Description
These easy Halloween Cauldron Cookie Cups start with chocolate cake mix cookie cups filled with homemade green buttercream and decorated to look like bubbling witch’s brew. Finished with sprinkles, candy eyeballs, and pretzel stir sticks, these bite-sized Halloween cookies are a fun treat for kids and parties.
Ingredients
- Chocolate Cookie Cups:
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box Devil’s Food cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- Black food coloring, optional
- Green Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-3 tablespoons milk
- Green food coloring
- Decorations:
- Round green sprinkles, as needed
- Halloween sprinkles, as needed
- Candy eyeballs, as needed
- Pretzel sticks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease three 12-count mini muffin pans.
- In a large bowl, mix the Devil’s Food cake mix, eggs, canola or vegetable oil, and black food coloring, if using, until well combined.
- Scoop about 1/2 tablespoon of dough into each mini muffin cup. Flatten the dough gently with your fingers.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set. Immediately press the back of a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon into the center of each warm cookie to create an indentation.
- Let the cookie cups cool completely in the pans before carefully removing them.
- To make the buttercream, beat the softened butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, beating until smooth.
- Add 1 tablespoon of milk, then add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time as needed until the buttercream is smooth and easy to pipe. Mix in green food coloring until the desired shade is reached.
- Pipe the green buttercream into the cooled cookie cups, filling each one to resemble a bubbling potion.
- Decorate with green sprinkles, candy eyeballs, and Halloween sprinkles. Break the pretzel sticks in half and insert one into each cookie cup as a stir stick.
Notes
- This recipe was tested with a 15.25-ounce box of Duncan Hines Devil’s Food cake mix. If using a smaller 13.25-ounce box, reduce the oil to 1/3 cup.
- Press the indentations into the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven. They become harder to shape as they cool.
- Store decorated Cauldron Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- Undecorated cookie cups can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before adding the buttercream and decorations.
- The buttercream can be made the night before and refrigerated. Let it soften slightly, then stir well before piping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American