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These Hocus Pocus cookies are soft and chewy with pops of color and Halloween sprinkles! I used orange, purple and green – one color for each of the Sanderson Sisters’ outfits in the movies.
- Easy. Just mix up a simple cookie dough, then divide it into three portions and add your colors of choice to each portion. Take a bit of each color, roll into a ball of dough, then dip in sprinkles & bake.
- Perfectly chewy. These cookies are soft, chewy & perfectly sweet. You won’t be able to eat just one.
- A color for each sister. There are 3 colors in these cookies, one for each Sanderson sister. Green is for Winifred, purple is for Sarah and orange is for Mary. The colors from from the outfits they wear in the Hocus Pocus movies. The candy eyes represent Winifred’s precious book!
- Fun! Between all the colors and the festive sprinkles, everyone is always is impressed when they see these cookies. They’re a simple way to add flair to your Halloween celebration.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make these Hocus Pocus cookies. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for ingredient amounts.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter, softened in the microwave.
- Sugar – We’ll use white and light brown sugar.
- Eggs – Preferably at room temperature so they blend easier.
- Vanilla
- Baking Soda & Kosher Salt
- Bread Flour – Using bread flour for your cookies will make them nice and chewy.
- Cornstarch – Adds a bit of extra chewiness and helps the cookies hold their shape.
- Gel food coloring – Make sure you use gel coloring, not liquid. I used purple, orange and green but any color works.
- Sprinkles – Grab some Halloween sprinkles for the finishing touch. I chose some with candy eyes!
Are you ready to make cookies that would make the Sanderson Sisters proud? Here’s how to do it. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for more details.
- Prep your tools. Line a baking sheet and preheat your oven to 350F.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.
- Combine. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you can’t see any dry bits of cookie dough.
- Add the colors. Divide the cookie dough into 3 bowls and add food coloring until you get the color you want. Make sure you are using gel food coloring.
- Prep the sprinkles. Pour the Halloween sprinkles onto a shallow plate.
- Shape the cookies. Get a small amount of each color of cookie dough, then roll into a ball. Dip each ball in the Halloween sprinkles.
- Chill. Place the cookie dough balls in the freezer for 8-10 minutes to chill. You can do this on your baking sheet, if it will fit in your freezer, or you can chill the cookie dough in a freezer-safe container.
- Bake. Place the cookies on your prepared baking sheet. I can usually fit 8 cookies per batch. Bake for 13 minutes. The cookies will still be soft, but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Use the right kind of flour. I used bread flour because it has more protein content, which leads to more gluten formation and better liquid absorption. This results in chewier cookies.
- Don’t skip the chill time. I have baked these cookies without chilling first and they came out fine, but when I chill them first they hold their shape better and don’t spread as much. If you want soft and chewy cookies, then make sure you chill them briefly.
- Let them cool. Give the cookies at least 5 minutes to cool before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you try to move them too soon they’ll break.
- Counter. Let your cookies cool completely, then transfer them to a cookie jar or airtight container. They will keep on the counter for up to 5 days.
- Freezer. Want to freeze some for later? I recommend freezing the cookie dough balls before they have been baked. To do that, first freeze them flat on a baking sheet right after you add the sprinkles. Once they are solid, transfer them to an airtight, freezer-safe container. They’ll keep for up to 3 months. You can bake them right from the freezer, adding a few minutes of baking time to account for how cold the dough is.
More Halloween Recipes
Looking for more Hocus Pocus party food ideas? Here are some more Halloween favorites:
- Nightmare Before Christmas Cake
- Devil’s Food Cake
- Among Us Cake
- Halloween Gingerbread House
- Halloween Charcuterie Board
This Hocus Pocus cookies are easy to make and such a treat to eat! Soft and chewy cookies with orange, green and purple colors plus candy eyes.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups bread flour
- Orange, green and purple gel food coloring
- Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Prep your tools. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Add the softened butter and both sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. (You can also use a large bowl with a hand held mixer.) Beat together until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the cornstarch, baking soda, salt and bread flour.
- Add dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix until there are no dry bits of dough visible.
- Add the colors. Separate the cookie dough into 3 bowls. Add orange food coloring to one, purple to another, and green to the last bowl. The amount of food coloring you'll need will depend upon the brand you're using. I needed about 1 teaspoon of each color. Make sure you're using gel food coloring.
- Prep the sprinkles. Pour the Halloween sprinkles onto a shallow plate.
- Shape the cookies. Scoop about 2 teaspoons of each color into the palm of your hand and gently roll into a ball. Dip the cookie dough ball in the sprinkles, then place on your baking sheet. Repeat until you have about 8 cookies on your tray. You will need to work in batches to avoid overcrowding your baking sheet.
- Chill. Place the shaped cookies into the freezer for 8-10 minutes. If your baking sheet won't fit in the freezer, you can instead chill the cookie dough in a freezer-safe container. I used a Pyrex storage container.
- Bake. Place the cookies in your preheated oven and bake for 13 minutes. The cookies will still be soft, but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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Nutrition
Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 302IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Did you make this recipe?💖 I love hearing how my recipes came out for others! If you tried this recipe, please share a comment. 💖
I made the recipe in thirds. I then used in the separate doughs lime, lemon, or orange extract. It was more than a week before Halloween, but there were no Halloween sprinkles to be found. I mixed orange, purple, and green sanding sugars instead.
Your modifications to the recipe sound tasty, glad you enjoyed the cookies and Happy Halloween!