract or almond extract to the cookie dough for a holiday crossover flavor.

How To Store Chocolate Halloween Marshmallow Cookies

Since these cookies are topped with marshmallows and candy melts, proper storage is key! :)

• Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for 2–3 days.
• Refrigerator: To keep marshmallows firmer, refrigerate cookies for up to 5 days.
• Freezer: Undecorated cookies freeze well for up to 2 months. If freezing decorated cookies, freeze flat on a baking sheet first, then transfer to a freezer-safe container.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t overbake: These cookies should be soft and chewy, so pull them from the oven when the edges are set but the centers are still soft.
• Thin your candy melts: Coconut oil or vegetable oil helps achieve a smooth consistency for coating.
• Work one cookie at a time: Attach the marshmallow, let it set, then coat and decorate. This prevents sliding or smearing. To speed up the setting of the candy melts process, you can place the cookies in the fridge, which will make the candy melts set faster.
• Use jumbo marshmallows: Regular marshmallows are too small to create detailed Halloween characters.

How to decorate Halloween cookies

Decorating is where the fun begins! Here’s how to bring your Halloween marshmallow cookies to life beautifully:

• Ghost cookies: Dip marshmallows in white candy melts and add spooky black eyes and a mouth.
• Pumpkin cookies: Coat marshmallows in orange candy melts, then pipe Jack-O’-Lantern faces with black.
• Frankenstein cookies: Cover marshmallows in green, then pipe black “hair,” stitches, and a crooked smile.

Pro tip: Use a toothpick or small piping tip for cleaner details.

Black cocoa vs. regular cocoa

• Black cocoa powder: Deep, dark color and smooth, slightly less bitter flavor. It gives these Halloween cookies a spooky black look—perfect for October baking.
• Regular cocoa powder: Classic chocolate flavor with a lighter, reddish-brown color. It’s a bit more acidic and familiar in taste.
  • If you want your cookies to look like they came straight out of a haunted bakery, black cocoa powder is the way to go. For a more traditional chocolate cookie flavor, stick with regular cocoa :)

Chocolate Halloween Marshmallow Cookies

Recipe by Maddison Koutrouba – thesqueakymixer.com

0.0 from 0 votes

Join my creative baking community! In depth courses, direct access to me, and more 🤎 Click here to join!

Servings

8-10

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cups black cocoa powder (you can also use regular unsweetened cocoa powder)

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3/4 cups granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1 egg, room temperature

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 Tbsp. milk, room temperature

• Decorating

• 8-10 jumbo marshmallows

• 1/2 cup orange candy melts

• 1/2 cup green candy melts

• 1/2 cup white candy melts (or white chocolate)

• 1/4 cup black candy melts (or milk chocolate)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer or a whisk to combine the butter and both sugars. Mix until well combined and fluffy – about 2 minutes.
• Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture, and continue to mix to combine. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go to ensure that everything is combining evenly.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine while adding in the milk. Once the dough comes together nicely, use a silicone spatula one more time to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Scoop the cookie dough into 3 tablespoon-sized balls. Place about 2″ apart on your cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies have spread and are slightly firm on the edges.
• Let the cookies sit on the pan they’re baked on for about 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
• Once the cookies have all been baked and cooled, place the candy melts in separate bowls and microwave each color in 30-second intervals. Mix between each interval. Depending on the brand of candy melts you use, you may need to thin them out using coconut oil or vegetable oil. Start with 1-2 teaspoons of oil at a time until it reaches a smooth consistency. Place each color in a piping bag.
• One cookie at a time, starting with the ghosts, use the white candy melts and pipe a small amount of candy melts on one cookie, then stick a marshmallow on top. Let this harden and set for a few minutes to let the marshmallow become more stable.
• Once the marshmallow has hardened on the cookie, use the white candy melts, starting at the top of the marshmallow, working your way down and around, pipe candy melts on the marshmallow, coating it completely, allowing the excess candy melts to drip onto the cookie. Let it set and harden.
• Repeat this step with all three colors: the white for the ghosts, the orange for the pumpkins, and the green for Frankenstein’s. Allow each color to harden before adding the details.
• Lastly, use the black candy melts to pipe on your details: the ghost eyes and mouth, the Jack-O-Lantern carvings, and the Frankenstein face & hair. Let the candy melt details set before serving.
• Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

I love seeing what you bake on socials! Just tag @thesqueakymixer