The Wandering Washingtons

There are so many things that remind me of Halloween, but treats are number one on my list.  Especially Halloween cookies.  Seriously, what is Halloween without the perfect Halloween cookie, right?  Exactly!  That is why I decided to kick off the Halloween season with a great cookie idea.  But not just any cookie though-a creepy,  monster-y, one-eyed, sweet treat that will delight any Halloween fan.  They are great to make with the kids and they will love the creepy, but pretty cool, eyeball staring right at them.

Not only did we make one-eyed monster cookies, we made a Frankenstein version to go along with them.  Instead of chocolate chip cookie dough, we used sugar cookies dyed with green food coloring.

I opted for refrigerated cookie dough because it is quick and easy and I am a total fan of Pillsbury cookies, especially now that they have "eat or bake" cookie dough that is safe to eat raw.  But, you can definitely use your favorite cookie recipe if you'd rather make them from scratch instead.

Here is a simple way to make these cute little treats. 

MONSTER COOKIES

1 Package Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies

Candy gummy eyeballs 

Candy Melts-Salted Caramel

Pastry bag

Angled pastry tip

Clean paint brush

Microwavable bowl

Parchment paper

Cookie sheet

Measuring spoons

DIRECTIONS

Pillsbury packaged cookie dough is already sectioned into perfect-sized squares.  Lightly roll each cookie square into round balls.  I prefer bigger cookies so I used 1 and 1/2 cookie squares per each ball.  Place cookie balls on parchment covered cookie sheet.

Follow instructions on the back of the package and bake until they are slightly brown around the edges.  Immediately after removing cookies from the oven and while they are still hot, lightly press a 1/4 measuring spoon into the center of the cookie, making an indention.  This is where you will place the candy eyeball. 

Melt 1 cup of Candy Melts in a microwavable bowl, following instructions on the back of the package.  Let cool slightly before pouring into the pastry bag (attach pastry tip ahead off time).  Squeeze a small amount of  the Candy Melt into the indention of the cookie and attach a candy eye.

Pipe an eyelid strip of the melted candy over the upper and lower part of the gummy eye.  Using the paintbrush, blend the edges of the eyelids onto the cookie surface.

FRANKENSTEIN COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

1 roll of Pillsbury sugar cookies

Candy Melts-White

Candy Melts-Bright Green

Candy gummy eyeballs-green

Decorating icing tube-black (I used this one by Wilton)

Pastry bag 

Green food coloring

Pastry scraper or knife

Mixing bowl

Microwavable bowl

Parchment paper

Cookie sheet

Clean paint brush

Angled pastry tip

1/8 Tsp Cooking oil (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Mix cookie dough with 10 drops of green food coloring and mix well.  I like to work with 1/2 of a roll at a time and used 1/2 the amount of drops.  Roll cookie dough into 12 equal balls (6 if using only 1/2 of the dough).  Place on parchment covered cookie sheet and chill in fridge for an hour.  This will help keep the dough from spreading too much while baking.

Follow baking instructions on the back of the package.  Bake until the edges begin to slightly brown.    Immediately after removing cookies from the oven and while they are still hot, cut a little off the left and right side of  each cookie to square off each side.  Work fast because the cookies cool quickly and will crack when cut. 

Melt 1 cup of Candy Melts in a microwavable bowl, following instructions on the back of the package.  Let cool slightly before pouring into the pastry bag (attach pastry tip ahead of time).  Squeeze a small amount of  the Candy Melt onto the middle of each cookie and attach a green candy eye.  Pipe an upper and lower eyelid strip of Candy Melt onto the candy eye.  Using the paintbrush, blend the edges of the eyelids onto the cookie surface.

Use the tube of black gel to add Frankenstein's familiar temple bolts and forehead scar.  

TIPS:

• Use a cup to hold the piping bag upright as you fill it.

• Food coloring drastically affects the consistency of the Candy Melts.  I made this mistake and added 1/8 tsp of cooking oil (as suggested on back of bag) in an attempt to help with this, but it did not smooth out well. I would suggest just using Candy Melts in  preferred shade of green instead (Wilton has several to choose from).    Learn from my mistake.  You'll thank me later.

• Wear food-safe gloves when mixing the food coloring.  You'll thank me later for this as well.

• The wider the piping is over the eye, the beadier (and spookier and cooler) the eyeball will look.