Dark Chocolate Cookies are the perfect Halloween party treat. Soft, loaded with bitter-sweet chocolate flavor and candy surprise, these cookies are not only fun and festive but also wholesome, made with all healthy ingredients and WITHOUT REFINED SUGARS.
[cmtoc_table_of_contents]
The end of October marks the beginning of the cheeriest time of the year. It begins with Halloween, followed by Thanksgiving, and right after that, there's Christmas. Two months of celebration and fun, with lots of foods and sweet treats to feast upon. Who is not looking forward to THAT?!
As every year, we will celebrate Halloween with loads of snacks and sweet treats, and of course, scary movies. We used to make Halloween decorations, carve pumpkins, and costume ourselves. But now that my kiddo is older, he doesn't fancy doing all that. He rather stays at home and just watches scary movies with us. It's a new way of Halloween fun that involves much more munchies.
I opened the celebration with our favorite Halloween Ghost Vanilla Donuts. It's no Halloween without those donuts. But as it is a Halloween, there must be MORE sweet treats. This year I decided to go with something super easy to make, which is equally fun and festive as healthy and delicious.
These Dark Chocolate Cookies are the perfect Halloween treat. Dark, scary-looking, and bite-sized. But these delights are also filled with candied surprise, which makes them super festive and extra yummy. To make sure cookies are guilt-free, I used all healthy ingredients, and I skipped using refined sugars. Packed with flavor but lacking in calories, these Dark Chocolate Cookies will surely become your favorite Halloween treat too.
Dark Chocolate Cookies ingredients
Making these chocolate cookies is super easy. All you need is a few simple ingredients and 15 minutes of your time:
- WHOLE GRAIN FLOUR: I used whole grain Spelt flour here. It is one of the staples in my pantry. I use it often in my baking as a substitute for all-purpose wheat flour. Spelt flour is an ancient grain with a nutty and mildly sweet taste. It’s packed with nutrients – especially fibers.
- CACAO POWDER: I used raw cacao powder that is unprocessed, bitter, deep-flavored, and incredibly healthy. Cacao is one of the richest sources of polyphenols – an antioxidant that has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced inflammation, better blood flow, lower blood pressure, and improved cholesterol and blood sugar levels. (1) Cacao gave the cookies a gorgeous chocolaty flavor and made them healthy and absolutely irresistible.
- COCONUT OIL: I like to use unrefined extra virgin coconut oil because it’s full of nutrients and adds a really nice light flavor to the cookies. You can substitute coconut oil with grass-fed butter here if you like.
- SWEETENER: To make cookies sweet, I used coconut sugar. It gave subtle sweetness yet didn’t overload the cookies with just empty sugary calories. Also, coconut sugar has this delicious and strong caramel taste, which added so much extra flavor to these dark chocolate cookies. While coconut sugar is still sugar and should be avoided or used in moderation, it still has some advantages over refined white table sugar. Coconut sugar is derived from the coconut palm tree and less processed, meaning it contains small amounts of minerals, antioxidants, and a fiber called inulin, which slows glucose absorption. That’s why coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index than regular table sugar. (2)
Other pantry ingredients you’ll need:
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
To make these Dark Chocolate Cookies festive and fun, I also tossed in some M&M's. You can substitute those with any candies you like. These cookies are great to use Halloween candy leftovers too.
How to make Halloween Dark Chocolate Cookies
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325F (160C).
- Line the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Prepare and measure all ingredients using measuring cups.
- In a big glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, add measured 1 cup whole grain flour, ½ cup cacao powder, ½ cup coconut sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt. Use a silicone spatula to mix the dry ingredients.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 egg with ½ cup melted and cooled to room temperature coconut oil. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Use the whisk and mix it until you get even mixture.
- Add the wet mixture in the dry ingredients. Using the spatula mix everything until fully combined.
- Add ⅓ cup candies and mix them in.
- Use ice cream scoop or tablespoon to scoop cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Arrange the balls 2-inches apart on the cookie sheet. Don't press them down.
- Gently press extra candies onto the cookies before baking so that bright orange candy shows.
- Bake 10 minutes.
- Get the cookies out of the oven. They will be soft when you get them out. Leave them to cool for a few minutes. They will harden after they cool down. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Substitutions
- I used whole grain Spelt flour but you can use whole grain wheat flour.
- You can substitute coconut oil with grass-fed butter.
- To make these cookies vegan, substitute egg with flax or chia egg.
Tips for storing
- Keep cookies in a cookie jar or air-tight food container. They will last up to 5 days.
- You can keep them in fridge. That way they will last longer.
- Place the cookies in a zip-lock bag and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw them on room temperature before serving.
Soft and chewy, loaded with dark chocolate flavor and hidden pieces of candy inside, these Dark Chocolate Cookies are a real treat not only for celebrations like Halloween but year-round. I love the fact that these chocolate delights are so easy to make and totally guilt-free, filled with HEALTHY stuff like raw cacao and anti-inflammatory coconut oil, which makes them favorite in my book. I hope you'll like them too!
Enjoy!
Halloween Dark Chocolate Cookies recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole grain flour I used Spelt
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1 medium egg
- ½ cup extra virgin coconut oil melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup candies I used M&M's
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325F (160C).
- Line the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Prepare and measure all ingredients using measuring cups.
- In a big glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, add measured 1 cup whole grain flour, ½ cup cacao powder, ½ cup coconut sugar, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt. Use a silicone spatula to mix the dry ingredients.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 medium egg with ½ cup melted and cooled to room temperature coconut oil. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla. Use the whisk and mix it until you get even mixture.
- Add the wet mixture in the dry ingredients. Using the spatula mix everything until fully combined.
- Add ⅓ cup candies and mix them in.
- Use ice cream scoop or tablespoon to scoop cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Arrange the balls 2-inches apart on the cookie sheet. Don't press them down.
- Gently press extra candies onto the cookies before baking so that bright orange candy shows.
- Bake 10 minutes.
- Get the cookies out of the oven. They will be soft when you get them out. Leave them to cool for a few minutes. They will harden after they cool down. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
You can substitute whole grain Spelt flour with wheat whole grain flour.
You can substitute coconut oil with grass-fed butter.
STORING:
Keep cookies in a cookie jar or air-tight food container. They will last up to 5 days.
You can keep them in the fridge. That way they will last longer.
Place the cookies in a zip-lock bag and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw them on room temperature before serving.
MAKE IT VEGAN: Use flax or chia egg. As a measure, I used US cup (240ml). Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but I have endeavored to be as accurate as possible.
Nutrition
More Halloween recipes
If you’re looking for more fun and healthy Halloween snacks and treats, check these out:
- Halloween Ghost Vanilla Donuts
- Cinnamon Vanilla Donuts
- Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
- Chocolate Cinnamon Balls
If you’ve tried this Halloween Dark Chocolate Cookies or any other recipe on Natalie’s Health, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest
Suzy says
We were looking for an easy treat to make this week and tried these cookies! They were so good! Loved how you used the coconut oil in them as well!
Nicole says
these look so yummy! I am going to save this recipe so my son and I can make it after he gets out of school!
Jacqueline Debono says
These dark chocolate cookies look and sound fabulous! I think they'd be a great treat all year round!