Description
These Vegan Halloween Cookies are a festive and colorful treat perfect for the spooky season. Made with a soft, plant-based dough divided into three vibrant flavors—ube (or blueberry), matcha, and cocoa—they create a playful tri-color effect. The cookies are rolled in sugar for a sparkling finish, baked to perfection, and decorated with edible googly eyes and icing stitches for a fun, monster-like appearance. Ideal for vegans and those seeking delightful Halloween-themed sweets with a creative twist.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Dough
- 130 g vegan butter (block variety, room temperature)
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 50 g soft silken tofu or unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 180 g plain white flour (all-purpose flour) or gluten-free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ube powder or substitute with blueberry powder
- 1 teaspoon ceremonial grade matcha (e.g., OMG Tea Brand)
- 2 teaspoons Dutch process cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for rolling dough)
For Decorating
- Edible vegan googly eye decorations
- 100 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon plant milk (unflavored and unsweetened)
Instructions
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the vegan butter, granulated sugar, soft silken tofu, and vanilla extract on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Alternatively, use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer to achieve the same consistency.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Meanwhile, sift together the plain white flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, and fine sea salt in a separate bowl to ensure even mixing and remove any lumps.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Add the sifted dry ingredients to the stand mixer bowl with the wet mixture. Beat on medium speed until the ingredients are just combined into a loose dough, taking care not to overmix to keep the dough tender.
- Divide and Color Dough: Remove the dough from the mixer and weigh it. Divide into three equal portions, placing each in separate bowls. To one bowl, add the ube powder (or blueberry powder) and mix until the dough is evenly colored. To the second, add matcha powder and mix thoroughly. Add cocoa powder to the third and mix until the color is uniform.
- Chill Dough: Wrap each colored portion tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up, making the dough easier to handle and preventing spreading during baking. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) fan mode, and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form Cookies: After chilling, use a cookie scoop to portion out the cocoa dough into 10 equal scoops (5 per baking sheet). Place each scoop next to or touching a scoop of ube dough and then a scoop of matcha dough, creating tri-color lumps. Repeat until you have 10 multi-colored cookie lumps on each sheet. Return sheets to the fridge for 10 more minutes to firm the dough again.
- Roll and Coat: Put the extra 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Take each chilled dough lump, gently roll it in your hands to form a ball, then roll the ball in the granulated sugar to coat evenly. Place back on the baking sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Place the cookie sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 12 minutes. For freezing, after rolling in sugar, freeze dough balls on sheets for 30 minutes, then transfer to airtight containers for up to 3-4 months. Defrost on lined sheets for 30 minutes at room temperature before baking and decorating.
- Add Edible Eyes: While baking, organize your edible googly eye decorations in a bowl. When cookies are removed from the oven, work quickly to press 7-8 eyes gently onto each cookie, angling them at playful, wonky positions, avoiding dough seams for the best look.
- Cool Cookies: Transfer cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature before decorating with icing to prevent melting or smudging.
- Prepare Icing: In a small bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and plant milk until smooth and lump-free. Transfer the icing into a piping bag and snip a tiny hole at the tip for precise decorating.
- Decorate with Stitches: Once cookies are fully cooled, pipe stitch marks over the seams of the tri-color dough to enhance the monster effect. Allow the icing to set fully before serving or storing.
- Storage: Store finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They are freshest on the day of baking but remain enjoyable for a few days.
Notes
- Use soft silken tofu or unsweetened applesauce as an egg replacer for vegan texture and moisture.
- Ube powder can be substituted with blueberry powder if unavailable.
- Ensure edible googly eyes are vegan to keep the recipe fully plant-based.
- You can freeze unbaked dough balls for up to 3-4 months; thaw before baking.
- Be creative with the placement of eyes to give cookies a spooky, playful character.
- Use plastic wrap tightly to avoid dough absorbing fridge odors and drying out during chilling.
- Preheat oven fully to ensure even baking and prevent spreading.
- If gluten-free flour is used, choose a blend that works well for cookies to maintain texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
