Description
Delight in these spooky and delicious Black Cat Cookies featuring moist devil’s food cake mix cookies topped with rich black cocoa frosting and fun cat-inspired decorations, perfect for Halloween or themed parties.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box Devil’s Food cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil (reduce to 1/3 cup if using a 13.25 ounce cake mix)
- black food coloring (optional)
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup black cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
Decorations
- 40 green or yellow M&Ms
- black edible marker
- 20 large heart-shaped sprinkles
- black licorice
- Hershey chocolate bars
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Mix Dough: In a large bowl, combine the Devil’s Food cake mix, eggs, and oil until the mixture is well combined and smooth. Add black food coloring if you want a deeper, darker color.
- Shape Cookies: Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Do not flatten the dough balls, as they will spread while baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until the edges are set. The centers may look soft but will firm up as they cool. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare Frosting: While the cookies cool, beat the softened butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, black cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat until smooth and spreadable, adding more milk if necessary to reach the desired consistency.
- Frost Cookies: Once cookies are completely cool, spread a generous layer of black cocoa frosting over each cookie evenly.
- Create Eyes: Using a black edible marker, draw pupils on the M&Ms. Press two M&Ms onto each frosted cookie to form the cat’s eyes.
- Add Nose: Place a large heart-shaped sprinkle upside down beneath the eyes on each cookie to create the cat’s nose.
- Attach Whiskers: Cut small pieces of black licorice with kitchen shears to mimic whiskers and press them into the frosting around the nose on each cookie.
- Make Ears: Break Hershey chocolate bars into pieces along the cuts, then cut each piece into two squares. Cut each square diagonally into two triangles. Press two chocolate triangles into the top of each cookie to form ears.
- Set and Serve: Allow the frosting to set for a few minutes before serving to ensure decorations stay in place and the cookies look neat.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 3-4 days to keep them fresh.
- Freeze cookies for up to 3 months by flash-freezing them on a baking sheet until solid, then transferring to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag to maintain freshness and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
